Playing the Long Game is the only Game you should be Playing
From as far back as I can remember the headlines would read “six pack abs in thirty days”, “add two inches to your biceps in six weeks” or “lose 50 pounds in three months”. Do you want to know the truth? Those are lies.
Seventeen years in the fitness industry will show you what works, what kind of works & what makes you worse in the long run. I have never seen a transformation that has permanently stuck completed in less than one year. Are you willing to spend a year seeking to achieve your dream physique? If you say no; I’m assuming you also expect to invest for six months and receive a one million dollar pay out. It will not happen. Great things take time!
I am here to tell you exactly what it will take to be standing here twelve months from now; drastically improved. The total transformation may take longer depending on how jacked you want to be; how lean you want to get; or how big you want your calves to be.
The order of importance for transformation comes down to this; in this order of importance.
- Stress Management
- Quality and Quantity of Sleep
- Protein intake & macro proportions
- Weight training frequency.
- Movement.
Stress and sleep need to be addressed first because if you are stressed your body will be ineffective at burning body-fat or building muscle and without sleep your body will not appropriately recover which will lead to greater soreness and less effective adaptation.
Protein is king. Without protein you will not build muscle. Protein will prevent you from losing muscle. Protein will create a protective situation for your muscle tissue so you minimize muscle wasting (catabolic) & you will have the opportunity to gain it (anabolic). Carbohydrates will need to be matched to your activity level so you have appropriate amounts of energy & fat will fill in the remaining balance of calories required to satisfy your basal metabolic rate, thermogenic effect of food, non exercise activity time and thermogenic requirements for food. To many carbohydrates have the potential to be stored as adipose tissue (fat)!
If programmed correctly (professional programming) you will only need three to four days of forty-five minutes of weight training per week to achieve optimal results. We have never required clients to do more than five days per week (extreme muscle building goals).
Movement rounds out the list because movement helps keep circulation moving well and keep blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar in a decent range. Ten thousand steps per day is the starting point and something most people find to be difficult initially to achieve. Work towards it and then use it as a gold standard.
I want you to take a moment and think about all of your friends or family who have LOST WEIGHT QUICKLY and bragged about it to you ( “I have this amazing program I’m doing and you should do it too”) and think about how many times you have seen them two years later only to be in worse shape then when they started the “miracle” program.
Optimize your metabolism so you can build muscle and burn fat for the rest of your life! That is the key. These are the steps. Anything different is likely to cause frustration.
Go out; get after it; be great!
~Mike
Michael Hartman
My mission is to give personal training participants a safe and effective workout designed specifically for their goals. Dealing with many sports injuries over the years taught me how to come back stronger every time. The competition is with yourself... Strive to bring out your best self and get better every day!
