When people are ready to achieve a goal such as gaining muscle, losing weight, or increasing some degree of performance they head to the gym. Great start, but just showing up will not get you the results you want.
HERE IS THE PROBLEM!
The biggest mistake I have made and have seen hinder others is not going into the gym with a plan. They go into the gym, look in the mirror for a few minutes and make their decision on the spot of which muscle groups they will work. Sometimes this will lead to the same exercise routine they learned from their high school sport. Other times they are attempting to mimic an exercise they saw on the internet. The lack of intentionality in your exercise program will continue to slow down the time it takes to achieve your goal. This leads to a social adventure with old friends, new friends and complete strangers, which only wastes your time in the gym!
AND NOW THE SOLUTIONS...
What you need is a plan. Start by either creating your own program or seeking a trainer who can create a program tailored towards your goal. This plan or program should be set for at least 4 weeks, maybe longer. This will allow your body to learn the movement patterns and begin to load those movement patterns. Some may argue that you need
variety in order to have muscle confusion and rapidly increase muscle growth! Wait, what? No, you will get your variety from your repetition changes and increases in range of motion. Also, you can get variety from your recovery in between exercises, sets and training days. Even if you are not 100% sure your program will work, trust in what you created and stick to it. At the end of the 4 weeks, alter a few things and try it again. If you are completely lost, seek out professional help from a certified trainer or strength coach.
When you create your program be specific. Set out your repetitions, sets, and recovery time. Organize your exercises in an appropriate order (olympic, power, strength, auxiliary, push-pull, muscle groups). Answer the questions of supersets? Trisets? Quadsets? How much load are you lifting during each set of each exercise? Is this specific? Yes, but it will give you the greatest chance to achieve your goals. Write it down on a piece of paper, put it on your phone, memorize it, just do what you need to do so you can follow your program for the entire month.
Of course nutrition will play a role in any type of training. Even if you are just looking to stay in shape! Do not be so naive to think that you can put fast food, fried food or foods high in saturated fats into your body. Treat yourself and take in an adequate amount of carbs, proteins and fats. This can come from vegetables, nuts, fish, lean meats, etc.
CONCLUSION
Create a program before you enter the gym. Don't be embarrassed to bring in a piece of paper with all your exercises, sets and repetitions on it. If you do not know where to start, seek professional help. And do not overlook the role nutrition plays. Being prepared before you train will increase the amount of training you get done while you are in the gym. This will lead you to the results you are looking for.
(If you have any questions leave them in the comment box below.)
