10 Secrets to Success

Take It to The Next Level

1. Become a Student: The first step to success in anything is educating yourself in every aspect of the task. Use every resource at your disposal to learn as much as possible about the various training and nutrition strategies.  Remember…knowledge is power!!!!

2. Develop a Precise Plan:  “Failing to plan is planning to fail”….Every aspect of your training and nutrition should be planned. You should know on a daily basis exactly how you are going to train and eat to reach your goals. The what, when, where, and how should be settled well before the day begins…..

3. Be Consistent:  The best training and nutrition strategy will fail if it is not implemented with consistency.  Ask yourself….Can I do this everyday and follow this plan without deviation?

4. Be Persistent:  Everyone wants to add muscle & lose excess body fat!  Both of those processes take time and are achieved in small, steady increments.  Be patient and realize that it WILL take time….success is not achieved overnight.

5. Use “Common Nutritional Sense”:  Fad diets, overpriced pre-packaged meals, and starvation are not the way to achieve your physique goals.  The correct ration of quality protein, carbs, and healthy fats for your individual goals are the key to a lean, muscular physique.

6.  Set Specific Goals:  “I want to lose weight”, “I am going to compete this year”, “I am going to get in shape”, etc. are all a good starting point, but that is not enough. Goals need to be specific and have a numeric value placed on them. “I am going to lose 10lbs. by March 31st”, “I am going to compete in the State Championships on July 15th”, “I am going to lose 15lbs, drop my cholesterol by 20 points, and lower my blood pressure to 125/70 in 6 months”……Set a specific goal with a date attached to it.

7. Measure Progress:  Once your goals are established, identify measurable markers that can be used to track your progress. Body composition, strength gains, health markers, etc. are great ways to track improvements.

8.  Keep a Record:  A daily log is essential to your success. The more detail you include the better, but at a minimum record your training and nutrition on a daily basis. This is vitally important in order to make adjustments as you move forward.  Also, keeping a journal is a very good way to hold yourself accountable–no one likes to write down the cheeseburger and shake they had for lunch or see the 4 days of blank pages that should be training data.  Every false step along the way will stare back at you!!!!

9.  Everything With a Purpose:  Every meal, weight training session, or round of cardio should be done with a specific purpose. No more drifting around the weight room, sleepwalking on the treadmill, or staring blankly into the refrigerator. Every rep, step, or bite is important and should be carried out with no other purpose than to lead you to you goals.

10. Embrace the Journey:  Take every day and make it better than the day before by focusing on the process.  Always keep the goal in sight, but it is the small steps along the way that will get you there and guarantee a successful finish.