.png)
Most of my initial consultations with a client all go the same way. After chatting with someone over the phone or across the table, I eventually ask a loaded question:
"What are your fitness goals?"
This is not the best question to ask - I already know their answer - but I ask it anyway because I want to hear their interpretation of the "standard" response.
"I want to lose a little bit of fat."
"I want to tone up a bit."
"I want to build a little bit of muscle."
"I want to have a little more energy."
It's all the standard response, and it's pretty much what every person on the planet wants. And there's absolutely NOTHING wrong with that!
A very atypical response would be:
"Jeremy, I want to get absolutely shredded. I want to completely change my habits, my physique, and my lifestyle. I want to be a different, unrecognizable person in 16-weeks."
I have yet to experience that response. Most likely because while most people would like a complete and total physique overall, they don't want to admit to it. They feel a sense of shame or vanity in admitting they want to look their absolute best.
So instead they settle for a more modest request like "Just a little muscle tone." As if I'm a car salesman eager to close a sale. I don't get a commission based on the number of pounds you lose.
Here's the secret, though.
All of your fitness goals require the same four things.
Whether you want to "just tone up a bit", build some noticeable muscle, feel more energetic, or completely and drastically overhaul your fitness and physique, there are four foundational blocks you need to establish.
After those four things are established, the only difference between your modest request and an absolutely amazing transformation is how far you continue on your fitness journey.
The Four Things You Need
Pretty much every book on fitness, mindset, or nutrition boils down into one of these four categories. They're self-explanatory but I'll explain them anyway.
Nutrition Plan
A nutrition plan is the single most important factor for any fitness goal. It provides the raw materials and equipment your body uses to build it's fortress. If you want to lose fat and trim down, you need a nutrition plan based around lower calories and the right amount of protein, carbs, and fat.
If you want to build lean muscle, you need a nutrition plan that provides adequate carbs and protein for muscle synthesis. You also need the right amount of calories to promote recovery, but not too much to build body fat.
Nutrition also includes choosing the right supplements and getting adequate hydration. Of course these vary from person to person, and goal to goal.
For most people, the nutrition plan is simultaneously the most important, yet most overlooked aspect of a fitness journey. But if you make nutrition a priority, the rest of it is easy.
Nutrition should also be uniquely personal. There is no one-size fits all approach. However I do recommend starting with a template, or specific diet, then growing and customizing from there.
I first start with a rough estimate of how many calories my client should eat. Here's a handy calculator if you want to follow along. Then we factor in goals, current lifestyle, and current eating habits to determine what (if anything) needs to change. From here, we can estimate protein needs, carbohydrate intake, and fat requirements.
I strongly recommend my clients log their nutrition intake with a calorie tracker like MyFitnessPal. However, I fully understand that some people are unwilling or unable to do this.
This is where diet templates come in handy. Diets are simply "rules" to help us limit calories and get the right nutrients.
When someone asks me about my thoughts on the ketogenic diet, the vegan diet, or the ::insert specific diet here:: diet, I simply remind them that these are just guidelines. All diets have the same end result - to control calories and direct the user to a specific nutrient intake.
Here is my breakdown of most of the common and popular diets - The Diet Review - and which diet is best for you.
Resistance Training
Once a nutrition plan is in place, we move to the very-important topic of resistance training. This is a broad category of exercise, but it's essentially anything that involves hard work against a resistance whether it's body weight, dumbbells, kettlebells, calisthenic equipment, or something heavy you picked up in the back yard.
Resistance training has so many health and fitness benefits that I recommend it for anyone wanting to lose weight, control diabetes, improve stamina, or just look better naked. It makes you strong, it builds muscle, it helps trim fat, and makes you a better person.
Like the nutrition plan, how you go about resistance training depends entirely on your goals, personal preferences, and your equipment. If you have access to a multi-million dollar fitness center with state-of-the-art equipment, your options will be more interesting. If you're stuck at home with nothing but a bare floor and your body weight, you can absolutely make impressive progress.
It all depends on how you use what you've got.
There are 5 essential moves in every resistance training plan - but how you go about them can vary.
If you don't want to take the time to study and build your own fitness plan, I've put one together for you to do at home, with minimal equipment, for free. It's all a part of my free starting guide - which you can find right here.
Cardio
Cardiovascular exercise is what most people imagine when starting a fitness plan. Going outside for a walk or run, sweating profusely as you punch a heavy bag, or jumping rope with the Rocky theme song playing in the background are all examples.
There are two main forms of cardio that I recommend. The first is low-intensity steady state cardio like walking, jogging, swimming or biking. This cardio burns a steady amount of calories over a given time, has a ton of health benefits, and is relatively "easy" where you can pick a speed and go. I recommend walking uphill on a treadmill.
The second form is high-intensity cardio. Also called high-intensity interval training, conditioning, or sprinting. It's a very fast, high-impact form of cardio that's very useful to mobilize fat out of the cell, burn serious calories, and improve sport performance. It's a great strategy for dealing with those last few pounds.
But there are many considerations when it comes to cardio. For instance, are you doing cardio to burn calories or cover for your bad diet? If your nutrition plan isn't set, you won't see a ton of weight loss progress. Also consider if you enjoy the activity. You should go out for a run if you enjoy running, but if it causes stress or pain, find a more enjoyable activity.
When I'm working with someone one-on-one, I try to help them find creative and enjoyable solutions for cardio. But with as much creativity as we can muster, you still need to get up, go out, and do your cardio. It's a hugely important piece of the puzzle.
Accountability
Finally, no program or strategy will work if you don't stick with it. This is why I list accountability as the fourth and final piece of the fitness journey.
The first stage of accountability is understanding the process and managing expectations. Your physique doesn't change overnight, and there is much patience required for dramatic body transformations. For many people, realizing this slow rate of change can be a huge deterrent, causing them to quit. These people want a quick-fix, which doesn't exist.
The second stage of accountability is having a plan to follow, and recognizing your personal tendency to follow that plan. Everyone responds differently to demands. Some people can adopt a plan and follow it to the letter - simply because they choose to. Others require an accountability partner or coach to drag them to the gym. You must know your personality type to know which strategy is right for you.
The final stage of accountability is having an anchor to keep you strong when motivation dies down. Seeing significant changes takes time. Motivation comes and goes. Your habits and your actions must be anchored to your WHY - your reason for change. If you know your WHY, and if your WHY is strong enough, you will succeed through any hardship and setback.
Put It All Together
If you can put all four things together, you will see amazing progress.
So which part are you lacking most?
Whether your diet needs tweaking or you just need someone to drag you out of bed in the mornings, I have two solutions for you.
The first solution is to isolate and improve the element you're missing most. Take a free consultation with me and together we can discover what you're lacking the most. Click here to get a free fitness and nutrition consultation with me. This isn't a sales pitch - I'm genuinely here to help.
The second solution is to go through my free email course where I break down each of these four things and provide strategies to help you see real, lasting change. You can start here.
In this course I provide:
An exercise schedule and suggestions for accountability.
A resistance training program (for beginners AND advanced) to follow with minimal equipment.
Daily videos about fitness and nutrition topics.
Access to my private fitness app for a full month with your fitness program and schedule.
It's like having me as your personal trainer - for free.
Comments