When starting your fitness journey, your goals are what drive you. But they also might be holding you back. When I ask someone what there goals are, some respond "to get into a better shape" or "lose 10 pounds". However, most end up responding with more of a wish list of "I want to be shredded, stupid strong, HUGE, athletic, tan, taller, and kick ass like Bruce Lee!".
That's all well and good, but shot gunning your goals all over the place will just leave you spinning your wheels and never making substantial progress on any single goal. You have to narrow it down to one "main" goal and attack it! Sure you can have supplemental goals that you will generally achieve on the way to your main goal, but systematically taking them down one by one will yield much better results.
If your 15% or more body fat and your goal is to see your abs, then you can't train chest on Monday, legs on Tuesday, back on Wednesday, etc.. You have to have a plan that will help you drop 6-7% body fat, not one geared towards muscle building. Sure, you'll still build muscle on any good fat loss plan, but the end goal is fat loss. If you want to get stronger you can't do that while eating like a bird. Your body needs to be in a calorie surplus to make any significant strength gains. You have to really ask yourself what your main goal is. Once that is established, then you need to tailor your diet and training programs for that goal.
So what's the best way to tackle a single goal but still make headway on all your fitness endeavors? Training Phases! Training Phases last anywhere from a single month to a full year and allow you to really narrow down your goals. Each "phase" should have your diet and training customized for your top priority goal. I prefer to break my phases down into 12-16 weeks. This gives my body enough time to respond to whatever I'm throwing at it, lasts just long enough to not get boring, and gives me wiggle room to adjust if I need to change something up. While using Training Phases, you are matching diet with a training protocol that compliment each other and make attaining your goal much easier. However, Training Phases don't have to be the same thing week over week. For example, I like to start any fat loss program by removing carbs. Does this mean that for the rest of your fat loss phase you will never taste the sweet cheesiness of pizza? Absolutely not! It's a temporary tactic that yields many benefits, but eventually carbs make their way back in. Your metabolism will change, your strength levels will change, your ability to recover from workouts will change, everything will change eventually. So your diet and training methods will adjust accordingly.
Your body takes time to respond to new stimulus. You can't expect to see major changes in a month or even two. At the same time, you need to switch things up to keep your momentum and your body healthy. Being in a constant calorie deficit is just as bad as being on a "forever bulk". Either extreme will take a toll on your body and have ramifications on your metabolism. Remember, there is no "perfect" way to eat and train 100% of the time. There will be different strategies for different goals, and using phases will help you achieve your priority goals much more efficiently.
If you need help setting up the most optimal strategies for you goals, book a FREE consultation call with me and let’s talk about it!
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