If you are someone who is trying to get fit, chances are, you have heard a million and one workout tips at this point. You may have tried different workout routines, working out at different times of day, or getting a workout buddy or two, but still struggle to make any progress towards your fitness goals. There are many factors that contribute to the success of your workouts, but perhaps the most important is consistency, and this is where many people fail. At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you exert yourself fully into a workout; if you aren’t going back to the gym again and again, you won’t get anywhere. In this blog, we will focus on the importance of consistency, and why you should prioritize this above any other factors in your fitness regimen.
Strength Training is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
You decide that you want to become totally jacked, and jump in with both feet by heading straight to the gym. You put your all into your workout, and the next day, you’re feeling like a pile of spaghetti. The gym can wait another day, and then another, and then another… pretty soon, you’ve waited a little over a week to get back to it, and you’re feeling just as weak as you were before. When you’re trying to build muscle, you have to keep in mind that Rome wasn’t built in a day. If you’re going to get stronger, you have to consistently strength train — there is no way to rush the process.
Effort and Intensity Alone Won’t Get You Anywhere
You might love the feeling of giving a workout your all and being completely exhausted by the end of it. Yet, as demonstrated above, this more often than not means that you end up skipping the gym for the next week because you’re too sore. It doesn’t matter if your workout is really intense if you only do it once in a blue moon. It’s best to find a level of effort and intensity that you can meet at least three times a week.
Strength Takes Practice
You might think of strength as a quality rather than a skill, but in reality, strength is like anything else you’re trying to accomplish: it’s going to take practice. You wouldn’t practice the violin once every two weeks and expect to be a master of it, and the same holds true for exercise. If you’re going to get better at strength training, you simply have to practice it, and this means being consistent as possible. Prioritize consistency above anything else, and you are far more likely to see the results you seek.
At Fit in New England, we would love to set you up for success with one of our personal trainers in Medford. Working with a personal trainer is a great way to learn how to be more consistent because it establishes accountability. We want to help you make your fitness goals a reality. Contact us today to get started with small group or personal training!