Weight Training Articles

What's the magic secret that they hold that will unlock the key to your rapid transformation?

It's really so simple, you won't believe me when I tell you. But to be fair, I'll tell you anyway, and you can make up your own mind. Of course, you may have already figured it out from the title of the article.

When you boil it all down, that's what you are left with - hard work. I want you do try an experiment. The next few times you go to the gym for your weight training workout, stay aware of your surroundings. Keep an eye on everyone else as they work out. What do you see?

I'll take a guess at what you won't see (unless you are working out in one of the few hardcore gyms left). You most likely won't see anyone doing free weight squats (especially not the 20 rep squat routine). You also won't see anyone doing free weight deadlifts.

Heck, in most gyms, you won't even have a power rack for doing squats or a place to do deadlifts. And yet they are the two most productive exercises you can do for both building muscle and burning fat.

What kinds of exercises are they doing? Lots of arm work, leg extensions, leg curls, cable work, etc. The easy stuff, relatively speaking. But definitely not the stuff that changes your body.

Sure, there are the blessed few who seem to transform not matter what exercise program they are on, but for most of us it requires hard work and dedication. Weight training is not easy. It is challenging and rewarding but don't kid yourself, it's not easy. And most people don't want to pay the price to get the rapid results they are looking for.

Don't be one of those people. Your mind is so much more powerful than you give it credit for - You are so much more powerful than you give yourself credit for. Weight training is more mental than it is physical. Without making up your mind to lift a weight, you can't lift it.

Don’t get me wrong. There are limits or we’d all be benching 2,000 pounds. The point to remember is that most of us are settling for progress way below what we are truly capable of accomplishing.

You have to make the mental decision to work hard, to do three more reps when your mind is telling you it's time to pack it in and grab a cold one. Those are the reps that count.

And one way to improve your ability to work hard, jumpstart your progress and start making gains again is to change things up from time to time. This helps to keep you mentally fresh, motivated and more likely to pump up your intensity in the gym.

Consistency in your training is a good thing...most of the time. You're much better off consistently hitting the gym three times a week than if you consistently hit the snack bar seven days a week.

But consistency can hold you back, too. By doing the same thing over and over again you can fall into a rut. The big problem is that you may not even notice that it's become a problem. You train, you eat right, so there can't be any problem, right? Maybe. Maybe not.

If you always perform the same exercises for the same number of sets and reps (and a number of people always use the same weights), eventually your gains will come to a screeching halt. In addition, your mind goes on auto pilot, so your intensity level drops without you even realizing it. And worst of all, you may become bored, start skipping workouts and then ditch the workouts completely.

Changing up your program can rejuvenate you mentally, giving you a big motivational boost, get your interest back, and spur you on to a new set of gains.

If you begin to feel bored or unchallenged with your current program, change it up. It doesn't have to take much to get you back in touch with your workouts. You can change as little as you want, or revamp your whole routine.

Hate to drop the bench press (you must be a guy)? Then radically change the set and rep scheme. Are you always doing sets of 6 - 8 reps so you can use a heavy weight that makes you look respectable in the gym? Forget the ego and try doing sets of 25 - 30 reps per set for a few weeks. This will get you back into the exercise physically and mentally.

Feeling burned out? Change everything. Try a completely new exercise for every exercise you are currently using. Do a different number of sets and reps, change the rest period from 2 minutes between sets to 30 seconds. There are so many things to change that you should never get bored.

Your workout becomes such a habit that you don't always even realize problems like these. If you think that might be the case, try changing something about your workout every 4 to 8 weeks. Heck, mark it down in your journal now when your next change should be.

Keep your mind fully engaged in your program by constantly giving yourself new challenges to prevent burnout - both physical and mental.

Gregg Gillies is the author of Get Fit Fast! Top Fat Loss, Muscle Building Guide to Transform Your Body