Where should I start…?

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Where should I start…?

So, many people I talk to and work with don’t know where to start when it comes to a strength program. We live in the information age which is a tremendous thing and it’s an amazing time to be alive. You can learn about anything and everything just by asking Google or by watching a few YouTube videos. There are two sides to every coin right? The flip side is that with so much information available at our finger tips it is so easy to get paralysis by analysis. Too many options makes a tyrant out of all of us. And it can make us so confused when trying to piece together a program or routine that most people just say “fuck it.”

Well let me cut through the BS for you and lay down a few simple things can in 6 months to a year can have you making massive gains and transformations. Yeah, you read that right…6 months to one year. You have to have a long vision with this, that’s why so many people fail. We bite off more than we can chew and we over estimate what we can do in a week or month and severely underestimate what we can crush in a year.

Now I understand everyone is different, but I am a huge proponent of strength training with weights for everyone, especially women. The changes in confidence, metabolism, self-esteem, how your body looks and responds are infinite if we just push a little iron around a few days a week.

I am not paid or compensated to recommend this, but I love the Wendler 531 app. If you don’t know who Jim Wendler is, look him up. His raw, real, simplistic take on strength training, programming and life is a game changer. I am working out on average 3-4 days a week for about 30 minutes each session and have been seeing massive changes in my body. Yes, I have been in a weight room or athletic field for most of my life and have developed a great physical foundation. That is irrelevant. I can almost guarantee you that your ceiling is higher than mine…but you don’t know unless you get off your ass and get to work.

Why I love the Wendler 531 app is that it keeps track of all of your workouts, each day revolves around one main compound lift, followed by a few assistance lifts, it computes future workouts based off 90% of your 1 rep max. And pay the few extra dollars to upgrade the app. You will not be disappointed.

The following are a list of attributes the Wendler 531 program has and if you don’t decide to use the app well then use these attributes to follow when performing whatever program it is that you decide.

Start too light – Swallow the pride here, I am talking specifically to the gentlemen. Yeah you look cool lifting big weights and I know you like everyone looking at you. But you know what’s not cool? Jacking yourself up from an injury because you were an idiot and wanted to look cool. Start light, focus on form and feeling all of the muscles firing that are supposed to fire when performing the exercise. The weight will come I promise. And when it does, because you did it properly your body will be strong enough to handle the heavy weights.

Progress slowly – This means every workout you are adding just a little bit of weight. You don’t need big jumps, just a little bit. On legs exercise it might mean only going up 5-10 pounds, upper body lifts it might only mean 2.5-5 pounds. Progressive overload is a key factor in strength training. Nothing grinds my gears more when people lift the same weight and same reps every workout. Add a little weight each time, progress slowly and this will keep you on the path toward your goals and also keep you from hitting the dreaded PLATEAU ; (

Set PRs – Here is where you need to get a little creative. If you are not training for a competition, show or an event it can get a little boring and monotonous just going to the gym. I get it. You have to have something to shoot for. Pick an amount of weight you want to lift, a time you want to run, bike or row x amount of miles in. And each time try to beat that time by just one second, lift just a little heavier. With something like this it really helps to reverse engineer things. Pick a goal time or weight by a certain date and then workout backwards to create a program. Reach out to someone who knows more than you on this to help you out. There is no better feeling than picking a goal, making a plan, putting in the work and then crushing it.

Compound lifts – These are lifts that utilize multiple muscle groups and body joints. Some examples of these are a Bench Press, Deadlift, Squat, Pull ups, Dips, Overhead Press. And yes, any variation of these work. I know lots of people only have access to certain equipment or might have some sort of injury or body mechanic issue that might prevent them from doing the traditional compound lifts. These types of exercises are great because they use multiple large muscle groups. This is great because most of us are busy and if we can knock out one or two of these exercises a day, it cuts down on the time we need to be at the gym while maximizing our strength gains, burning more calories and dropping more body fat while adding muscle…and yes you can drop body fat and gain muscle at the same time.

Balance – This just refers to trying to be as well rounded as you can. If you’re doing a lot of pushing exercises, make sure you are doing some pulls to balance it out. Make sure you are lifting legs as much as upper body. Work the muscles you don’t see in the mirror; meaning your back, but and hamstrings. If all you do is jog, try some sprinting, push a heavy sled, do some battle ropes. Try a yoga class, get in the pool, hit the bike or rower for a bit. You picking up what I am putting down? Not only will this allow you do be as well rounded as possible, but it will also add a little variety to your routine which will keep you excited getting to the gym and putting in your work!