Workout Length

Short workouts of three to five exercises (12 to 25 sets) are great for focus.

You drop the excuses and work harder when you only have time to kill a few exercises and sets.

This isn’t always the case when you have a longer workout (6+ exercises totaling 25+ sets).

Longer workouts imply a lack of urgency and requires more sustainable energy. This causes your motivation to wane by the end of your session.

Ballistic Stretch

Ballistic stretches elongate your limbs repeatedly via a bouncing motion (example).

Stretching like this is convenient and immediately practical. When you ballistic stretch, you lengthen the muscle which helps release lactic acid.

This is useful during your rest period between sets. As someone who ballistic stretches will be able to push harder on their next set than if they hadn’t.

Drink Your Water

Buy a gallon of water and aim to drink it all every day.

There’s no need to carry it around wherever you go. Just keep one wherever you frequent.

Drinking water makes it easier to lose weight for a few reasons:

• Your body retains less water
• It helps your satiation
• You perform better hydrated

Replenish your body frequent enough that your urine is clear.

Avoid Weed & Alcohol

This is important if you’re trying to lose weight.

If you cut and you smoke weed, the munchies will fuck you over.

If you cut and you drink, your inhibition drops and you’ll end up eating.

Both substances also disrupt your REM sleep and can cause groggy hangovers the next day.

Despite what potheads say (“I feel more calm and in control, when I’m high”). These substances are meant to help you “lose control” and “let loose”.

If there is ever time to use, it’s on a bulk. These substances will make it easier for you to eat if you have a pipsqueak stomach.

However, there are obvious drawbacks and you’re better off staying healthy and clean in the long-run.

Strength & Stimulation

I fell victim to the strength train. I’m one of the little guys in the gym who lifts heavy.

This was not the goal. I wanted to build muscle. But out of fear of getting fat again I adopted the belief that strength = muscle.

This is not the case.

You will end up strong but not big. Don’t neglect stimulation.

To gain strength and size, simply work both at the same time.

Chest Tip: bench wide grip and do the double-take exercise.

Biceps Tip: use fat grips once a week.

Change Things Up

When you do the same exercise for too long you eventually plateau.

If you keep doing the same thing expecting different results, then you’re shit out of luck.

Instead try out different exercises, rep ranges, or tweak your grip and hand placement.

Ex.) Instead of benching with “ring on ring”, put your index finger on the ring instead.

A slight tweak can make a major difference.

And don’t hesitate to change exercises because you don’t want to lose your strength gains. Mixing things up will help stimulate parts of your body you didn’t realize were being neglected.

You’ll find that a change of pace leaves you stronger when you return to your preferred lifts.

Workout to Music

Exercise is easily the greatest emotional outlet when accompanied with music.

All of your emotions will rise to the surface in the form of grit, power and sweat.

I make sure to pack my earbuds in my bag whenever I want an intense, cathartic workout.

Have Your Warcries

Have a mantra that gets you focused on the weights.

When I started strength training I’d tell myself-

“Three, I’m good. Four, I’m great. Five, I’m God.”

And you can be damn sure I aimed for God status every time. Other personal mantras include-

“Just bring it down. Then push it up.” and “I’M NOT DONE YET!”

Of course keep it all to yourself.

Nobody likes those psychos who talk, sing, or shout to themselves in the gym.

Warm-Up With Activation Exercises

Grab a plate in each hand and perform a few sets of slow standing shrugs to warm-up your upper back muscles.

With a warm upper back you have more control performing upper body exercises. This is most obvious on the bench press.

For your lower body, do sumo deadlifts with low weight and high reps.

This will warm up your legs and glutes for increased lower body stimulation.

Stop Making Excuses

You only have one body and it’s your job to take care of it. You know you can do better. And you know you’re made for more.

But how is everyone going to know that when you look like a skinny twig or a fat slob?

Everyone starts somewhere. All you have to do is make the decision.

Do you know why fit people are treated with respect? Why “fit privilege” exists?

It’s because anyone who looks at them can tell that they respect themselves. And they have the body to show for it.

Remember the first time you thought about starting? Imagine where you’d be if you started then!?