3 Big Rocks of Health

It is easy to get confused when embarking on a fitness journey. Easy to get lost in the hype surrounding certain supplements, lifting styles, fitness gadgets, and diets. We often lose sight of what really matters. I call them the 3 Big Rocks. We are going to go over what these rocks are but first, let’s go over what they aren’t.

Log onto instagram and you will be flooded with fitness “influencers” ; or more often than not wannabe influencers. Each and every one of them will be competing for your attention to promote their supplements or fitness gear. So why don’t we start there? Supplements, with the exception of Creatine Monohydrate and perhaps Caffeine they are not effective or important for the average gym-goer. Think about where you are in your fitness journey. Say you are at roughly 60% of your potential. Will the 1% increase in performance from that highly expensive supplement even be noticeable? No it will not. However, if you are at the 98 percentile of your potential, it just might. Take a look in the mirror and make an objective decision based on where you truly are.

Effective programming is crucial to the success of any exercise plan. On the same token however, you aren’t going to get your programming from what the latest fitness celebrity is doing. It is imperative you find out what works for you and your physiology.

The 3 Rocks

• Consistency
• Effort
• Adaptability

BIG ROCK #1 Consistency

Applying consistency should be an obvious prerequisite for establishing change in any pursuit. Whatever your goals in fitness are they will take consistency to bring them to life. Our bodies respond and adapt to what we do frequently which, in modern society is often to our detriment. Too often I have clients come to me, in their 30’s or 40’s, wanting to get in shape for the first time. As a trainer it is always difficult to explain to them that the change they want will take time. Consistently being inactive, and generally unhealthy resulted in your body adapting to and manifesting your current physiology. Therefore, changing your body from this state will also take consistency.

Be patient. Trust the process. Enjoy the process. Apply fundamental exercises consistently. It will take time but doing things the right way will result in lasting, sustainable changes. Remember, even a terrible workout program done consistently will beat an excellent program done inconsistently.

BIG ROCK #2 Effort

In order for your body to change, you must apply a stimulus that overloads the bodies current capacities enough for it to recognize the need for adaptation. That overload can potentially be in the form of work required by a muscle to stimulate hypertrophy or strength adaptations, as well as overall metabolic demands when in a hypocaloric state causing adipose tissue to be catabolized for energy requirements. Burning fat or building muscle requires effort. Too often I see individuals in the gym putting in their repetitions without reaching the threshold stimulus for change. If you are not pushing yourself just a little harder each time you come to the gym, changes will be few and far between.

It is important to keep in mind however, pushing yourself harder is not the only requirement in terms of effort. Your effort must be applied appropriately and as mentioned already, consistently. Do not expect that if you just apply extraordinary amounts of work your body will change. Be objective. Push yourself when reaching for goals. Apply yourself and your work strategically. Once you are done, recover.

BIG ROCK #3 Adaptability

While consistency and effort are often forgotten because human beings tend to be adverse to discomfort; adaptability is typically missed out on due to lack of understanding. Maintaining an adaptable state is crucial to the success of any fitness regimen. You can be perfectly consistent with the plan, be working hard in the gym, but if you are not ensuring you are in an adaptable state then most, if not all of your work will be in vain.

Every stress you encounter in life; financial, relationship, lack of proper nutrition, environmental toxins, lack of adequate sleep and many more affect your ability to adapt and recover from your workouts. This is especially important to consider if you are just beginning any type of fitness journey. Your body is not prepared to handle and adapt from the stress of working out 7 days a week like your favorite Instagram celebrity or action movie hero. Apply stress in moderation so you can increase it at a later date. Do the least amount of work now to change your body so that you can always add more. Mitigate all stress you possibly can to ensure that you still have the ability to make positive adaptations to exercise. I would argue that this aspect should be the first thing you consider when choosing a workout plan. If you have an incredibly stressful job, kids that don’t let you sleep, and who knows what other issues causing stress, then you probably shouldn’t be adding another aspect of degradation to your body. Exercise should make you stronger, healthier, and happier. Without reducing as much stress as possible however, it will likely be just another literal and metaphorical weight on your shoulders.

At Ikon, we want you to help you workout for a better life. Too often we see people dreading to exercise. That is why we are working hard to bring health and fitness back together again!