As I sat last night and thought about training and the progress others have made around me the past 5 years, one word kept coming to mind. I kept having one thought over and over again. It was as though I was being haunted by this one word. Can you think of the one word that brings about success with training? The word I am thinking of is consistency.
Consistent schedules make training easier
Some people are forced to train at all sorts of odd times as a result of their work schedule. This makes training a more difficult proposition. There are too many variables that can get in the way.
A consistent schedule for your training will ultimately make it easier to stick to. You won't have to wonder when you will get your training in. You won't plan anything else at your training time because it is an appointment that can't be broken.
Consistent training enables progressive overload to work
Anyone who has weight trained for any length of time has heard of the concept of progressive overload. Even if you haven't heard of the progressive overload principle I am certain you've applied it in your training. The principle involves always getting more reps or lifting a heavier weight each workout.
Consistency will allow for this principle to go to work changing your body. By not missing workouts you will slowly increase the load on each workout. This will accelerate the positive changes you are seeking.
Consistent training creates a habit
When you first start training it is not yet a habit. Consistency helps to turn training into a habit fir you. You will soon crave your workouts. The great feeling you get when you realize you've managed to hit the gym consistently will drive you to repeat that success pattern over and over again.
The consistency challenge
I am a big believer in breaking goals down into small parts. I want to issue a challenge to you. What is your training schedule for the next week? Write it down and then consistently complete it for one week. Upon completing one week, aim for two weeks. After two weeks aim for 4. If you complete the challenge you will have trained consistently for 7 weeks. That's quite an accomplishment.
What do you think? Can you be consistent?
