We all want to be efficient at the things we do. For most of us that means getting to our goal as fast as you can. Now that is not always the “best” idea, I completely understand.
I want to get to my goals faster too. Now we can still do things the right way, but let’s start to work on that efficiency a little bit.
I always talk about consistency, sleep, hydration, quality food, you know all the boring stuff. Although these are the most important things, I want to share some things that will have a huge impact but don’t get brought up as much.
As always make sure to move the big rocks first, once all the big things are taken care of, work into these other topics and start seeing the results you want to see.
1.) Push yourself
Far too often people go to the gym and do the same workout, with the same reps, same weight for months on end. If everything is always the exact same, why would you expect to see any change at all?
We want to start pushing ourselves close to our limits. This does not mean we need to be at risk of injury and having people help us move the weight. What It means is that we need to work up to a place where we are challenging ourselves. This is not always easy or comfortable, but it’s a lost aspect of exercise, finding something that truly challenges your limits.
On any given exercise a few reps may feel pretty easy, some reps begin to feel more difficult, and by the end the last few were very difficult. Those final reps are called effective reps.
We want those effective reps to pile up each week and show our body that It needs to change and adapt to keep up with the work we are putting It through.
I would say start with 1-2 exercises in each workout and push yourself a little harder than normal on a set or two during those exercises. From there you can build on that, adding a few more “hard” sets or reps here and there.
2.) Get out of your comfort zone
We all love to stay close to what feels comfortable. I am the same way.
But if we want things to change we need to break out of that comfort zone every once in a while.
One of the first steps I like to take with people with this is doing the opposite of what they are doing now. If someone walks in and does a lot of cardio and spin classes, It’s time for a cycle of resistance training and movement.
If someone only does kettlebell training we can work into some more dumbbells and sled work.
These drastic changes are what forces change because we are throwing a curveball at our adaptation system. It needs to find a way to get good at these things and the only way It can do so is by trying to adapt as you go.
The same thing goes the other way as well, if someone is doing a lot of resistance training, it’s time to add in some more aerobic work into their routine.
It all plays into the fact that we have to break out of what feels good to us. No, doing something completely different will not be easy, we will most likely suck at It for a while, but It’s what will force change in our body.
Results still take time, but less time if done the right way.
In good health,
Jeff
