How to improve your performance in the weightroom in 2020.

Today’s quick tip is going to be all about the most important thing that’s going to drive your progress: consistency. Everybody knows that famous phrase “hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.

Simply showing up and doing the work every single day will get you further in life than any special talent or the latest productivity “hack”. So, here are 3 ways you can create consistency and routine in your strength training program.

1: Structure = Freedom.

This is one of my favorite sayings, partly for its simplicity and partly for how true it is. Simply put, the more structured you are, the more freedom you have to go off track and not have it ruin your entire day.

 I first heard this from an actor, and it has always stuck with me. The more he knew his script and his stuff, the easier it was for him to ad lib a little and push the boundaries. This way, if something didn’t work or didn’t get the reaction from the audience he expected, he could go right back onto the script with very little impact from his deviation.

However, if he didn’t know his script like the back of his hand and took such a risk, it could derail his entire performance and he’d never be able to recover. His planning and preparation allowed for a calculated risk.

Same can go for your daily routine. The more established of a routine you can maintain, the easier it is to go off track. If you have meal prepped every meal that week, it’s ok to go out to dinner for your friends’ birthday and live a little since you can get right back on track the next day with your plan.

Similarly, if you show up to the gym at 7am every single day but your kid is sick and you must care for them, having an established routine already in place can minimize how that impacts the rest of the week’s training.

Conversely, speaking from experience, its easy to throw your whole week off if you blow your calories for the day on that dinner, and then don’t have meals prepared for the rest of the week. You already had crappy food one night, what’s the harm of a couple more days?

You didn’t make it to the gym because you were home caring for your sick kid (as you should be), but then you cram too much volume into the next session and end up hurting yourself.

Having a plan and routine in place allows for you to adapt to unforeseen circumstances, rather than flying by the seat of your pants. When you look at the big picture, skipping one meal or workout isn’t the end of the world, as long as you have a plan to get right back on track.

2: Keep a training journal.

I thought this one was stupid for far too long. I wish I had a time machine so I could go kick my younger self. Imagine having over 5 years of training knowledge, all written down for me to learn from now!

Tracking your progress over time is a fantastic motivator, as well as a great way to see how far you’ve come.

I’d recommend writing down a sentence or two about how training for that day went at the bottom of the page as well, so you can look back and learn from the failures and celebrate the successes, to hold you accountable when you feel like cutting sets or to push you on those hard days. The mental side of training is important too, and being able to track that is an invaluable measure of progress outside of sets/reps/weights.

This journal doesn’t need to be perfect. Part of why it took me so long to accept one into my training was because I tried to make it too perfect. I approached it with almost a religious-like zeal to what it represented – my journey in strength. But really, it’s a place I can write some notes down, track progress and reflect on my workouts. That’s all it is, and that’s all it needs to be. It can cost you $3 at Walmart or $25 with a nice leather cover. Whatever is going to make you use it!

3: Train in an appropriate environment.

LA Fitness is not a place for serious weight training. I’m sorry, but it’s the truth. If you are an athlete, you need to train around other athletes.

Nothing will be better for your mindset and for holding you accountable. When I was interning at a Olympic weightlifting-only gym, the common goal of improving the snatch, clean and jerk every single day bonded people and made them almost like a family.

They were texting each other if someone didn’t show up, and cheering each other on, whether it was a 1kg PR or an attempt to qualify for a national team.

That kind of environment not only makes training fun, but it also brings out the best in people. Try training in a Planet Fitness one day, and then with your sports team all working towards the same goal the next. I guarantee you’ll lift more and lift better the second day.

I understand there’s a price difference in the two places, but if you’re a serious athlete, invest in a serious training environment and you’ll get serious results.

TL;DR: If you want 2020 to be your year in the weight room, to improve your performance and make you a better athlete;

Create structure and discipline around your training program,

Track your sessions, progress, and how you feel during each session,

And train around people with similar goals to yours in an environment that makes you excited to train.

Do your best in these three areas and show up every day, and you’ll be a significantly better athlete than you were in 2019.

If you want to take your game to that next level, our coaching and resources will help you get there!