5 Tips to Enhance Your Training, Fitness and Nutrition
The following are 5 tips that have helped me with my training, fitness and nutrition (by no means an exhaustive list, they’ve just helped me along the way):
1. Consistency
This goes without saying. Change can take a long time in the body, and without a consistent stimulus, things will remain the same. This can be applied to training, fitness and nutrition. If you consistently work at getting stronger, you will get stronger. If you consistently work at losing weight, you will lose weight. If you consistently work at improving your nutrition, refraining from choosing unhealthy food options will become a habit.
2. Crawl, walk, run…
Have patience, and dig in for the long haul. It took me 6 months of working pull ups for 10-15mins outside of class times on bands before I could start doing bodyweight pull ups. It took me over a year working on bands before I could do unassisted ring dips. It took me over 1.5 years before I could front squat my body weight. It took me well over 2 years to clean and jerk my body weight, and well over 3 years to snatch my body weight. It took me over 6 months to change my diet from predominantly highly processed foods to a more clean-eating, well rounded diet that I’ve found I thrive on. Change takes time, and honestly cannot be rushed. Consistently working good, solid technique/habits and allowing yourself to develop the necessary strength, endurance, stamina, etc. in all facets of your training, fitness or nutrition will pay off. Remember, you must crawl before you can walk, and you must walk before you can run. Yes you will have setbacks, hold-ups and plateau’s, but it’s only a matter of time before you’ll improve (i.e. get stronger/faster, eat cleaner – you’re only one meal away from getting back on track, etc., etc.). Be patient, work hard and stay consistent. “It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen”.
3. Recognise your weaknesses…and work them
There’s a lot to be said for the saying “practice makes perfect”. Consistently working on things that you struggle with will turn your weakness into a strength. Acknowledge that you struggle with something – could be anything: snatch, pull ups, wall balls, healthy/clean diet choices, etc. – and work out a strategy to better your ability to perform the task. Enough said.
4. Set goals
Want to do something, but can’t yet? Sweet. Set a goal.
You are incredibly adaptable, both physically and mentally. If you set a goal, and devise a strategy to achieve that goal, you will find yourself changing and evolving to counter any current challenges you have. For example, a few years ago I was still trying to get a muscle up. I decided I would practice all I’d been taught to get a muscle up at least once a week…and eventually I got a muscle up. As mentioned above: be patient, work hard and stay consistent. “It won’t happen overnight, but it will happen”.
5. Strive for virtuosity
Virtuosity is performing the common uncommonly well. This pertains especially to movement patterns. Practice the mechanics of a movement, consistently perform those mechanics, and then strive to perform those mechanics as well as you can. Not only will striving for virtuosity help protect against injury, there is nothing better than seeing a perfectly executed movement.
- Adam
