How Can You Maximize Your Gains?

There is an old saying in the investment world that, "Past success does not guarantee future results." Most people know someone who has made a little money in the stock or bond market, but ended up losing it because they either held onto that stock or bond for a little too long, or did not have the wherewithal to do their research and stay ahead of the game. I have seen this same type of scenario play out many times over the years at Total Results. Some clients start out very enthusiastically and experience some positive initial results, only to fall off track due to boredom, life circumstances, or an inability to mentally deal with the intensity of effort necessary for long-term success. Human beings have an innate desire for comfort; that is why our first instinct is to stay in a warm bed on a cold morning rather than get up and attack the day. If you want to achieve special things in life, you must come to grips with and prepare to experience discomfort. When it comes to exercise, there are strategies that you can implement to maximize your short-term and long-term success.

Former Alabama head football coach Nick Saban often talks about five choices that we have in life. We can be bad at what we do, we can be average, or we can be pretty good. Most people will probably fall into one of those three categories. In order to be excellent or elite, one must have an uncommon amount of drive, attention to detail, determination, and mental toughness. He believes that regardless of which of the five choices that you make, natural ability has very little to do with it. Coach Saban also places an emphasis upon focusing on the process rather than the end result. Very rarely does he talk to his players about winning and losing or national championships; instead he spotlights the importance of doing the little things right and giving a high level of effort in everything that you do. All of this has made him a highly sought-after speaker in the coaching and business community. Focus too much on the end result, and you can become discouraged if you do not achieve it. The end result is largely outside your control, but the process and the effort that you give are within your power. Remember that you can positively influence the end result with your actions.

What can you do to ensure sustained success and maximize the gains that you develop from your Total Results workouts? A good portion of it is situated between your ears. Do you have a vision of what it is that you would like to achieve? In order to succeed, your actions (or your process, as Saban discusses) must align with your vision. Do you stick with your process even when you encounter adversity, or do you allow external circumstances to dictate your thinking and actions? The nature of life is that we will all encounter bumps along the road, and if we want to be successful we must be able to overcome obstacles. Coach Saban defines mental toughness as, "What does it take to break you?" Don't give in simply because you didn't sleep well the night before, or you have a deadline to meet at work, or the workout is uncomfortable. Persevere! How is your attitude? Is it positive or negative? When you arrive for your workout, are you "glad to be here" or do you look upon the workout as drudgery? How you answer those questions will go a long way toward determining your degree of success.

Another important point to consider is, how important are your workouts to you? Is this a priority for you, or does it fall far down on the list? There is no question that, for most of us, there are a great many things competing for our time and attention. I am not suggesting for one second that high-intensity exercise should come before family or your occupation, but if this falls low on the priority totem pole you are setting yourself up for failure. In my many years at Total Results I have learned how to detect patterns. When clients start frequently canceling and/or rescheduling their appointments, it usually means that the writing is on the wall for them to quit. Please remember that this is a voluntary undertaking, and that you get out of it exactly what you put into it. Our most successful long-term clients show up consistently and give great effort, and they realize that every workout counts. They see themselves as relentless competitors, but they aren't competing against other people. Rather, they compete against themselves, and instead of feeling dread at the thought of a demanding workout they look at it as a challenge to overcome. You only need to be mentally locked in for 20 minutes; if you are focused on the task at hand rather than distracted, you will execute each exercise more effectively and create a powerful muscular and metabolic stimulus.

You must meet the needs for proper recovery if you want to experience sustained positive physical changes. This means achieving 7 to 9 hours of sleep on a consistent basis, eating a diet that largely consists of single-ingredient whole foods with plenty of quality protein, managing stress by minimizing screen time before bed and taking quiet moments for yourself, and drinking plenty of water throughout the day. It is also important to not overdo it with additional activity between workouts. You can still make progress in the short term if you fall short in one or more of these areas, but sustained success requires diligence and sacrifice.

It is much easier to reach the top than it is to stay at the top. Complacency is a part of human nature, and once we achieve some level of success there is a part of us that wants to take things easy and enjoy it. Remember that success is not guaranteed, and neither is sustained success. It is either earned or squandered by the choices that we make every day. There is a standard that we hold ourselves to, and at Total Results we see ourselves as the standard bearer for excellence in exercise. We can help you to achieve your own level of excellence, but it all starts with you. How badly do you want it?