Our “Top Training Tips for Newbies”: Part 1

I tried to learn breakdancing once.

Now, the details of the story are probably unnecessary, but let’s just say, attempting to learn a pretty complex skill at six foot two with previous shoulder pain was probably not ideal at the time.

Even less ideal was when I think back to the process for how the learning took place. I was thrown into two skills that required lots of range of motion, a good bit of shoulder stability, and maybe a few years of practice.I didn’t last long.

This happens more often than we would like to admit. The reality is that we go into new adventures or seek out new goals without learning the basics and being shown a solid path to success. We either end up in a territory beyond our current ability, or we are left staring blankly at things that are exceptionally too easy.

With exercise and the amount of myths or misinformation that exist out there, it is easy to find ourselves trapped into certain ways of thinking or trying out protocol that simply isn’t best for us in the moment. Now, much like our uber important (because you can’t ‘out train’ a bad diet)...Top Five Tips for Nutrition: Cracking the Code Part 1 and 2, today we want to discuss the best ways to crush your training routine in the beginning.

Strength Training is Your Friend

If a new client only had the ability to get to our coaches to work on crushing their life goals even just one time per week, our priority would be strength.

Why?

Since you learned in our last post that you can’t out train a bad diet and the majority of your fat loss goodness will come from your nutrition, we want to focus on the approaches that can give you the most amount of change in the simplest, most efficient way possible: strength training.

^Now, this could look different for everybody, and it doesn’t mean we sit there like a bodybuilder, banging out one set at a time with a year of rest between each set (sorry bodybuilders, you look great!). For one individual this may be combining the big strength exercises of squats, deadlifts, lunges, presses, and pulls into a circuit that allows them to move a large amount of weight in small amount of time. For others, this may be learning to work up to the heaviest weight you can lift for 3-5 reps, recovering, then hitting it again!

The wonderful part of utilizing strength training, especially for our newbies, is that you can work on gaining strength and muscle while continuing to see inches drop and body-fat lower. And don’t worry, the great bulk is not something to fear (especially for the ladies starting to back away) as it reigns as one of the wonderfully large myths thrown out into the fitness universe.

As you get further into the training world, strength training will begin to be much more contextual, especially for our long-time fam. Continuing to work with progressively heavier weights with big movements over time can serve you well, long into your physical transformation journey. It may even have you hitting your goals sooner than you’d think.

Long story, short: lift weights 1-4 times per week, adjusting based on your goals. Receive greatness.

Myth Alert: You can’t spot reduce.

“How do I get rid of this.” ←points to love handles, waves an arm up and down, points to perfectly normal to have cellulite.

Sometimes I wish this myth was true. Well, not sometimes, all the time. You see, if it was true, and I knew the secrets to its success, I would mention it to every single client, and use that approach to make that clients hopes and dreams come true.

But, the reality is that I don’t have that magical ability, I didn’t choose your parents, and it’s simply not true. I know, I know, heartbreak.

However, despite the fact that where we gain and lose body fat is part of our genetic predisposition that we have zero control over...what we do have control over is using strength training and proper nutrition to help build muscle and enhance whatever area we would like.

A good rule of thumb here is to keep to full body strength workouts until body fat is at a lower point BEFORE beginning to do a large amount of isolated training (i.e. curls for life).

Long story, short: the key to abz is your overall nutrition, consistent training, and lowering of your body fat over time, not spot reduction.

It’s not over yet, check back for part 2!

In the next installment, I break down how consistency, intensity, and oysters are key to your success.