5. TRACK, TRACK, TRACK
Image: Bodybuilding.com
One of the biggest mistakes that people make is that they jump into the fitness world face first and go HAM without tracking progress, understanding their results, or holding themselves accountable.
Well, except for weight. Most people experience hyperbolic emotional swings over a number that pops up on a scale (p.s. weight is a horrible metric that doesn’t account for body fat %). Instead, redirect that energy and get emotionally invested in the amount of weight you’re lifting. The reps you’re doing. Your personal strength and physical capabilities.
It’s so much more positive. And trust us, the weight will come flying off and your body will recompose, anyway.
Your body builds size and strength based on the principle of progressive resistance. In practice, your body grows when you challenge it and gradually increase the difficulty; be that in terms of heavier weight lifted, an increased # of reps, or heightened exercise difficulty.
Start competing with yourself and FORCE your body to grow. Coerce it into positive change. Challenge = improvement.
If you’re consistently doing 3 sets of barbell squats at 135 pounds for 10 reps, shoot to increase that to 3 sets x 155 lbs x 8-10 reps the following week (note that you can and should temporarily decrease the # of reps when you increase the weight).
That progression is the cornerstone of muscle growth.
With a million things going on in your life, the only way it’s happening is if you remember what you did in previous workouts and go from there. Fitness tracking is already one of the hottest fitness trends, and it’s primed to explode further in 2016. Whether you’re using an app, a Fitbit, or going super old school with a notebook, use something to chart where you’ve been and where you’re going.
You’ve got all the tools to be successful. GET AFTER IT and make it happen.
? TO-DO: Put your sparky new workout split to work, kick ass, and track that noise.
