1. Have a clearly defined goal.
You can’t add 20 kg’s to your bench press, lose 3 percent body fat and put on 10 pounds of muscle on all at the same time.
2. Train for Performance, First and Foremost.
It’s very difficult to notice muscle gain or even fat loss from day to day especially as you see yourself every day in the mirror. Performance however is far more measurable so with the correct training plan, your results will mean a hell of a lot more.
3. Stick with the Plan and Execute.
Don’t hop around from training program to training program. Choose exercises that give you the most bang for your buck and get good at them. Consistent practice is the only way to make long term progress.
4. Hit a PB at Least Once a Month.
This equates to setting at least 12 personal bests every year. It doesn’t have to be on your main lifts (bench press, pull ups or deadlift). It can be your 40m sprint time, how many times you can hit a stump in a row or how many hill sprints you can complete in a minute.
5. Static Stretch Before your Warm Up
If you static stretch because you need to, in order to get into certain positions, the best time to do it is after you foam roll and before you start your dynamic warm up.
6. Foam Roll BEFORE Every Workout or Sports Training Session
Self-myofascial release helps reduces high tone areas of the body which will improve your mobility and unlock your physical potential every workout.
7. Dynamic Warm Up (Mobility & Activation).
It is time to get your body ready for the intense workout ahead. This is also the perfect opportunity to get some corrective exercises in to improve the way you move.
8. Do More Hip Mobility Drills.
We are sitting more than we ever have as a population and the result is tighter hips. Unlock your power potential by including more hip mobility drills into your warm up and also during your workout. Think active recovery.
9. MORE Power Moves- Medicine Ball Throwing and Plyometrics.
Jumping and throwing drills for power development fires up your CNS and better prepares you to move heavy loads in the strength part of your workout. Fast twitch muscle fibre is harder to maintain with age so training more explosively with these types of drills will help.
10. Squat.
The squat is a fundamental human movement pattern. Do it with a bar in front or back, goblet style, with kettlebells, sandbags or with dumbbells. Just do it and do it often.
11. Crush the Bar.
Always squeeze the bar as hard as you can with every lift you do. This will ensure tightness.
12. Tight Glutes and Braced Abs.
Make sure you squeeze your glutes as tight as you can and brace your abs by breathing as if you are taking a deep breath in through a straw. This will help stabilize your lower back and allow you to lift more.
13. Always maintain Good Postural Alignment.
Think Tall. Chest up and shoulders back. Basically never let your shoulders slouch forward or your lower back round out.
14. Perform more Hand Supported Movements for Shoulder Strength
Practice handstands against the wall, do superman walkouts, lateral hand walks, alternating hand position push up etc. This is a great way to build strength and stability in the shoulders.
15. Use thick bars or Fat Gripz as often as you can.
This will strengthen the hands/grip and build up bigger forearms. It also alleviates elbow and shoulder stress.
16. A Good Workout Template Goes Like This:
Sprints for speed, jumping/medicine ball throws / resistance band exercises for power development, Barbell lifts (RFESS or bench press for maximal strength development, Sandbags and the TRX for assistance work and a kettlebell circuit for your workout finisher.
17. Never Train to Failure.
This fries your CNS, increases the likelihood of injury and makes it harder to recover from one workout to the next. Often less is more so make sure you don’t overdo it.
18. Incorporate more Balance Training or Static Gymnastic Holds into your Workout.
Front levers, back levers, L-sits, handstands and planche work will build insane levels of strength and athletic ability. Make sure you address any mobility/stability issues and follow a well thought out progression with all movements.
19. Stand Up! Yes Get out of the Machine and onto your Feet.
We were born to play, fight, run, jump and climb so it only makes sense that we train our body in a more functional way. Machines only purpose may be in the rehab setting or with special needs clients.
20. Pick heavy stuff up off the ground.
This is a basic fundamental law of getting stronger. Yes ladies and gents, you should Deadlift.
21. Carry heavy stuff.
Exercises like farmers walks simultaneously strengthen the traps, lower back, grip, hips, knees and ankles. They are a great core stabilization exercise that can be done anywhere.
22. Do more Push-ups.
Push-ups are and always will be a GREAT exercise. For beginners follow a push up progression. If you are an advanced athlete then use weight vests, TRX suspension trainer sandbags, chains or bands to increase the challenge of the push-up.
23. Rest Less between Sets.
This will increase the metabolic effect of your work. That’s if you want to get ripped, and look awesome.
24. Do something active EVERY Day.
The body is designed to move so even on your rest days you need to get up and move. Make sure you don’t spend too much time sitting down.
25. Don’t Train for more than 1 Hour, Max.
Your testosterone levels will plummet and cortisol levels will skyrocket.
26. Run, Jump, Climb and Crawl.
It’s what your body was designed to do. Simply lifting weights is not enough. You have to MOVE!
27. More Core Stabilization
Your spine will thank you later.
28. Make sure you have a De-load Training Week Planned.
Every 3-6 weeks you need to include a de-load week where you keep the intensity high but cut back on the volume of work you do during that week.
29. Play.
We forget to do this as we get older. I like to play sports like golf, tennis & table tennis. They are great for co- ordination and it’s a fun way to improve your conditioning.
30. Spend 20 min in the Sun Every Morning
Vitamin D is critically important to your health and performance and natural sunlight is the best source. Morning sun is better with there being less UV.
31. Do Hill Sprints.
Improve your leg drive and get super fit with hill sprints.
32. Get at least 8 hours of QUALITY Sleep EVERY Night.
Quality sleep ensures good recovery and adaptation response to our training. So if you want to get the full effects of the hard work you put in every day to get bigger, faster, and stronger then make sure your sleep pattern is consistent.
33. Get up at the same time every day.
This will help ensure optimal/consistent hormonal balance and performance levels.
34. Take a Nap if you can.
It’s an awesome way to boost recovery and get a little surge of growth hormone.
35. Get a Massage Once a Week.
Some hands on active release therapy every week will really make a huge difference to your recovery
36. Don’t Write Your Own Program.
Finding a mentor to help and guide you towards your goals is essential. A good mentor will be there to provide feedback, support when your energy falls and hold you accountable to do the work you need to do to get the results you want.
37. Meditate More Often.
There are many benefits to meditation. It lowers oxygen consumption, respiratory rate, increases blood flow and slows your heart rate. Meditation also increases exercise tolerance and leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation.
