I am often asked what it takes to get results in the gym. After asking the question people just stare. They expect you to come up with some complex answer. However, the answer is much simpler than people expect. I have come up with 3 important points that will lead to success in the gym for anyone who listens—Focus, Intensity and Consistency.
Get to the Gym
The first step to being consistent with a program is to get yourself into the gym. No matter what you do, make it your goal not to miss a workout. Find what motivates you and use that to propel you into the gym on your allotted schedule. I am not one to tell you that you must hit the gym 4 or 5 days a week for lifting. You pick a program that you believe will work for you and then you execute.
Making Up a Workout
I hear this all the time. Someone misses a workout and then they say they are going to make it up on their off day. First, that is completely destroying their plan. Second, you can never make up a workout. The workout is gone forever. In fact, by trying to make up a workout you simply reduce the effectiveness of that workout. You are eating into time that was needed for rest.
Consistency = Faster Results
By not missing any workouts, you are working your plan. This gives your plan a chance to produce the results it was intended to produce. Remember, workout plans were designed in a certain way to produce certain results. By being consistent you are giving them a chance to do what they were planned for.
Working out is a process much like building a brick wall. You build upon your previous foundation over and over again. Consistent workout behavior makes for a stronger foundation in less time. People who are regular about their workouts get to their goals in much less time. The time you spend each day will benefit you because it builds on the time you spent the previous day. In addition, the more consistent you are the sooner it becomes a habit for you.
If you are not sure that consistency is going to help with your workouts, set a goal to make it to your scheduled workouts each time in the next month. Take measurements before that goal is started and take measurements after that goal is accomplished. You will see for yourself that the results dont lie.
Keys to Your Success
To recap what we’ve learned in the past few articles, your success is dependent upon 3 factors: Focus, Intensity and Consistency.
Focus involves planning ahead. It involves knowing what you are going to do ahead of time so that you can just get the job done. Focus is where your success begins.
Intensity is about how hard you push yourself. It can be accomplished in many different ways. The way you choose is up to you, but the various methods for gaining intensity should probably be rotated.
Consistency is where you are going to build upon the foundation and make it stronger. It gives you faster results and makes for the most changes.
As with anything, give this a try and see how it works for you. The Experiment of One is always the guiding force.
