Chatting with a client the other day, and they asked me, if I could go back in time and start my fitness journey again, what would I do differently?
At the time of writing, I have been a PT for just over 8 years, but I have been training for a lot longer.
From a young age, I was always into sport of one kind or another, and as I got older I did enjoy going to the gym. The issue I had is that I didn't go frequently enough to truly see a real difference. And when I did go, I just did a few random exercises I liked the look of/knew how to do, and then went home (or to the pub, which wasn't exactly ideal either!).
So, what would I do differently if I could go back to being 20ish and starting at a gym?
Firstly, I would find a plan and stick to it. Results take time and commitment. I always wanted to be bigger, and just throwing together a random workout once or twice was never going to achieve that. There's literally thousands of plans available online, and most PTs or instructors at a gym will be happy to create something with you if you ask. Whatever the plan is, stick with it for a few months, and see how far you get. Tweaking the odd thing here and there is fine, we don't want you to get bored doing the same stuff, but consistently training the same movements will be a good indicator of whether you are making progress.
In the same area as this, if there is something on the plan you're not sure about, get help from a professional. The number of poor form deadlifts I've seen in my life gives me back ache just thinking about it (and my own form when I very first started doing them wasn't great either!). But I have spent years since then perfecting technique, and am only too happy to help anyone who wishes to learn how to do (probably) the best exercise there is!
But training is the easy part, right? What about nutrition?
In my early 20s, I had no idea about what to eat to get bigger. The need for more protein, why tracking calories really helps...basically, I had no clue. I used to buy fitness magazines, do the featured workouts in there, and presume that I would get that "6 pack in 6 weeks", or "huge arms in a month". Unfortunately, these magazines rarely talked about the need to eat more to gain size, or eat less to lose weight. Training will only get you so far.
Use the resources available to you to get educated. There are some fantastic coaches out there who I have learnt a lot from, James Smith and Ben Coomber being two that instantly come to mind. These guys, much like myself, don't promote fad diets or bullsh*t supplements. It's real information about stuff that actually works. And it's not that complicated! Work out how many calories you need per day, consume fewer (deficit) than that to lose weight, consume more (surplus) to gain weight. That's the bare basics of how it works. There's more to it (carbs, fats and protein) but that is all you need to get started on the right track. Something I wish I'd known back then!
So that is what I would do differently if I could go back and start my fitness journey again. Be consistent in following a plan, eat right for your goals, and make sure you're doing everything safely and as effectively as you can (good technique). If I'd known this when I started, who knows where I could have got to by now.
The best advice I can give you though is this: just start.
No matter how old or young you are, just start and let the rest fall into place along the way.
You will be glad that you did when in 6 months time you can look back with pride at all the progress you have made towards you goal, whatever it may be.
Need help with anything? Drop me a message.
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