Early on when I first started lifting weights, I would always stress about how good each individual workout would be.
Leading up to the gym I would be thinking…
- Did I eat the right amount before my workout?
- Were the macros good?
- Did I time it right? Would the food be digested once I got to the gym?
- Am I carbed up enough?
- Am I hydrated enough/did I drink enough water?
- Did I time my caffeine intake or preworkout stimulant properly?
- Will I be able to beat my old records or hit a new max?
- Am I recovered enough from last time?
All these concerns and more would be running through my head, right up until I actually stepped in the gym. I wanted to control all these little variables, and I wanted to make sure every workout was amazing.
While I thought these things were important, I wasn’t totally wrong – they do matter, a little bit.
But mostly it was a bunch of noise that wasn’t really necessary. It’s impossible to get all those tiny variables right every time you work out anyway.
All you really need to keep in mind to get good results in the gym is:
Be methodical
and
Be consistent
Some of your workouts are going to suck, some of them are going to be great, and some of them are going to be average.
Don’t worry about it too much and just get on with it.
The program you follow doesn’t really matter either – at least not nearly as much as some people would have you believe. Unless you have very specific fitness or athletic goals (not just growing bigger muscles) then searching for the “perfect program” is a waste of time. Just pick one and start.
Stick with it for at least a few months, and see what happens.
Your workouts will always fall on a spectrum from ‘terrible’ to ‘amazing’. Most will be ‘pretty good’. The natural variation is something to accept, but it also doesn’t mean you should be a pussy in the gym – you should still set high standards and your ‘average’ should still be ‘good’.
You should probably still track your lifting numbers if you’re just starting out. If you can’t gain weight, counting calories is probably a good idea.
But stressing the many, many variables that come with each individual workout is not worth it and ultimately will hardly make a difference for your results.
Just be consistent. Be methodical. Go to the gym. Lift weights. Don’t overcomplicate.
This approach works better in the micro (each workout) and also in the macro – being consistent and methodical over a long period of time is much, much better than quick bursts of intensity followed by nothing.
I would even say that consistency might be more important than every other factor combined. So if you want to transform your body.. build muscle.. get results in the gym..
Don’t stress about each and every little thing – just remember: be methodical, and be consistent.
Good luck!
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