Sun's out, guns out

To live and love the grind means the guns are there all year round. The sun just brings them into view. Much like how circumstance (the sun in this case) does not create the man. It just reveals him to the world.

This post is not about how to do the perfect chip up or bench press. This is about the approach and mindset that you need to consider to for long term success with lifting and building a strong body. Below are lessons from my, thus far, twenty-year journey of lifting and building muscle along with observations from training others.

Fix your diet.

There is no one size fits all.

If you are completely new to all of this, then start with one of the predetermined ways and timings of eating (e.g. Paleo, with or without intermittent fasting). Play with it and break some of the rules of that approach. Nothing is set in stone apart from what does and not work for your body and mind. Eventually you will reach something that works for you. Stick with it. I am personally no fan of any supplements (not even protein powder). It is your call if you want to go down that route, but I would say that you should save your money and go buy more organic food instead - eat real food. If you are struggling with brain fog, energy dips and have tried all the usual dietary variations, food may not always be the culprit. It is possible that there could be an underlying health (e.g. gut) issue which needs to be dealt with. A good functional doctor can help get to the root cause.

Commit to lifting routinely.

I am not for or against any split or style of lifting. It is a bit unreasonable to follow a Mike Mentzer or Arnold Schwarzenegger plan for lifting and expect to get  similar results unless you are on the juice. The true grind and result start with hitting your plateau and working to better yourself from there. Anything from two to four times a week will start you getting results.

If you are completely new to the game, start with body weight training and always incorporate into your weightlifting. It's your foundation and you can do it from anywhere. It will build real strength despite size.

You will naturally have some muscles which develop quicker than others. Following someone else's plan will have you not look at your own weaknesses. Again, if new, sure start with someone else's plan, but you need to be aware (for example) if your chest is smaller proportionately, it may be that it needs more stimulation and to be hit multiple times each week.

Always observe good form when lifting.

Form is king.

Never sacrifice form for weight.

Be mindful of your routine becoming too much of a routine. It doesn't hurt to shake things up - if that particular exercise is not something you look forward to or is not working for you.

Also be aware of comfort creeping in. Not every session has to be maxed out, but if too many sessions go by and you're not walking around feeling like the king of gym, then something needs to change.

If your form is off, then lifting weights could contribute to bad posture. We already live in a 'hunched over screen' world. If your shoulder and chest lifting is off, add 'shoulders curled forward' into that toxic posture mix. Lifting - with good form can help remedy this. It could also be possible that you have trapped emotions in your body which also affect your posture. Sometimes routinely whacking your mattress or beating the life out of a boxing back can help to start to release these emotions. They need to be given a way out. An outlet.

It pays to strengthen other muscles to support your target muscle.

If you want to build a strong chest, you will need strong arms to lift those heavier dumbbells. 

Rest and recovery.

Get the sleep and rest your mind and body needs. This is different for all of us. Something I have learnt is that it does not work for me to train back to back days and about 6 hours of sleep is my (current) minimum. Also consider the time of the day you train and how this impacts your enery throughout the day. Working out first thing, while convenient, I've found gives me energy dips and I end up napping mid-afternoon which knocks productivity, so I prefer training at the end of the day. I also enjoy a large meal at the end of the day - fasting or not, so it works to train hard and feast.

I learnt about cold water immersion from my days playing football (soccer) and all the benefits for preventing injury. This naturally carried over to lifting and then I came across Wim Hoff. If you want to get some more hair on your chest - get under cold water.

See it as a marathon, not a sprint.

Go the distance with your training regime and know you will need to have rest periods (start with a week off every 2-3 months). Sometimes a rest period is what the body (and mind) needs to come back with reinvigorated for commitment to the next 2-3 month block.

Do it for yourself (first and foremost). If you are lifting to get in shape for holiday or as a method of attracting women - sure it will work, but remember, lifting is then a means to an outcome. It can be much more. It has become my grounding and meditation. I don't play so much football anymore so if the conversation in my mind picks up, I then pick up some iron to keep it in check.

Keep sessions to 45 minutes (an hour max). Testosterone will start to tail off after that point.

---

See the above as pointers for the long game which can be used to course correct as and when needed. It will take trial and error to find what works and I encourage you to experiment. It does not matter what works for someone on YouTube. It might or might not be for you. There is more to it that the above, but keep these points in mind as a place to start. Feel free to post any specific questions in the comments below.