Hi lovelies,
What are your goals and aims for getting the most from your workouts? While indulging in any type of physical activity is good for the mind and the body, knowing how to get the most from your body without pushing it too far can help you elevate your workouts and improve your stamina, physique, internal health, and boost muscle mass, drop body fat and give you a sense of satisfaction.
Knowing how to go about pushing through your barriers will help you to make more impressive gains and get the results you are working towards, but before we hit the gym, there is one thing you need to know.
Abs Are Made In The Kitchen
It's as simple as that. Abs aren't made in the gym. They are made in the kitchen. If you want them for your physique, you need to make sure that your nutrition is supporting your physical efforts and that you are fueling your body correctly.
You can't out-train a bad diet, and if you want to see what you're capable of physically, you need to put effort into the kitchen.
Focus on increasing your protein intake; you need at least 0.75g of protein per kilo of body weight per day. More if you are in a deficit and losing weight as protein is more satiating, uses more calories to burn, and will support weight loss efforts. Include more whole foods and reduce fats, sugary foods, and refined carbs.
You need to include all of the major food groups but in moderation, focusing on whole foods, protein, and fresh fruit or veg before adding carbs, healthy fats, and some of your favorite foods. A healthy diet doesn't need to be about eliminating anything; it means being mindful of the choices you make and choosing to make good choices while keeping space for your favorite foods.
A good target to aim for is the 80/20 rule. This means 80% of your diet is whole foods while 20% is your favorite types of foods. If you are on 2,000 calories per day, 400 calories can be saved for things like chocolate, ice cream, cakes, etc, if you wish. This can help you to avoid bingeing on unhealthy choices and derailing all of your hard work.
Set Your Goals
Next, once you have your diet sorted out, you need to look at your actual goals. Where you are now and where you want to be. There is no right or wrong goal to set, be it losing weight, wanting to get fitter, increasing muscle mass and definition, or simply retaining your physique.
Hone down exactly what you want from your training and what you need to do to get there. Then, break down these goals. You see, large goals can often seem unattainable, so once you have your goals in mind, for example, you want to lose 100lb, break this down into smaller goals such as 10 sets of 10lb losses.
Give this a timeline that is realistic; tracking your progress from your start point to where you are now can give you an idea of what is achievable in specific timelines. Coming back to weight loss, a goal of 1-2 lb a week is realistic and will provide you with a timeframe of 5-10 weeks to achieve this.
A good tip is to celebrate your achievements, whether lifting your PB, moving up a weight for specific exercises, or dropping a clothing size. Celebrate them and enjoy them, and this will spur you on to your next goal.
Sleep
Don't underestimate the impact your sleeping habits will have on your progress. While it's completely normal to have days in the gym or sessions where you cannot do what you did last time, a lack of sleep will make these instances more frequent.
Aim to get around 7-9 hours of good quality sleep per night every night; put a bedtime and morning routine in place that encourages a restful night's sleep. Sleep regulates your mood, energy, hunger levels, weight, and your ability to want to meet your goals. If you aren't sleeping well, you won't have any power in the bank to give it your all where your fitness is concerned, and you might find that you are struggling to maintain where you are now. Never mind, make progress, and improve your fitness.
Try Progressive Overload
Progressive overload is a style of strength training that aims to increase the load of difficulty over time. If you're strength training and have happily been lifting the same weight for a while, then it's time to push yourself out of your comfort zone and see what happens.
Many people can make the mistake of increasing reps when weights get too easy to lift, but this won't give you the results you are looking for. Instead, you want to lift out your maximum capacity for each rep.
For example, if you are lifting 10 lb weights with ease and can reach 12-15 reps, then you need to increase the weight and decrease the reps. Try moving up 15lb and seeing how many you can lift. It is the effort and intensity you put into the weight that will bring you the results rather than how many reps you can do.
Your sets could look like this instead:
10 reps at 10lb
7 reps at 15lb
5 reps at 15lb
If you are lifting close to failure, then you will be performing progressive overload. Once you are able to do more reps with the higher weight or increase your sets (3-4 sets is a good place to aim for), then you should move up a weight. Don't rush this; you need to give your body time to adjust to the change in weight, and once it becomes easier, then lift higher.
Plus, you can do this for other exercises besides strength training. From adding in 20 LB cast iron ruck weight plates for backpack weight training to your rucksack when running or lifting to adding weights to body weight exercises or HIIT workouts, always look at how you can make your exercise of choice harder.
Rest
Like sleep, rest days are important; in fact, rest is essential during your workouts if you are strength training, too.
Firstly, pushing your body to failure seven days a week won't get you the desired results. You need to allow your body to rest in between workouts to allow your muscles to repair and recover. If you don't feel like you can rest completely, you can indulge in active resting, which is when you are doing some form of exercise, but it is gentle. This can be going for a walk, swimming, doing yoga, etc. Something that allows you to still be active but not in such a vigorous way.
Take 1-2 days off per week to rest to ensure that your body is ready to go when you start your next session.
Rest periods during your sets are also important. You want to be pushing your body to the limit, and doing this without resting between sets will only lead to fatigue and possible failure to carry on.
Let's say you are doing three sets of 8 reps. After each set, take a minute or more to stop and rest before going again. This will allow your muscles to recover, give you an energy burst, and allow you to push forward. The best lifters understand the role rest periods play in their workout, and far from doing nothing in between sets, they're doing what they can to maximize gains.
Change It Up
Lastly, if you aren't seeing the results you want, why not try changing it up? While it's true that you should follow the same training program for around 4-6 weeks before making changes, it might be that you need to do a different type of workout to supplement your goals.
If you are always hitting the weights, why not add a cardio session to help you increase your stamina and get your heart rate raised? If you are a fan of aerobic sessions, try weight training. There are plenty of options for you to choose from, including swimming, running, HIIT workouts, CrossFit, Spin classes, Zumba, and pilates, to name a few.
By taking up different exercises, you can help improve your cardiovascular functions and mobility and maybe even find a new workout you love.
Conclusion
Being able to move your workouts can help you increase your fitness, change your physique, and allow you to improve your mental health and fitness at the same time.
However, it is important to know how best to make progress before moving on or pushing your body before you cause an injury.
Take your time, and don't rush the changes you want to implement, as too much too soon can cause an injury. Never lift a weight alone that is beyond your max PB, have a spotter ready, especially if failing can cause you an injury, and remember pain isn't always good; sometimes it can indicate an injury, and you shouldn't ignore any niggling pains as you might cause more damage.
Take your time, be sensible with your goals, eat well, hydrate, and mix it up a bit to help you make the progress you are looking for.
