Are you making gains in the gym? Have you seen any positive results? Today I am going to be frank about results and the various ways to insure that you get some positive results from your training.
Planning
I believe in planning your workouts. I know there are many who will say it is stupid, but I think that if you fail to plan you are likely to miss some very important aspects of training that need to be addressed. For instance, periodization is essential to a good workout program. How do you know you have periodized properly if you have no plan?
I keep a log of my training. That log is the key to my next workout. Have a look at the picture of my log book. I use a simple system. On the left I write the target weight goal. On the right I write down the target repetition range. I then log down the weight and repetitions of each set. If I meet both the weight and repetition target goals I put an up arrow. If I make some of the goal I put a dash. If I think that the weight was too much I will put a down arrow (have only had to do that a few times in all the time I have been training.
When I go to do my next workout I can look at how I did on the exercise the previous workout. I can then properly set the weight and repetitions according to the results of the previous workout. It is scientific rather than guess work.
I prefer this approach rather than the shotgun approach. It takes no time at all to write things down as I do it during the rest period for each set. Why wouldn't you want to have notes like this on your training?
As a side benefit, you can review these notes to see how your body really responded to the things you put it through. You can make informed decisions based upon your training.
I highly recommend using a training log like this one. I got mine from Amazon.com but I am sure you can find something similar anywhere or you can just use a notebook.
Consistency
So many people complain that they are not getting good results and when you question them they admit to missing workouts. This is not going to help you get to where you want to be. Only consistent training will get you to where you want to be. The best bodies are built over time. It doesn't happen overnight. Thus, being consistent is going to be your ticket to future success.
Find a way to be consistent. Get a training partner or accountability partner and report in on your progress. You will notice that your consistency improves tremendously. Without this type of thing most people only last a few weeks in the gym.
Intensity
Are you phoning in your workouts or are you giving it every shred of effort you have? If you aren't giving it every shred of effort then start doing that immediately. You won't get anywhere without some intensity. I believe you leave everything you came with on that gym floor. When you walk out of the gym it should be on the smallest amount of energy possible because you expended everything in the gym to get your workout done.
Changes
Be honest with yourself. As you read this article I am sure that things came to mind that could be changed to improve your results. Be honest and change them. Get busy with the things you know you need to do and start enjoying the rewards for your efforts.
