You can do a workout if you like.
But a workout is just going out there to wear yourself out.
Training is different.
It’s done with a purpose.
If you are training to lose weight then your training is focused on boosting metabolism to burn fat and working the muscles to improve the muscle tone.
To achieve the best result from both boosting metabolism and working the muscles, you have to focus on giving everything during your workout.
You may think you are giving everything, but there’s always a little more.
And it’s not always what you think.
Sometimes less is more.
Many of you have heard me tell you to stop or slow down in a workout for this very reason.
Quality work beats working out every day.
If you are doing the exercise perfectly while squeezing every muscle and creating total body tension throughout, then you’re putting in 100%.
If you do this and only last half the time allotted to the exercise, I’m happy.
And your body will be happy to.
You’ll build more muscle, get stronger much faster and send your metabolism through the roof.
The pushup is the best example of this means of training.
If your abs and glutes are as tight as possible, you’ll be stronger recruiting the rest of the muscles needed for the exercise.
This is the same with any exercise where you are gripping a dumbbell by a handle.
The harder you squeeze, the more muscles are activated which in turn provides more strength and more energy output.
So when you hear us tell you ‘abs’ or ‘glutes’ or ‘shoulder blades’ or squeeze harder, do it.
Use all your energy to give as much as you can for a short duration.
Some of you approach a training session with a survival mentality.
This is the wrong idea.
With a survival mentality you head into the training session with the intention of just getting through it.
What you should be doing is entering the training session with an attitude of ‘what can I get out of it?’
If you only 10 seconds of quality work every minute of a 25 minute session, you will end up stronger and fitter and burning more fat than if you just cruise through.
It seems strange, but just look at sprinters bodies.
These guys work with a high intensity for a short duration and that’s the by-product.
On the flip side is endurance athletes who often look flat, carry more fat and lack strength.
I did a very short training session yesterday.
My purpose was to work on my technique of a few exercises.
I’m working on getting lower into my dips, so I was doing negative reps to build strength in the bottom position.
I did single leg squats starting out with TRX assisted, then low squats to a box and finally negative reps of 2 to the floor.
I also did a very basic variation of a gymnastics back lever. I only help the position for 5-10 seconds for 4 sets.
While the duration is low, the output is still very high and the gains in strength are way higher than you’d think.
Same goes with the Glute Ham Raise exercise I did with some of the training crew yesterday.
Without maximum tension, you can’t perform the exercise.
So the next time you do your strength stuff, think about these 3 keys.
Train to get stronger and better at every session.
Give everything you’ve got and then rest as much as you need.
Squeeze the muscles as hard as possible for maximum muscle recruitment.
If you want a push to your strength and fitness with a personal trainer, join one of our groups at Fit Faster Performance and get the accountability and coaching of one-on-one training at a fraction of the cost.
We specialize in fat loss and muscle toning using bands, kettlebells and bodyweight training and are constantly working on improving our skills.
It doesn’t take much effort, just a little consistency for a short period of time.
