Information doesn’t get results, as you’ve heard me say MANY times.
Results come from ACTION.
So this blog is a bit a double edged sword – I’m giving you (more) information about actions that will give you amazing results!
First things first: Here’s something we MUST admit or realise regarding training and results.
**People who get results have the same challenges, feel the same tiredness, have the same chores, hold down jobs too, don’t like the weather, and the rest. They just ignore these obstacles. They just do the work**
>> They are NOT lucky!
Ok, now that’s out of the way here are my top 5 habits that will let you join the club.
(1) INTENSITY
It’s SO important to perform your exercise regime with intensity. Here’s a clue: if you’re bringing a magazine to the gym to read on a machine, you’re not working hard enough!
(Seen this so many times when I worked in gyms).
Now when I’m looking at the clock and counting down ten seconds before I pedal a bike for 30 seconds hard, I’ve no time for what Angelina Jolie wore on the red carpet.
I’m focused and working to maximise the effort (and rest) that I need to get the most of my session.
And it doesn’t matter what exercise you prefer: heavy weights or zumba. Hit it as hard as you can and feel great in that shower afterwards.
Intensity is KEY.
(2) PATIENCE
I know we all want results yesterday with as little time and effort as possible. But here’s a fact:
You’ve probably suffered years of poor habits and lack of exercise to get where you are. You are NOT gonna un-do all this in two weeks.
((You might get lighter if you starve yourself and live on lettuce leaves and water – but we know how that ends!))
I know it doesn’t help that gyms and trainers sneakily advertise they will help you lose drastic amounts of weight in a short space of time.? >>>> What you want to hear = ?????? for them.
But ….. fat loss is an on-going process of turning round ingrained, poor habits, layering positive habits and finding a lifestyle that suits YOU through trial and error.
*It’s NOT going to happen is 2, 4 or 6 weeks, trust me*
Having patience, realising the journey is a marathon not a sprint, weathering the many ups and downs, and just enjoying progress is a key component.
(3) RESISTANCE??
I’m gonna put this one out there YET AGAIN. (Disclaimer: Apologies if you’re sick, sore and tired of me saying this!)
>>Resistance training (weights) must be the foundation of your exercise regime<<
Training muscle – with great nutrition – makes you leaner, more athletic, stronger, helps you move better, gets rid of aches and pains.
If you’re 18 and want to impress with a 6-pack, perfect! If you’re 70 and want to get up the stairs without help, perfect! We should ALL be doing this.
Learn the most powerful, compound movements, the ones we focus on at Hurley Fitness – deadlift, squat, bench press, bent over row, overhead press.
I’m guessing you’ve possibly avoided these through lack of knowledge, fear of getting “bigger”, or you find it boring.
Trust me, when you slip into those jeans and feel lean and toned everywhere, you’ll change your mind.
(4) PROGESSION
The fact is humans LOVE to stay in their comfort zone. Whether that’s sleeping on the same side of bed each night or parking in the same parking space each day. We love it.
It makes up feel safe, secure, we love the familiar. And that can be a good thing!
Unfortunately, when it come to training you must eventually push yourself OUT of your comfort zone to challenge the body to adapt.
You do the same thing over and over, you get the same results.
It’s possible to get great satisfaction from the gym routine you’ve done for years and can do blind-folded. And that’s fine.
But if you want results, you must push the envelope. Difficult, I know, to understand when the time is right to slap an extra weight onto the bar, or to increase the resistance on the machine.
I’ll make it easy: We usually adapt to something between 3-6 workouts.? ?All you can do is test it, take a risk and make your regime a little harder in that time frame.
Easiest ways include: >>>> make your resistance harder OR cut down your recovery time.
(5) CONSISTENCY
Look, I’m an unusual breed because of 2 things.
Number one, I actually enjoy exercise, part of a VERY small percentage of the population.
Number two, I appreciate that people generally find exercise a CHORE.
(I’m a realistic person!!)
I know you read conflicting magazine articles that tell you about the latest way to burn fat and get results the quickest.
I know you want RAPID results.
I know you get bored quickly.
I know you know someone down the road who lost X amount of weight doing the latest DVD routine which is supposed to be “brilliant”.
This all adds up to one thing: CONFUSION. Which leads to you jumping from exercise fad to exercise fad.
**You’ve even heard it’s good to confuse the body right?** (From Me Probably) š
BUT ……….
Too much change does not allow the body to adapt to it’s stimulus (exercise).
You MUST be consistent with your training, making it progressively more difficult in a safe manner.
I’m thinking 8-12 weeks minimum!!!
**I’ve personally tested this with the BIG, POWERFUL, exercises listed above for ONE YEAR – and found it works!!**
Hence, why we do what we do at Hurley Fitness.
Bottom line: Stick to whatever regime you enjoy for up to 12 weeks, then think about progression.
Hope this adds value,
Kevin.
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