“You wanna get ripped and shredded like Arnold in his prime? It’s so simple, all you have to do is follow my 3 step system which is lift heavy weight every single day, eat 2 whole chickens and slam a protein shake….and last but not least…pre workout!!”
Unfortunately, this is not how you will successfully lift heavier weights, on the contrary, this is how you will end up injured while sustaining other medical issues that will actually do more harm than good (also that was four steps not three lol). One consistent aspect of exercise many of my clients wondered was how to lift heavy on their favorite workouts. What I usually answered with was “what is your goal? Do you want to lose weight or do you want to get stronger?” When you first begin working out, you confuse your body and muscles, making it easier to lose weight while building strength/ muscles. With that being said, once your body acclimatizes to the controlled eating and specific lifting you are doing, those “gains” slow down, and get much more difficult to come by. Here are some pro tips, which took me from 250lbs of fat to 180lbs of lean muscle:
1. Consistency
2. Compound Movements
3. Increase weight when necessary
4. Do your research (for your body type, food to eat, sleep to get etc.)
5. Eat Intelligently
Consistency
I would consider this to be one of the most important tips that is given on this whole blog/ given to all of my clients. It is to have an effective plan, however you can have the best plan in the world (AKA The Spartan System!!) but if you do not consistently adhere to the plan, you will never receive the results that are promised. Stick to your plan while allowing yourself a scheduled cheat day/rest day every so often for a psychological reprieve!
Compound Movements
Referring back to my blog “The Best Workouts Ever!” the importance of compound movements and your overall gains is paramount. Compound exercises are movements that require multiple muscle groups and joints to operate at the same time. When you have a healthy mix of both isolation and compound exercises, you will be able to isolate singular muscles (like triceps extension) in order to strengthen another exercise (like the bench press).
Always Increase Weight
Any great program (AKA The Road To Glory) will have a natural progression of either more weight/reps or lessening of rest time, in order to overload the body. This is called progressive overload which is almost as important as consistency itself. Essentially, if you can get to 8 clean reps of a certain exercise, you can add 5lbs to it and lower the rep range to around 5. This will slowly allow your body to adapt to more weight without risk of severe injury.
Do Your Research
I remember when I began my fitness journey, I literally just starved myself, ran around my basement and did push ups and sit ups. After regaining all the weight I took off plus more, I realized I was working out the wrong muscle. I spent hours watching, reading and ingesting anything and everything to do with fitness. In order to obtain the best results, you must know what the most beneficial foods are to eat, how much sleep you need, what body type are you, how should you set up your workout schedule? (click the links so I can assist you become the Spartan Warrior I know you can be!) It is vital, as a warrior, to be 10 steps ahead in any situation.
Eat Intelligently
This tip is in relation to doing your research correctly, and also knowing exactly what you want out of your training sessions/ regimen. If you are looking to lose weight and lean out, you will have to eat accordingly; adversely if you want to gain muscle and grow stronger, you will also have to eat with purpose. Food is the fuel you need in order to reach the goals you have set out for yourself, as I always say: “Your body is a luxury car, are you going to throw the cheapest gas in it when you refuel?”
A few honorable mentions are 1) lift with purpose 2) make sure to have your rest/cheat days. These tips are also important however if done correctly and with intention; those previous 5 tips will be the beginning of your journey to becoming a Spartan Warrior! If you have hit a plateau in your weight training or just beginning your journey, follow me on Instagram @spartan_alliance25 or Join the Alliance on Facebook (search Spartan Alliance Fitness) and shoot me a DM for more fitness information!
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