Are you reeeeeeady?

Ladies and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Brace yourself for the biggest, the baddest, the most incredible amount of fitness bullshit you’ve ever seen – heading to a town near you in 2010.

Yes it’s nearly that time again when internet fitness experts (many of whom don’t actually train anyone anymore because they make enough money selling untested programs to bother actually helping people in the flesh) will be trying to sell you every program under the sun.

They’ll be preying on your inability to think for yourself and use common sense in your fitness training thus falling for the latest, most insane fat burning system you have EVER seen.

Bollocks to that. I’ll have things on offer but if you would rather be mesmerised by all the photo shopped testimonials and promises of amazing muscle in just 4 weeks then you’re not my lind of person!

That isn’t meant in an elitist kind of way it’s just the truth is I’m bored of talking to certain people who claim they want to look like an athlete but aren’t prepared to think, eat, drink, train and sleep like one!

Look back 12 months when I said the same stuff. How much have your muscle and fat levels really changed after all those hours spent reading forums, buying fat loss programs and marvelling over certain muscle building experts?

I’m bored of them and if you’re reading this the chances are you are too – that makes me and you good friends! So here’s how you can REALLY jack up your results and become more of an athlete – the physique just happens anyway!

1) Train Everything All At Once

The truth is the most famous of those internet fitness marketers never seem to post particularly inspiring videos of themselves training. They talk a lot and have some nice photos because they’ve added 10lbs of muscle and dropped more fat. Great but I’d still pick them last in the playground because they’re no stronger, faster or anything else.

All they do is stick to 3-4 sets of 6-10 and a few supersets and Bob’s your Uncle. Your bigger, a bit leaner but slower and not much stronger.

Start training everything at once.

Start sessions with some power or strength work, then maybe add in some sets of 6-8 for some functional hypertrophy then murder yourself with a 15 minute metabolic finisher.

A lower body session might go like this…

A: Box front squat 5×3

B1: Walking lunges 3×8
B2: Double kettlebell swing 3×8

Finisher: 4 rounds as fast as possible

Tuck jump 10 reps
Sled push / prowler 25m and back
Sprint 25m and back

Core work: Wheel or bar roll outs 3 x 10-15

An upper body session might go like this…

A: Bench press from the rack of a power cage 5 x 3

B1: Chair press with 2 kettlebells 3×8
B2: Weighted chin up 3×8

Finisher: 4 rounds as fast as possible

Pull up (jump if necessary) 10 reps
Tyre pull with rope in seated position Length of rope and back
Alligator walking push ups 20 reps

Core work: Knees to elbows from pull up bar or rings

2) Rotate your nutrition

You do it with training…why not nutrition?

Rotate nutrition programs every 4 weeks or so.

Do 4 weeks just eliminating every single piece of processed food from you diet including caffeine, alcohol and wheat.

Then do 4 weeks of restricting carbs to after your workout.

Then do 4 weeks of one high carb day followed by 2-3 low/no carb days (maybe with a fasting day included). Keep high carb days to your heaviest training days.

Watch your body fat drop!

3) Set athletic based goals

Stop setting body fat goals as an end in itself!

Set goals based on how fast you can run 200-400m, how heavy your squat is, how many presses or snatches you can do with X kg kettlebell, how many rounds of a killer strength circuit you can get donw in 20 minutes etc then smash it.

You will have to add lean, strong muscle and drop excess weight to achieve these goals so the your physique goals will happen as a bonus!

4) Try different training tools

Bring kettlebells, more advanced bodyweight exercises, barbells, tyres, gymnastic rings, ropes, power bags, odd objects and anything else that pushes your body to adapt to new stimuli.

Again this will make changes happen as if by magic. It doesn’t matter if you’re not an advanced ‘hardcore’ trainee! I have ladies who have just started my bootcamps pulling tyres around my studio and they LOVE IT  because it brings the results they want.

Involve as few machines as possible.

Don’t forget dumbbells – kettlebells aren’t some sort of Holy Grail. Again your body will adapt eventually so keep throwing new things at it!

Erm….not quite but nice idea…

5) Try different training environments

People can tolerate more pain in a group so go find one in which the members share your goals.

Go to a new gym, train outside, or just find new people to train with in your current gym – this alone can make a huge difference and push you much, much further. If you struggle to find anyone in your area, make sure you join a quality online forum where you can post progress and compare yourself to others and get motivation and feedback.

NEVER go it alone!

6) Hire a ‘fitness accountant’

Accountants, whilst generally boring your face off and charging too much, are very useful.

They monitor your numbers, tell you how the last year went, tell you how to cleverly get more for your investment by not giving money to the bloodsuckers at the tax office (gym in your case) and tell you where you could look to improve your weak spots.

Get yourself a fitness accountant no matter how good you think you are. An external perspective is very refreshing and will keep you accountable when you shovel too much crap food in your face and wonder why you’re still 15% body fat.

7) Cure your itchy feet and use common sense

There is unlikely to ever be anything truly groundbreaking in health and fitness ever again.

Don’t fall for all the latest greatest programs which bring your best results ever and outshine everyone else, with time limits on purchase etc etc. If they’re that great it would be on the news.

If it sounds too good to be true it is.

Find a stick with a fitness expert / program for long enough to let it work and stop jumping around like all the other fitness sheep who plague forums and Facebook.

Patience is a virtue so understand that no matter how great the program is it will not solve your life’s problems.

Take one step at a time and give every program and nutrition plan 100% conviction and unless it’s written by Ronald McDonald and it’s been tested and proven by a well-respected expert, it will work!

Keep the faith!

If you have any other great ways you use to add some spark back in your training, post them below!

Jon

PS You know Number 8. Proven. Hard Work. Rewarding. Truly Awesome even if I do say so myself….

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