Train like an athlete
If you want to look like an athlete, you should train like one!
I can’t remember where or when I heard this phrase, as it was many moons ago, but it really resonated with me! There’s so much you can take from this statement that could take your training to the next level. Here’s what I took from it:
Prefer to watch than read? Then please check out the video below:
Train hard
Training hard is a fundamental principle that is often overlooked. Crazy, I know, but people can get so hung up on optimal training protocols like training volume, rep ranges, and exercise selection that they ignore this basic principle. One could have all the knowledge in the world and the perfect plan laid out for them, but if they don’t train hard, then they won’t get the results they seek. Go ahead, put a Rocky training montage on and train like an absolute athlete!
Track your training
Athletes track their training – they know what they did on their last session and what’s coming up. If they don’t, then their coach certainly does. This allows them to more effectively progressively overload – progressively increase the volume, intensity, frequency or duration of their training. If you’re progressively overloading – looking at what you did in the last session and increasing the weight – taking things to the next level, you stand to make amazing progress!
Have performance goals!
This brings me nicely to my next point: have performance goals. Most of you who work with me have either muscle-building or fat-loss goals, usually both, which is ace, I do too, but this isn’t the only thing we want to focus on. You want to focus on your performance – lifting more in the gym, banging out more reps, and running further and faster! Specifically, you could focus on increasing your squat, deadlift or bench press weight. Perhaps you lean more towards endurance training – then you could focus on beating your last 10k run time. Physique changes can be subtle and aren’t always noticeable weekly or even monthly in some cases. So, having performance goals can keep things exciting. If you’re getting stronger, running further and faster – if your performance is increasing and your stats are improving, you can bet your physique is developing with it! And hitting PBs, it’s a lot of fun!
Hire a coach
And finally, get yourself a coach – all the highest-performing athletes in the world have coaches. Having someone in your corner guiding you, motivating you and providing wisdom and perspective can make a huge difference – it can make all the difference. Most of you watching this work with me, so you’ve already ticked this box – in fact, you should tick all these boxes!
So keep training like an athlete, and keep up the good work!