3 Ways to Get MORE Out of Your Training
By: Abbie Leschinsky, MS, CSCS
If you’re like most lifters, you want to make gains and get where you’re going at the fastest rate possible. Me too, believe me! You’ve likely invested in a coach or a program, spent money on supplements to try to boost your gains, and maybe even bought yourself the best new belt and knee sleeves on the market, all in the name of your next PR. But have you ever wondered if there are things you could be doing right now (for FREE) that could deliver you better results from your training? I hope so, because that’s where I feel I have some tips for you. In this article, I will go over a handful of things you may not have thought about to squeeze more value out of your training. I should also note, this article is written from the perspective of both an athlete and a coach, so I empathize with your situation.
The first thing you can do—and this costs you NOTHING—is to understand that there is always a reason to the madness. That is to say that the program you are following was designed that way for a reason. A good coach has a “why” for every aspect of what they’ve written for you (at least, the competent ones do). They have specifically picked out the times in training to lift heavy and when to pull back with lighter weights. The best thing you can do in this situation is to trust their intentions. So, do your best to leave the ego at home; try your best to hit targeted efforts prescribed for the workouts, and remember that even a “simple” program done with high effort and followed to the letter will always beat a “perfect” program done half-assed or followed only sometimes.
Building of of that is my second point: do your accessories, and give them the respect and effort they deserve. My coach Desi has already written an article all about the importance of accessories which you can find HERE. But again, your coach picked out specific lifts to supplement the big three, and they all serve a unique purpose. It could be to add muscle mass in lagging areas, to correct imbalances, or to improve your technique. If you aren’t sure why you’re performing something—ask! But a good chunk of your progress will come from your accessories, and treating them as an optional afterthought will hurt your progress.
Don’t worry, I have saved the most cliche tip for last. My third tip is: work to develop proper stress management, sleep habits, and nutrition. There is a massive reason the fitness industry has been hammering these: they are more effective than any of the supplements or equipment you could buy (the legal ones anyway). Keeping stress to a minimum helps the parasympathetic system (aka your “chill state”) to stay switched on during rest and help you recover between your sessions. Managing your stress can also help when it comes time to fall asleep and stay that way all night. That is extremely important, because sleep is when your body makes most of the repairs to its structures from the sessions you put it through, and promotes new growth. Establishing good diet habits helps ensure you will have enough energy for your lifts, and also provides the resources needed to build new muscle tissue. These habits can be daunting for many because they require discipline, but even small changes to your diet and sleep schedule will be enough to see progress. As an example, I like to advise people to use the 80/20 rule— where at least 80% of the time you’re eating what you know you should be, and you allow yourself a 20% buffer of slack for travel, time constraints, and slip ups. That’s not to say that meticulously counting calories and tracking macros are bad—far from it, they may be needed to take you to the level of results you’re searching for—but the BEST diet is the one you’ll follow and commit to, just like training.
To summarize, you don’t need to spend a whole bunch of money outside of what you already are on “The Next Big Thing” to see progress. What you need to do are the intangibles, and those are free. You need to trust the process, and believe in what you are doing. You need to give high effort to each and every aspect of what you do in the gym, not just go through the motions. And finally, you need to nail down your sleep, stress, and nutrition if you want to make it in this sport. It’s taken me a long time to develop some of these things for myself, but I can say without question that I make my best progress when I am diligent in all of these areas.
If you have any questions about getting more out of your program, or anything related to getting stronger, please don’t hesitate to Email Me or message me over Instagram.
Stay swoley out there!
