When it comes to your fitness journey, simply showing up consistently will get you some great results. But if you want to make the most of your time and truly see what you’re capable of, it’s time to focus on “the big three.” Strength training, nutrition and mobility will be the biggest game-changers for your fitness results.
Generally, there are two types of athletes at the gym: Those that are competitive, and those who just want to get their heart rate up and have some fun.
The competitive athletes might be training for something like a Spartan Race or 10k. Or they might be seeking auxiliary training to achieve certain skills, build strength and “level up.” For the most part, everyone else just wants to sweat, laugh and be healthy.
Both groups are here to be better than they were yesterday, and that’s what brings us together. One additional thing to note is that it’s not uncommon for people to go back and forth between the groups over the years in their fitness journey.
No matter which group you currently find yourself in, strength training, nutrition and mobility will get you farther, faster.
The Top Three Ways to Get Better Fitness Results.
1. Dial in Your Nutrition.
If you’ve ever heard the saying, “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet,” it can’t be understated. There are many reasons why healthy eating matters for your fitness. Clean food is important to fuel your workouts, to help your body recover effectively and, truth be told, to hedge your bet against chronic diseases.
Have you ever tried to work out after eating a fast food meal? Or what about after you haven’t eaten anything for hours? If so, you’ve felt the effects of the wrong type of fuel. On the other hand, if your nutrition is dialed in, it can make you feel prepared for whatever challenge comes your way.
If you aren’t tracking your daily nutrition and/or you don’t even know what macros are, the day to change that is today. We can’t make adjustments until we know exactly where we’re starting.
For those who’ve been putting in the work in the gym without seeing any significant changes in body composition, energy levels, etc., chances are that nutrition is the culprit. If that’s you, it’s worth investing the time - and sometimes money - to find out.
2. Strength Training is the Key.
There will never be a moment in your life where you say to yourself, ‘Damn, I wish I wasn’t this strong.’
The GFS (Get F*cking Strong) plan is for everyone, no matter your age, gender, background, career, jeans size or pizza-topping preference. Strength training offers a ridiculous number of benefits for anybody to significantly improve their fitness and wellness. Here are just a few:
- Build muscle strength and mass, which is essential for daily activities and overall health. This shows up in the form of better posture and joint support, along with a reduced risk of injuries. (And no ladies, this doesn’t mean you’ll get “bulky.”)
- Increase bone density, which reduces the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. While beneficial for all ages, this is particularly significant for the skeletal health of older adults, and decreases the likelihood of bone-related injuries.
- Boost metabolic health and reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases. Studies show that strength training decreases total cholesterol, triglycerides, and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels, and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) concentrations.
- Improve mental health and cognitive function. Strength training has been shown to reduce depressive symptoms and anxiety, and can contribute to overall brain health.
- Advance longevity, as strength training has been linked to a 10-17% lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, total cancer, diabetes, and lung cancer.
Most of the time, getting started with a strength training routine will require you to check your ego at the door and get out of your comfort zone. And the faster you want things to progress, the more work you’ll have to put in. It won’t be like a “quit your job” type of time commitment, but dedication will pay off. And once you get rolling, you’ll discover that the human body is capable of some pretty amazing things.
3. The Shortcut To Injury Is Skipping Mobility.
There’s a key component to fitness that no one likes to talk about because it’s very boring. Remember that monotone college professor you had for Political Science? More boring than that.
Mobility is the thing that no one wants and everyone needs. Stretching is not glamorous. Working on mobility weaknesses is not fun. Foam rolling… kind of sucks. The Lacrosse ball REALLY sucks. And honestly, the more you need it, the more it sucks. But it is so necessary.
Think of it as “pre-hab.” If you injure yourself, you need rehab work. If you want to prevent injury from happening, you’d better be doing your pre-hab. Further, the more strength training you’re doing, the more you need to focus on mobility.
Here’s some advice for making it suck a lot less: Work on it a little bit each day. Never try to do a “mobility day” and commit to an hour of stretching and foam rolling. Why? BORING.
Instead, take 5-10 minutes before or after class (or both!) to take inventory: What feels tight or uncomfortable? Or maybe just not right, like you’re verging on an injury? Also, do you know the difference between soreness and pain?
Pre-hab means being proactive with your body instead of waiting until something happens to do something about it.
But wait, there’s more! Did you know there's another ahhhh-mazing way to improve your mobility here at 10.40.10 Fitness? YOGA CLASSES! If you haven’t tried yoga yet at our Deer Park location, what are you waiting for?
In Summary: Nutrition. Strength Training. Mobility.
No matter where you’re at in your fitness journey, focusing on “the big three” - nutrition, strength training and mobility, will be a game-changer for your results.
As with anything, be realistic. If your diet is currently pizza and burgers, don’t expect it to go well if you change to strictly chicken and broccoli. If you want to build strength, be realistic with your plan (like 30 minutes of extra work, twice a week). And when you focus on mobility, start with five minutes a day, or check out apps like GOWOD, where you can choose a range of 8 to 22 minutes per day.
By the way, there’s a bonus game-changer that you should stop doing today: Making excuses. It’s time for you to believe in you, and go get those results.
