Nail the basics
We’ve all been there.
You want to lose weight.
You see something on social media promoting the benefits of green tea with ginseng and ginger.
Suddenly, green tea with ginseng and ginger becomes the cure-all to all your weight loss woes.
'Once I get 2,500 teabags of that stuff, I’ll be unstoppable. Beach Bod here I come!'
Or, you want to change your body shape. You want to get curved, toned and sculpted.
You know you need to get stronger in the gym. You know you need to build muscle and get stronger.
Then you see an advertisement for a yoghurt with 15g of protein. Only £1.25 per pot! 'Sign me up for a zillion pots please, thank you very much.'
Men usually go down the route of supplements.
Although Mickey might only be doing one session per week, he’ll be mainlining creatine and anything else which promises ‘gains’.
It's the same with fitness.
Building fitness involves putting in the hard yards. There is no magic secret.
But that’s so BORRRRRRRING.
I’ll tell you what’s not boring.
Retail therapy.
Or retail training as it should be called.
'Surely these super-dooper trainers at £150 will turbo-charge my fitness levels?'
'And when I’m getting those Nike Pegasus trainers with carbon soles, I might as well get these new leggings.'
'Damn it, I’ll get a treadmill too!'
Please don’t think I’m being judgemental.
Cyclists are the worst culprits for this behaviour.
It’s called buying speed.
Instead of losing half-a-stone, we’ll shell out obscene amounts of money on bikes, wheels and anything which promises to make us go faster.
Yet, nothing you can buy, no matter how expensive it is, will improve your performance riding up a mountain like losing the gut that is hanging over your belt!
The point is this, when it comes to getting leaner, fitter and stronger, we have a tendency to get lost in the weeds.
We get preoccupied, even obsessed with things which will make only microscopic differences.
Trust me, the fact that you missed the golden half-hour window and took your protein shake 35 minutes after the session is not going to make any real difference.
Research shows the benefits of nutrient timing are miniscule.
Hitting your protein quota every day (1.6g of protein per kg of bodyweight) is what really matters.
In the end, the secret is to nail the basics.
Be obsessed with the fundamentals.
What are the fundamentals?
LEANER: Stay in a calorie deficit
STRONGER: Prioritise the best lifts: squats, deadlifts, RDLs, bench press, overhead press, rows. Then it’s all about consistency, progressive overload and protein intake.
FITTER: Movement. Walk, Jog, Run. Cycle. Row. Swim. Climb mountains. Move.
Also, don't forget sleep.
If you’re trying to survive on 4 hours sleep per night every night, it’s going to affect your appetite. Your hunger will be insatiable.
Sleep is our No.1 recovery tool. To stay on top of your diet and to perform at your best in the gym, you need the zzzzzzzzzzs.
So, to recap.
When it comes to getting leaner, fitter and stronger, you can’t buy success.
Don’t get distracted by the tiny details.
Focus on the fundamentals.
The fundamentals transform your body and your life.
Stay in a calories deficit, do your sessions and do your steps.
Nail the basics and the miracles will happen.
PH
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