It’s easy to put in the work on the days when you’re highly motivated. The problem is that the days with maximum motivation are incredibly rare. In reality, you’ll have far more days when you don’t feel like putting in the work. There will be plenty of obstacles put in your way. You can choose to view these obstacles as a sign to take a well-deserved break. Or you can choose to view these obstacles as a test or challenge to overcome. If you genuinely want to improve an area of your life, set a standard for the activity needed to obtain the desired result. Nobody wants to put in the work every single day. People performing at the highest level of anything still have days when they don’t want to get out of bed. They want to sleep in. But they don’t allow their feelings to dictate their actions. And neither should you. Which is why you should set a standard for your activity. Integrity dictates if you say you’ll do something… That thing gets done. Your feelings about it are irrelevant. If you like having other people in your proximity, you probably have a standard around brushing your teeth and bathing. At pre-determined times in your day, these things happen. Your feelings about them never enter the equation. Maybe you have standards for your finances. You don’t wake up one day and simply decide to save $10,000 today. You decide on a goal and set a standard for your savings with a set dollar amount or percentage every time you get paid. Waiting to see how you feel on payday is a recipe to never save money. You set a standard and then live by this standard. Do you have a standard for your fitness? Maybe you want to exercise 2, 3, 4 or 5 times per week. Don’t make the mistake of setting your standard based on a perfect week. Picture a particularly challenging week. How many times could you train even when things are difficult? This is where you should set your standard. It’s totally acceptable to exceed your standard. But once set, falling short of your standard isn’t who you are. Whatever wrinkles or curveballs life decides to throw your way, you still meet your standard. This applies whether you train before your work day or after. There will be days when you want to sleep in. There will be days when you don’t feel like it. When you let your feelings take the wheel, you’re no longer in control of your direction. Actions change attitudes. Motions change emotions. Movements change moods. This is why we preach Standards Over Feelings. Achieving the standard IS your identity.  Let’s get to work.

You might know someone who always thinks they need more cardio. Maybe you know someone who thinks they only need strength training. Strength training and conditioning are like oxygen and water…you need both to be healthy. Strength training gives your body the ability to generate force. Conditioning is the ability to use that force efficiently so you can sustain it for long periods of time without feeling fatigued. Someone who only lifts weights will struggle carrying groceries up a flight of stairs without feeling gassed. Activities like hiking or playing with your kids/grandkids should be enjoyable but if you’re lacking in conditioning, you’ll be more focused on where in the world the finish line is and why these dang kids aren’t tired yet! Believe me when I say, you too, can have the energy to keep up with the kids in your family if you push your body in the correct ways. Now on the other hand, someone who is only doing cardio is more likely to sprain their ankle walking up those flights of stairs versus the person who strength trains due to the weakness of their muscles. A lack of strength training makes you more prone to injuries and slows down your metabolism. When you are working on conditioning, you should incorporate strength exercises into the session. You may be wondering why and how you would do this. Fortunately for you, I have an answer. Let’s use runners as an example of why you should do this. Someone who is only running but doesn’t strength train will only develop proficiency at the one thing they’re always doing…running. They will be just as gassed as the weightlifter hiking or carrying groceries up a flight of stairs because their body only knows one thing…how to run. The best runners (like Usain Bolt or Justin Gatlin) are strength training as well. That’s what makes them exceptional. Now someone who is performing step ups, squats, and multiple functional movements into their conditioning workout will become better fit to do anything, including running. This is because they are training different movement patterns and adding variety to better equip them to their life outside of a gym. It’s the combination of both strength AND conditioning that creates the best athletes and the healthiest, fittest people in our general population. What if your primary goal is to lose weight? We hear it all the time as fitness professionals, “I want to lose weight, so I need cardio not weightlifting. I don’t want to look bulky and I’ll get bigger if I lift weights.” Lifting weights boosts your metabolism and doesn’t simply make you the hulk…gaining muscle isn’t that easy. Don’t you think you’d see a lot more hulks walking around if that were the case? Sadly, we see more “dad bods” with the beer bellies walking around. When it comes to your strength workouts, remember to mix up the volume and intensities of your sessions. Incorporate muscular endurance training with high reps and low weight. Perform hypertrophy with moderate to high reps and moderate weight. Incorporate maximal strength training with low reps and heavier weight. Take a recovery period with a deload phase to avoid overtraining. Each of those phases of training are going to help you with your strength. When it comes to your conditioning sessions, there are also ways to periodize your cardiovascular health. And don’t worry, it doesn’t involve adding more and more burpees to each workout. Steady state conditioning is the best way to improve your stamina and endurance. Depending on your training experience, you may start with 10 minutes of steady state which can move up to 15 minutes. 15 Minutes will progress to 30 minutes. Before you know it 30 minutes progresses to 45 minutes and 45 minutes becomes an entire hour of steady state conditioning with no break. You may also add interval training where you’re getting your heart rate up for a short period of time followed by a longer period of time with the goal of getting your heart rate back down in the lower zone. Now how often should you train? Most of our members at No Limits Fitness train 3 times a week with 2 strength training days and 1 conditioning day. Training 4 times a week you may want to do 2 strength training days and 2 conditioning days. If you train 5 times a week can train 3 strength days with 2 conditioning days. Now that you have the recipe, let’s get cooking!