A Mindset That Will Change Your Fitness Forever

It seems that the more I'm in the online fitness trainer industry, the more questions I get about "the best" this and "the best" that. Whether it's diets, nutrition, supplementation, or programming, everyone wants to know what "the best" is.

Honestly, I can't blame them. If I didn't know everything about something I was dedicating time to, I'd want to make sure that I was doing the best I could for my goal, that way no time is wasted and I have a strong return on my investment.

WHAT IS "THE BEST?"

I find it very interesting that "the best" isn't always what we think it is. I believe that happens for a couple of reasons:

1. "The best" for you isn't "the best" for me and vice versa.

2. "The best" (or any version of that meaning) is often used to sell things that actually aren't so great.

When I get a question regarding "the best", I actually enjoy it quite a bit because I like to shatter people's paradigms. That's what I'd like to do today in this short article. Now, as much as I'd like to sit here and tell you about how much I hate diets and how no single diet is "best" for fat loss, I'd like to head in a different direction. I've been creating a lot of content around nutrition, so I'm going to ask your attention for a couple of minutes to talk about what's done in the gym.

So, the question I'll be addressing today is:

"What's the best rep range for ________?"

Fill in the blank with whatever you choose. Fat loss, toning, muscle-building, whatever. You get the idea.

TIME TO SHATTER YOUR PARADIGM

Here's the quick answer to all of those questions:

There isn't a best rep range for each specific thing all the time. Is there a rep range that is shown to build more muscle than others? Sure. Is there a rep range that will most likely burn more calories? Sure. The thing is, it's not the rep range that's ideal. If 8-12 reps have shown to build the most muscle, that means that I can just go grab a couple of brewskis and start curling those for 8-12 reps. Next thing you know, I'll have some great-looking muscles.

However, it just doesn't work that way. So how does it work?

Well, there is a plethora of answers to that, but as an online fitness trainer, I want to focus on one thing specifically. That thing is what I like to call the muscle mindset.

THE MUSCLE MINDSET

When most people go into the gym (whether they have a program or not) they come to the conclusion that they're going to perform _____ exercise for __ reps. This is the mindset of a beginner. This is the mindset of someone who is going to the gym to get their workout in. Is it wrong? Of course not. Is it ideal? Not really.

An individual that is a little more advanced would normally go into the gym knowing that they're going to perform ____ exercise for __ reps. This individual would then go into the exercise using a weight that is challenging at that amount of reps, understanding that the heavier they go, the more challenging it is going to be, assuming that the more reps or weight that they do, the more they'll get out of the exercise. Is it wrong? Nope. Is it ideal? I don't think so.

Someone who is much more advanced that understands their body well will go into the gym with what I call the muscle mindset. The people (beginners and intermediates) that I talked about going into the workout wanting to move weight in order to work their muscles. Someone that has the muscle mindset flips that thinking on its head and does something different. This individual goes into the workout knowing how the exercises they perform will affect their muscles. But that's not all.

They also take a completely different approach during the movement.

When performing an exercise, someone with the muscle mindset won't just move the weight. This person will ask him/herself the following question:

"How can I engage this muscle in order to move the weight and perform the exercise?"

This changes everything.

For example, when I'm going to the bench to perform an incline dumbbell bench press, I understand that the purpose of the upper chest is to bring the humerus (the bone of the upper arm) closer to the middle of my chest. Therefore, I'll perform the exercise thinking to myself, "ok Adam, you need to squeeze/flex/engage the upper chest in order to bring the upper arm closer to your chest, and that's what will move the dumbbells. Someone that doesn't have the muscle mindset would say something like "ok, I need to push these weights up with my arms for 8 reps."

WHAT'S SO SPECIAL ABOUT IT?

"The muscle mindset? That sounds like something you made up. What's the point?"

That's fair. I mean, I did kinda make that term up on the spot. Put any attractive word in front of a concept and it'll sound wayyyy cooler (thanks a lot, fitness industry).

Although I made up the term, the mindset is very real. Having a good connection with your body and understanding how your muscles work during a certain exercise is extremely beneficial. That mind-muscle connection will allow you to do the following:

1. Get the most out of your exercise

2. Have more control throughout the movement

3. Have better technique and form throughout the movement

4. Improve your strength and muscle growth

Having the ability to master those four things will allow you to make great strides along your fitness journey. Getting the most out of your exercise will allow you to see more change in your muscles, causing more definition from growth. Having more control and better technique will keep you away from injury and will improve your ability to increase your strength. From that improved strength, you'll have a CNS (central nervous system) that will be able to engage more muscle fibers.

THE TAKEAWAY

The muscle mindset is simply a way of rethinking your training. In one sentence, here's how I can explain it best: Instead of moving the weight to contract the muscle, contract the muscle in order to move the weight.

You'll find that you'll get more out of each rep, leading to an increase in muscle growth and definition, bringing you the lean physique you've always wanted.

THANKS FOR BEING HERE!

I love writing, but to have someone like you reading what I write is...well friggin' amazing. Thank you for taking time out of your day to hear what I have to say. My hope and prayer is that the info in these articles gives you a new way of thinking, as well as a tangible takeaway that you can implement in your life. If you have any questions on anything health/fitness/nutrition, feel free to reach out to me. I'd love to serve you however I can with information about online personal training.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Adam is a fitness professional, baseball fan, and cookie fanatic based in Fort Collins, Colorado. After hanging up the cleats, this online personal trainer found a strong interest in the human body and how it performs. Since then, Adam has been transforming lives through fitness in a fun and encouraging atmosphere. As an ACE CPT and Fitness Nutrition Specialist, he is constantly moved to help people improve in all walks of life. If you’re interested in hiring Adam as your coach, fill out an application here.

Maximize Results With a Busy Schedule

One of the most common questions that I hear when discussing fitness is "how do I reach my goals with an extremely busy schedule?" If I could send out a helpful article with just a few statements or less, I would simply answer that question by saying this: If it's a priority, you'll make it happen. If it's not, you will continue to make it an excuse. But I live in the real world where making statements doesn't help people. So here are some practical ways to make fitness work with your busy schedule. 

PREPARATION IS KEY

When I was playing baseball in college, our weight room had a slogan above the entry that said something like this: "failing to prepare is preparing to fail." That slogan served as a reminder to my teammates and I to treat our training sessions as preparation for our games. In other words, failure to better ourselves in the weight room is preparing to fail on the diamond. Taking this same approach is important when it comes to chasing a fitness goal, especially when we are dealing with a busy schedule. Every single aspect of your routine that applies to your goal must have preparation. Food is a good example. Those who claim to have a busy schedule are usually running around and have little time to cook and eat. That may be true, but that doesn't mean you can't take two hours out of your Sunday (or whatever day works for you) to prepare your food for the week. If your food isn't prepared, you'll fall off course within the first few meals. I'm willing to put my money on that. 

The workout itself is another part of fitness that must have preparation. Before you even think about starting a plan or begin to go to the gym regularly, find a time that works. A good workout should last about one hour. One hour is a perfect amount of time to get a proper workout in. Anyone that tells you that you'll reach your goals with a 15 minute at-home workout or a 3 hour "pump sesh" is lying through their teeth. At this point you may be thinking, "well I don't have an hour to spare at the gym!" I'm just going to call you out and say b.s. on that one. Guess what, if you work from 5am to 8pm daily, you still have time for a workout before or after. Once again, if it's a priority, you'll make it happen. If not, you'll keep going in circles.

FIND A PLAN

Now that you've come to realize you actually do have time, and have picked an hour of your day to workout, it's time to get a plan. Before going to the gym, try doing two things first. The first is selecting a well-thought goal. You can read more about ways to create great goals here. From there, you want to pick a plan that will help you reach that goal. If you have a 12-week plan and have specialized workouts geared toward your goal, odds are you'll do it. If you just wake up feeling like you should train your lower body because you haven't done it in a while, it might not happen, because you aren't treating your workout as a priority. There are plenty of resources to get quality plans from well-qualified people. Take Poehlmann Fitness' plans for example... ok fine that's my only plug for the day! Maybe.. ;)

TRACK, TRACK, TRACK

There are plenty of places you can go to track your progress. One of my favorites is a pen and paper. Bring it to your workouts. Track your bodyweight, personal records, emotions, feelings, etc. Heck, track whatever you want! Measuring all of these things can help you stay consistent, as well as recognize when you're falling off pace. Another great (free) place to track is the app called Fitocracy. 

SOMETHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING

We are all extremely busy at some point or another. I get that. Things happen. So when your life turns into an absolute tornado, remember that something is better than nothing. Although a 15 minute routine for every workout is not ideal, 15 minutes in a crazy day can mean a great deal in the long run. Committing to SOMETHING will create a good habit of working out even during your busiest days. 

Taking these practical, simple efforts and applying them in your day-to-day routine will have you making forward progress in no time. These pointers can serve as an extremely solid foundation for maximum results in a busy schedule. Before you know it, working out will be of high priority for you, and you'll be getting results when you never thought it was possible. 

For more tips like this, follow me on facebook and Instagram! 

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