Everything is running smooth. You’re getting stronger, your physique is changing, the compliments are flowing but everything stops.
Without fail, you find yourself in a situation where progress comes to a halt, it happens to everyone.
That doesn’t mean to quit or stop. In fact, it means the opposite.
The key is knowing what to do next and not staying in physique purgatory where your gains are nowhere to be found.
But I’ve got something special for you. I’m going to show you how you can bust through these barriers and take your physique to the next level.
Before we get into it I want you to realize all training programs and diets aren’t created equal, especially if you want to get the the next stage. You can’t get by with doing something you’re comfortable with…instead this point where you tread into deep water.
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Pluck The Low Hanging Fruit
When it comes to diet and exercise one will always be harder to stick to.
The longer you’ve been training the better you get at balancing the two. You’ll nail one without any struggles or thought, but the other is a pain the ass.
If you want to take your physique to the next level it’s important to know which one is a struggle and which is your strength. Then you take the thing you suck at and put all your extra effort into that.
You’ve heard the saying you can’t out train a bad diet because it’s been beaten into your head over and over. You can’t build a head-turning physique without getting serious training done either.
No one has ever built a back so wide they have to walk sideways through doors without rowing their face off.
No one has built legs that don’t fit into skinny jeans without squatting until they fill buckets with sweat below them.
This guy gets it.
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What’s your weak area?
Find the area that you want to improve and spend the next 12 weeks to assault it. I guarantee you’ll be shocked how much your body changes.
To lose fat you have to burn more calories that you eat and the opposite holds true when you’re trying to gain muscle. If you don’t know what macronutrients are you’re going to have a bit of trouble here.
Learning how to count macronutrients is going to make your life a lot easier.
So, if you don’t know how many calories are in a gram of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, spend the next 12 weeks weighing your food and learning how to count calories and macros. Track every little thing you put into your mouth and make sure you’re in a calorie deficit.
If you do it right I guarantee you’ll be shocked with the results.
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Lift More Weights
You need to put an emphasis on strength training if you want to change the way your body looks. If not, you’re wasting your time. Seriously.
There are definitely benefits to doing cardio like improving heart health, assisting in recovery, fat burning, etc. But you need to emphasize strength training if you want to really transform your physique.
I doubt you’re worried about bulking up or getting too big too quick but you’re not going to wake up one morning looking like Ronnie Coleman.
A well rounded program will emphasize multi-joint exercise and use single joint exercises to compliment them. They will have some of progressive overload built into the program that allows you to continue to get bigger and stronger as time goes on.
Never sacrifice your form to add more weight to an exercise. Not only will you take the load of the muscles that should be working but you increase your chances of injury which is a huge roadblock if you’re serious about changing the way you look.
You’re not impressing anybody. Keep your ego in line and use the proper amount of weight so you can nail your technique and reduce the chances of tearing a pec.
Lift ALL of the weights.
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What program should you do?
There are lots of great training programs out there but it will depend on your goals. If you’re confused and not sure where to start, check these out…
- The DUP method
- Hybrid muscle cycle
- 21-day body recomp
Pick a program that you’re going to enjoy.
You don’t have to stick with this program forever or love everything about it, but it’s important for the program to appeal to you.
- Is it a bodyweight program that you can do at home?
- Is it a powerlifting program that you’ve wanted to try?
- Is it a bodybuilding program to get your arms bigger?
- Is is a hybrid program with running, and lifting combined?
Whatever it is, just make sure something about the program excites you and it progresses you in some way.
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Stop Being A Perfectionist
I know you thought I was going to give you the perfect diet to transform your physique, but I don’t work like that. A cookie cutter program won’t do it.
Aren’t you curious why every single year there is a new best-selling diet book that changes year after year?
If there was a single best diet for everyone you would have found it by now.
When it comes down to it most guys who can’t change their physique aren’t eating enough protein. I recommend a minimum of 1g per pound of bodyweight.
Why?
Protein is the foundation of building and repairing muscle. The most common sources of protein are: eggs, fish, turkey, chicken, pork, protein powder, and beef.
Yea they’re others so just find a few that you like best make sure you’re eating enough of that.
Experiment with different foods and types of eating. The most important thing is to find a style of eating that you can see yourself doing 10 years from now.
If you feel restricted and want to curl up in a ball and die, that’s not the type of diet you’re going to stick to even if the results are amazing.
Your diet doesn’t have to be perfect and there will be days where you screw up but you need to realize that’s ok. Instead of beating yourself up get right back on track.
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Stick to a diet following the 80/20 rule
– 80% of your diet consist of unprocessed foods that you like, are healthy, and are good for you.
– 20% of your diet fits in foods you love but aren’t great for you and foods that you don’t love but are good for you.
You can train hard but if you aren’t sleeping or eating properly you might as well punch yourself in the face.
Not only should you be following the 80/20 rule when it comes to dieting but make sure you’re getting a minimum of 6-8 hours of restful sleep per night. That doesn’t mean starting the clock right when you get into bed to count the tossing and turning you do all night.
You can have your cake, and eat it too (sometimes).
Wrapping It Up
This sounds great but what does it actually mean? How do you put it into practice?
First, take out a piece of paper or post-it note and write your goal you’re going to focus on for the next 12 weeks.
Next, decide on the training program that is going to get you there. Make sure it follows the guidelines I listed about and if that means investing into one of the three programs, go for it. But you have to have a plan and more importantly you have to stick to that plan.
Finally, take your 80/20 diet, your 6-8 hours of deep sleep and attack your sticky notes goals.
Before you go I want to clear something up…
Just because someone does something a certain way does not make it the only way or the best way.
That’s important to remember when inquiring with others about the best workout program or the best diet. I fell into this trap for a long time and I see a lot of new clients to come to me that did the same.
A “healthy” food doesn’t make you feel good? Don’t eat it.
A “great” exercise feels weird even though you’re using good form? Don’t do it.
A program is the “best” for getting you shredded but 4 days in you feel beat to crap? Don’t do it.
Just follow the guidelines I laid out in this article and experiment with different variations along the way. You just got front row tickets to watch your physique change before your eyes.
About the Author
Zack Miller is a personal trainer from Cranford, New Jersey. Zack writes about exercise, nutrition, and other fitness related topics to help his clients and anyone else who is interested. Read more from Zack by clicking here.
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