Two of the best things we do for clients at Steel are, number one, give them a plan that’s going to help them get lean, strong, and healthy. The second is to give them such a simple plan that they can focus on a handful of things across their training, nutrition, etc., and block out everything else.
These two things are so important because the two biggest things that derail people are, number one, not getting started in the first place, and number two, getting started but then constantly second-guessing their plan because they are hearing from their friends, doctors, and plastered all over social media, all kinds of different and conflicting advice around training, nutrition, etc.
I know this firsthand, as I spent the first 3 to 4 years of my own fitness journey constantly second-guessing if what I was doing was actually the best thing for my goals. Looking back, I would’ve had way more success if I had simplified my focus and just taken care of a few basic things with my training, nutrition, and cardio.
So if you take the time to read this and you hear my advice, it’s going to make your fitness journey far more effective and way less stressful.
Are you good with that?
Let’s dive in.
Today, let’s talk about your workouts.
Your Workouts:
You need to make sure that you’re strength training two days per week for at least 30 minutes. Ideally, 45 minutes!
Now, if you’d like and you have the time, you will see faster progress if you train three days per week. And for some of you, as long as your recovery allows for it, there might even be benefits to training four days per week.
But what I can promise you is that 2 to 3 strength training workouts per week will drastically change your body.
You want to make sure you’re hitting each major muscle group at least once, but ideally two times per week. And you want to do two or three sets per muscle group per workout. So ideally, you’re hitting each muscle group with 4 to 6 sets per week.
When in doubt, start with the lower number. Start with two days per week and two sets per muscle group, and see how you feel. If you want to add more, go for it! More will produce better results as long as you can recover from it.
But if you make sure you’re training at least two days per week, hitting each muscle group twice per week with two sets per muscle group, you will definitely see progress!
In some of my other content, I talk about the following things that will make sure your workouts are as safe and effective as possible:
- Learn to use good form, and once you learn good form, never get away from that.
- Use a full range of motion for every rep that you do.
- You don’t need to train to failure. In fact, I don’t recommend it, but you do need to train close to failure. Ideally, within one or two reps of when you can no longer move the weight at all.
- Rest for a good 2 to 3 minutes between sets. Your progress will actually be worse if you keep rest times short, even though your workouts will feel more exhausting and your muscles might feel more fatigued. Sounds counterintuitive, but trust me on this one. Longer rest periods are a game-changer.
So if you can implement these things in your training, you can ignore everything else!
If you’re ready to work with a team of expert personal trainers who will design a plan specifically for you and coach you through it every step of the way, then click here, click the consultation button, and fill out the form.
We will reach out within 24 hours to schedule a phone consultation to discuss your goals and the details of the program!
— Coach Nate