We all know what needs to be done to get in shape, especially when we see a deadline ahead, also known as summer time summer full body workout routines. As most people set unrealistic goals, they get tempted to buy in to those quick fix detox or lofty programs that promise the holy grail of results, only to find out there are no such things. My goal here is to remind you of the bumps along the way.
Here are 8 details that can derail your progress toward a strong, shredded, summer physique.
Evaluate your situation with all honesty. Get your body fat measured, nutrition evaluated and get the program that fits your goals. The only way to know that you are getting results is to know exactly where you started from.
Some might call it an obsession, but I say obsession is what lazy people call dedication. Your body is a reflection of your routine and habits. Create your perfect day. Do everything you need to do to attain your daily goals faster. Get things done in the morning when your motivation and will power is fresh. Being in the best shape requires great motivation and drive, day in and day out. You need to light the fire and keep it going by feeding it properly – this means great food and greater workouts, thus creating the perfect balance.
Most people finish off their workouts with a few sets of abs. If this were result producing, we would see a lot more people walking around with a six pack. In the same vein, most guys love to train arms, but seem to forget to train their legs with the same dedication.
Basic rules: fat does not retract, so doing abs at the end of each session won’t get rid of the fat on top. Also, the body requires balance. Would you train only your left arm? I don’t think so. So training your left side as much as your right side makes as much sense as training your upper body as much as your lower body. Does that make sense? Gains on your legs can even boost your upper body gains, and I’m not even talking about how much fat you can burn during an intense leg session.
Sometimes you need a little added motivation to get you through your workout. I learned a great trick from a friend of mine — think about one person who you would love to train with. It could be Dwayne ‘’The Rock’’ Johnson, Arnold, or even Frank Zane. Visualize yourself going through your workout with one of them. Imagine them counting your reps and spotting you, and you spotting them and pushing them to the breaking point. You’ll be amazed at how intense your workout will be.
Americans are sleeping less and less for a multitude of reasons. Researchers have reported that women who sleep 5 hours or less per night generally weigh more than women who sleep 7 hours per night. The 2006 American Thoracic Society International Conference, showed that women who slept 5 hours per night were 32% more likely to experience major weight gain (an increase of 33 pounds or more) and 15% more likely to become obese over the course of the 16-year study, compared to those who slept 7 hours a night.
Less sleep means disturbed leptin and ghrelin levels, which are two of the main hormones that have been recognized to have a major influence on energy balance and that can play Russian roulette with your appetite. Lack of sleep interferes with your ability to metabolize carbs efficiently. It makes it easier for your body to store fat and increases insulin resistance, blood pressure, and risk of having heart disease.
You try out a workout that looked awesome, but after 2 weeks, you can’t seem to see results. Patience and consistency are the keys to success. Ask yourself why you’re not seeing results. Did you increase the weight or did you repeat the exact same workout and weight as the previous one? Did you respect all the data of the program such as the rest intervals and time under tension? Small and steady progress leads to big results.
As a rule of thumb, training age dictates how long you should stick to a program. Beginners from 0 to 1 year of experience should change their programs every 6-8 weeks. After a year of proper and dedicated lifting, you should change your workouts every 4 to 6 weeks. After 10 years, individualization is the key and periodization, varying cycles of power, strength and hypertrophy is best for continuous results and injury prevention.
A workout that worked great last spring might not work this time around. No matter how good it was, evaluate your situation this time around and plan accordingly.
Most people connect fat loss with eating less. Although it might be the case most of the time, the solution to fat loss is not as simple as it seems. For example, if you eat very little and train hard but aren’t seeing results, the solution is not eating less. I’ve trained many people who had to increase their calories, and only then did they start seeing results. Why? Creating a calorie deficit of about 300-400 calories below maintenance levels will slowly make you burn fat without cutting into those hard-earned muscles, which is key in your fat loss journey.