Getting back into shape after a long time away can seem like venturing into a whole new world. There are so many different things that point towards the “one true way” of fitness and health that can easily be overwhelming. Should we strength train? Should we do calisthenics? What about hot yoga? Isometrics? The thing is that everything is absolutely grist to the mill, and this is why we should make a concerted effort to prime our mindset ready for our fitness goals.

While lots of people want to just dive in and do things that they think are good for them, here’s a number of things to consider when it comes to getting ready for a whole new workout routine.

Quick Fixes Always Come With a Price, So Be Aware

These days we hear so much about how you can get a six-pack in a matter of weeks or you can transform your body in the space of six months; the reality is that these things are possible but there’s always a caveat to them.

One example is that, while you may be on the hunt for the perfect powerlifter’s body, there is still that debate flying around in relation to steroids. The reality is that many people use steroids to get the body they want but they end up paying the price. There’s a lot of stories out there about people who have been using steroids which have severely impacted their health.

For example, people who undergo a very heavy cycle of steroid use need to undergo a practice what is called post-cycle therapy which is a protocol after completing a cycle of anabolic steroids or performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to restore the body’s natural testosterone production and reduce the effects of low testosterone levels, which involve selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) such as enclomiphene, clomid, and others.

One of the biggest issues is that we live in a world where quick fixes are not just widespread but they are in demand. This is why we need to separate the facts from the hyperbole.

Reflect on What You Can Realistically Do

There is always something that can derail our long-term goals: it’s this thing they call life. One of the biggest ang falls of anybody getting into an exercise regime is thinking not just about the aforementioned short-term fixes but about the fact that they should always be doing a little bit more and then a little bit more. A lot of fitness and achieving the perfect body is about understanding what is achievable right now but also in the long run. In one episode of the Huberman Lab podcast, the exercise scientist Doctor Andy Galpin talked about SMART goals. This comprises setting goals that are:

  • Specific.
  • Measurable.
  • Achievable.
  • Relevant.
  • Time-bound.

This is often a term used in business, however, when we look to the Hugh Jackmans and Ben Afflecks of the world who have those bulging biceps and work out twice a day for six months to achieve peak fitness and aesthetics, we need to ask ourselves, is this actually achievable?

Most of us work 9 to 5 jobs and we have other commitments in life, therefore we need to remember that it’s not particularly realistic to get that dream body in a matter of months- but we need to not think that it’s completely unachievable either. However, we have to move the goal posts.

If we recognize that to get to where we want to, we need to not look to six months further down the line but actually maybe a year or even longer, this helps us to slowly put the stops in place that ensure that we can follow those SMART goals. Achieving your dream body is not just about doing enough exercise to outrun a bad diet but it’s about making those changes in your mindset as well which can help you to make healthier food choices and ultimately change your lifestyle.

One of the biggest problems people have in striving for a certain body type is that they’re not willing to budge in terms of the foodstuffs in their cupboards, and this is absolutely fine if you want to eat chocolate and sugary products however you’ve got to then factor this into the bigger picture and look at what you can realistically do.

What Do You Really Want to Achieve?

One of the most common issues people have is that they go into an exercise regime with a very lofty goal or ambition that doesn’t have real meat to it. For example, if you want to have a powerlifter’s body what do you think the solution is? It’s about doing powerlifting and following a powerlifting regime. On the other hand, if strength is your goal you need to start following a specific strength protocol.
The great thing about exercise in general is that when you decide what you want to achieve, there’s many ways of doing it. We already mentioned isometrics earlier on, and this is one of the best ways to deliver strength hands down however as with anything in biology and in life something called accommodation sets in, which is commonly known as a plateau in strength training or muscle building. Therefore understanding what your actual goals are will help, not just to give a better picture of your goals and intentions, but it will also help you stay focused and motivated.

Sometimes we have too many different goals and it’s easy to see why because we are constantly exposed to perfect specimens in popular culture. However, if you dig a bit deeper and see that those muscle-bound meatheads actually have the endurance of the house plant or the marathon runners have very little muscle, you can start to glean some insight into how to create your ideal routine.
It’s also worth recognizing that your biology is different from those people. You may be a hard gainer, meaning it’s tougher to put on muscle, in which case you are going to have to eat more! Society talks a lot about losing weight, but if you are the polar opposite, you’re going to have to chow down on those calories. Likewise, if you want to be a marathon runner but you have more meat on your bones you’re going to have to embed a certain weight loss strategy, and this means not going for those aforementioned quick fixes but planning your time gradually.

When it comes to both of these practices consuming many calories or consuming fewer, the best approach is to do it gradually. The 5% rule is a fantastic way to live your life especially when it comes to exercise. One of the key practices of building strength and fitness is about progressive overload and this should be about adding 5% onto your total reps in any given week, meaning that the needle moves ever so slightly. Apply this to your calorie intake and it will not feel like a big shock to the system. So many people think about crash diets or intense workout routines, but you’ve got to remember that your body is not built to accommodate these things yet.

Enjoy the Journey

What will you do once you reach your goal? You will set another one, and therefore, if you keep setting the bar higher this will keep you motivated, but when we’re striving for something like perfection, we have to remember that we’re not going to achieve it.

The human body is a wonderful thing because it adapts to a stimulus, but we need to remember that it takes time. The typical muscle protein synthesis is 48 hours, meaning you should be leaving two days at least in between workouts. Other exercise gurus such as Pavel Tsatsouline suggest taking even longer in between sets, for example, if you’re doing major strength training, it’s not uncommon to take an hour off in between really heavy sets. This is why we think that we need to hit a certain level, but what we must remember is that along the way we learn so much about ourselves.

You can certainly develop strength, size, muscle density, and endurance but you also develop a better mindset as you go. Fitness is one of those amazing journeys that can make us feel incredibly inadequate because we see someone else doing a better marathon time or lifting more weight. You are you, and therefore you should never compare yourself to others.
It’s certainly motivating to try and lift a certain amount but there’s a lot of bad information out there about exercise that you’re meant to continually push until you’re exhausted. Even powerlifters take a huge amount of time off after competition, and there’s the big mistake that people think it’s always about going heavy and going home. If you really want to make the most out of your strength and fitness journey, you should remember that it is about the journey, not the destination. As corny as this may sound, in terms of health and fitness, when you feel fantastic at the end of a workout you know you’ve hit that particular sweet spot. If you’re exhausted biologically speaking you’ve actually done too much.

Strength and fitness is about your mindset as much as it is your methods. So when it comes to getting your mindset ready for your fitness goals some of these might be exactly what helps you stay the course.