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Fitness, Referees Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Fitness, Referees Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

How To Prepare and Pass the FIFA Fitness Test

 
Fifa Referee Fitness Test
 

As a Referee, there is one thing I dislike above all other things: The Fitness Test.

The purpose of the fitness test is not in doubt or in question, they are a necessity and it is very important that referees are held to a standard the same as players in this regard.

But as the “Referee Personal Trainer” I have always worried about the judgement of others, the fear of failure and the well, the down right imposter syndrome that seems to come along with me every time I step onto a Fitness Test field.

Put me in a game - I feel bullet proof.

Put me in a test - I feel very weak and vulnerable.

And with age, I’m now 37, I am aware that my genetics for fitness at the higher end of refereeing are clinging on by a very thin thread.

Fitness tests are hard, brutal, bruising and scary affairs. Your whole season can be made or broken with one 25minute run. But with so much on the line on that particular day, I figure its important you learn everything you can about the Fitness Test, about how to pass it, and about how to prepare for it.

This also comes up a fair amount on my podcast all about refereeing: Red or Yellow.

Red or Yellow is the number one Referee Podcast on the Internet, and you can listen to it right here:

 
referee fitness test training
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR FITNESS TEST TRAINING FOR REFEREES

  1. The Importance of a Fitness Test

  2. FIFA Fitness Test: Repeated Sprint Ability

  3. How to Prepare: Repeated Sprint Ability Test

  4. FIFA Fitness Test: Interval Test

  5. How to Prepare: Interval Test

  6. FIFA Fitness Test: Interval Test Audio Files

The Importance of a Fitness Test

Fitness tests have changed somewhat throughout the refereeing community. When I was in England Refereeing, to be a Level 4 referee you used to have to do 3600m in 12 minutes flat followed by two 40m sprints in 7.5 seconds.

That was brutal enough.

Then I got to Australia and was introduced to a Dynamic Yo-Yo. Which is a 40m sprint at increasing speeds and changing directions. I think in total you cover 40 sprints and finish at 18.5km/h.

That was also very brutal.

But now there seems to be a move from Governing Bodies to replicating the same fitness tests that FIFA require for their competitions.

The new test is split into two sections which are to be completed one after the other.

Section One: Repeated Sprint Ability (RSA)

Section Two: Interval Test

Men and Women have different parameters to pass each test.

I don’t know many referees who enjoy having to pass a fitness test - I certainly don’t. I get very anxious about them, I always fear failure and the realisation that my whole season is coming down to one test of my fitness is a little terrifying. I am a fit man - but in referee terms, it is something that has always been one of my weaker attributes. My record to date on a fitness test is in the 10 years I have been required to do one, I have only failed one - that was last season.

The irony was, that all my fears about failing one never came true. I wasn’t faced with a wall of judgement from my peers, I wasn’t an outcast to the system, and I wasn’t actually a failure. I just couldn’t get fit that year. And to be honest, I enjoyed the rest, I enjoyed doing more community football, and when I did get opportunities to see players I was in charge of last season, they all wished me well, said they missed me, and hoped I would be back again soon.

It was eye-opening.

Part of the reason I am writing this is because here in QLD, they are changing the fitness test from the Dynamic Yo-Yo to the RSA and Interval Test. A test that I think will suit my fitness a lot more - I am quite a good sprinter, and I am a better interval runner than a dynamic runner. But also I am getting ready to try and give it one more shot for next season. I have spent the last three months in the gym getting stronger, and now I am spending the next three getting my cardio to the point I need it to pass.

This is a journey for me, from failure to, well, who knows what will happen? My injury isn’t quite as bad as it used to be, although after running a 24min 5km for the first time in a long time, I am in pain writing this article, but I am confident I can manage it.

This brings me to my wider point: The importance of a Fitness Test.

As referees, we get tested every match. We don’t know what we will face over the next 90 minutes of our lives and it is vitally important that we have the physical fitness to allow our cognitive function to be at its best throughout the game.

Fitness Tests are a way of recreating pressure. A way of holding referees accountable for their discipline and integrity and for making sure that you are protected. It takes away criticism, it takes away doubt and it fills the players with confidence in your ability - and anything that can do that is a very important tool for you. Moreover, it helps create respect - and one of the most important things referees need to remember is that respect is earned, not given - and the fitness test is a great way of earning it.

I know the fitness tests I have feared the most are the ones I haven't trained for. The ones where my integrity isn’t where it should be - and I am hoping on a whim and a prayer that I will be ok. If you feel nervous, anxious or fearful about a fitness test, then make sure you do the work to pass it - if you put your all in, you will get your all out - I promise.

Take it from someone who has had to work very hard on this side of his game - preparation is the key.

FIFA Fitness Test: Repeated Sprint Ability

 

Back Muscles:

You need a strong back to help stabilise the torso so that all power generated from the legs can be balanced for maximum propulsion. Pay particular attention to your Latissimus Dorsi, Rhomboids, Trapezius and Erector Spinae.

Exercises: Lateral Pulldown, Seated Row, Single Arm Dumbbell Row, Chin Up, Pull Up, Shoulder Press, Barbell Back Row, Deadlifts, Yates Row, Cable Rows, and Inverted Rows

Shoulder Muscles:

When sprinting you want to pump your arms as much as possible to help generate forward motion. The stronger your shoulders, the more speed you can pump with and the less fatiguing you will find it. Pay partiattention

Exercises: Military Press, Rear Delt Cable cross-over, Arnold Press, Seated Dumbell Shoulder Press, Lateral Raise, Front Raise, Shoulder Arcs.

Abdominal Muscles:

When you sprint you will be raising your legs multiple times over a certain distance. To help trigger that movement in an efficient way, developed abdominals will really help. Sprinting is essentially a rapid repetition of a single leg jump, and to achieve that a stronger core will help all aspects of your sprint. Pay attention to Rectus Abdominus and Obliques.

Exercises: Leg Raises, Air bicycles, Russian Twists, Captain Chairs Crunches, Hanging Leg Raises

Leg Muscles:

Your legs are made up of many different muscles: Calves, Quadriceps, Hamstrings and Gluteals. As we you will be training for speed, I think it is best in this section to suggest focussing on compound muscle movements, as opposed to focussing on just one section. As I said above you are basically jumping on one leg multiple times from the Hip. This is where the Glutes and Hamstrings do most of the work, and then to propel you forward, your Quadriceps come into their own along with the sales, due to the extension and flexion of the toes. The best lower leg exercises will be power training exercises.

Exercises: Squat Jumps, Broad Jumps, Split Jumps, Lateral Heidon, Reverse Lunge with Knee Hop, Tuck Jump, Runners Skip, Barbell Squats, Heel Elevated Squats, Leg Extension, Hip Thrust, Glute Bridges

Running Technique

This is a critical component of your ability to run with speed, and efficiency. I still remember the day when I learnt to run with much greater technique, and this changed my game immensely. The image I was given was the following:

“Imagine your legs are wheels, and the center of the wheel is your hip joint”

When you can visualize and implement this, you will ensure that you are engaging the correct leg leg muscles in the correct way. It is really important that you learn to utilise the ability of the Glutes, the Hamstrings, the Quadriceps and the Calves correctly for maximum speed.

Before you know it, you will look like Roadrunner….

 

Repetition is the Mother Of Skill

It is also important to note that one of the best things to help with your sprinting ability is to practice. After all, “Practice makes progress”. So head out to your local park, grab some cones, and put them 40m apart and practice sprinting. You may not be able to accurately time the sprints, due to the nature of not having timing gates, but it will give you a really good guide to seeing how your times are changing over time and just getting used to doing the load required.

FIFA Fitness Test: Interval Test

I’m going to level with you. We all feel like Andy when faced with the prospect of having to pass a Fitness Test. But that’s because, as I have already alluded to, they are daunting, scary and an overwhelming prospect.

For many referees, the Interval Test is the most daunting part of it. I know I can nail 4km in 20ish minutes— but I don’t know if I will do it on the day.

And that is why training is so important. When running in this manner you don’t just train your body but you also train your mind. When I ran the London Marathon back in 2018, I remember being told “your legs are stronger than your mind” - and I guarantee that got me through some very dark moments running around Canary Wharf.

To pass this test, you need to run an average of 13km/h over 4km or run at a pace of 4.6-minute kilometres.

Which is relatively feasible.

The challenge of the Interval Test is two-fold: Heart Rate Recovery and Elevated Pace.

I am structuring my training thus with about three months to prepare:

Weeks 1-4:

Just focus on my 4km pace. Get used to running 4km in 22 minutes and practice this twice a week to build my baseline. You can either do this outside or on a treadmill.

Weeks 5-8:

Interval Pacing on a 5km on a treadmill. Now that you have the mental strength to run the 4km at a pace that is working, we want to work on elevated speed and heart rate recovery. This is a trick I used to use to bring down my 10km time. I would set my pace at 10.5km/h and for 200m each kilometre I would run at an elevated pace of whatever I felt best at. Sometimes I would whack the treadmill up to 15km/h, sometimes it would be 13km/h - but it would always be above the baseline pace.

Because the speed you will need for the 75m run is 18km/h I would likely do the following:

Step 1: Baseline Pace: 10-12km/h

Step 2: Elevated Pace for 100m: 18km/h

Step 3: Secondary Elevated Pace for 100m: 14km/h

I would cycle through that until I had completed a 5km.

Repeat this at least twice a week.

Weeks 9-12:

You should be feeling pretty fast now, and quite comfortable at these speeds and distances required. I would now practice the test out on the street, not on the treadmill. Lay out the markers at the intervals required, and get used to listening to the beeps and the pace you will need to run. One thing we all do is set off too quickly too soon when faced with a test like this. So by drilling the practice with the audio in your ears you will get used to what will be required on test day.

FIFA FITNESS TEST: INTERVAL TEST AUDIO FILES

To practice the test as best you can you can download the relevant audio files here:

MEN:

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Fitness, Strategies, Calorie Deficit Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Fitness, Strategies, Calorie Deficit Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

Creative Ways To Increase Your Steps Each Day

 
how to add more steps to your day
 

Steps are very important for your fitness journey - and sorry but I don’t mean the 90s pop band with whom I have a great affination - and yes that is a “tragedy”.

 

Sorry for the awful joke.

I mean walking. Or rather, I almost view it as physical meditation.

Steps are one of the single most important pillars to pin any fitness journey to for anyone. Simply because in terms of exercise especially, they are so easily accessible to everyone.

Although having said that, I have certainly noticed how much harder it is to get my steps in regularly since moving to Australia compared to living in the UK. Its a lot easier to walk in the rain than it is in the sun!

 

This is me most days here in Queensland.

Steps are a golden tool to help you in your fitness journey - especially if it is weight loss orientated - and so I am going to take you through as many ways as I can think of to help you increase those steps each and every day to help you conquer your goals.

The idea for this Blog Post came from a BBC article [1] I saw titled:

“Walking can boost your fitness and Mental Health says PHA (Public Health Agency)”

The article highlighted that in Northern Ireland two-thirds of adults are overweight or obese and that the average step count in Northern Ireland was 3000-4000 steps a day.

It also goes on to say that walking is often overlooked as a form of effective exercise, despite its ability to build stamina, burn excess calories and improve heart health.

The section that stood out to me the most was the comment by the NHS that said:

“walking is often overlooked as a form of effective exercise”

And I know this to be true. The number of times I have had to convince a client on the Strong & Confident Program that their daily steps are more important than their workouts, especially if they are wanting to lose weight is far too great. This is because the fitness industry and society will make you think that a workout burns more calories than it actually does compared to the daily habit of hitting that step target.

One thing the BBC article does miss out on is actually helping you figure out how to increase your steps so that you can improve your overall health and fitness. Which is exactly why I wanted to sit down and write this for you.

Now I am sure you have a million and one questions all about this topic - but don’t worry - I will of course take you through it all in the rest of this article.

Table of Contents for Creative Ways To Increase Your Steps Each Day:

  1. Why Should You Increase Your Steps?

  2. How Many Steps A Day To Lose Weight?

  3. Can Walking Help Your Mental Health?

  4. How To Increase Your Step Count at Home

  5. How To Increase Your Step Count at Work

Why Should You Increase Your Steps?

 

I wanted to start by answering this question because without showing you the value of your steps each day it is far less likely you are going to nail the target you have set for yourself.

Let us start with your metabolism and how it is broken down.

Metabolism basically means the “amount of calories you burn each day” and it is a very hard thing to “break”. If you think that your metabolism is broken, and you don’t have hypothyroidism or another diagnosed metabolic condition by a doctor, then I come with good news.

Your Metabolism isn’t broken. It is more than likely you just aren’t understanding what goes into it and therefore what you can get out of it.

Our metabolism is a pretty static thing throughout our whole lives, even when as a woman, you go through pregnancy and menopause. Your Metabolism just doesn’t change.

As a study called Daily Energy Expenditure Through the Human Life Course [2] found out.

It looked at a cohort of people over their lifetime and analysed their metabolism from 8 days old to 95 years old and it found between the ages of 20 and 60 metabolism was stable.

How many steps a day for a woman
 

You can see the trends in the graphs above. It should also be noted, there are some outliers from the trend, and if this is your lived experience then that needs to be noted.

READ MY BLOG THAT OUTLINES EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT YOUR METABOLISM:

IS YOUR METABOLISM BROKEN?

Now that you know your Metabolism is pretty stable from the age of 20 years old, what goes into it and how can you get the most out of it.

recommended steps per day by age nhs
 

The two sections I really want you to take note of in the above image are:

EAT and NEAT

EAT: This is your Exercise Activity Thermogenesis and it is simply how many calories you burn when doing a prescribed movement. HIIT, a Group Fitness Session, a Monthly Issue Workout, a jog, a bike ride - anything that is “fitness”.

And it is worth just 5% of your Metabolism or “the number of calories you burn each day”.


NEAT: This is all other movements you do in your day. Standing on the tube to go to work, doing your grocery shop, cleaning the house, brushing your teeth, fidgeting at your desk, and yes, your daily steps.

This is worth a whopping 15% of your Metabolism or “the number of calories you burn each day”.

And is also the biggest portion of your Metabolism that is directly under your control.

In a weight loss scenario, this is crucially important to know and is a huge reason one of my 5 Awesome Rules for Fat Loss Life is 10,000 steps a day.

Not that you NEED to do 10,000 steps a day - but more on that later.

Understanding your Metabolism in this way is also why I frame movement for all of my clients and have called my online coaching program the Strong & Confident Program. You won’t lose weight by doing some workouts in the Gym. Workouts are designed to get a human strong, not smaller, and your Metabolism would agree with me.

There are many other reasons you should increase your step count each day which will be sprinkled in the rest of this article.

How Many Steps A Day To Lose Weight?

 

No.

It really isn’t.

And here is the good news: you don’t have to do Ultra Marathons to lose weight.

Earlier in this article, I mentioned the dreaded: 10,000 steps a day.

There are studies that back this up, but with a kicker, seldom spoken about when setting step targets.

A study called: Pattern of Daily Steps is Associated with Weight Loss: Secondary Analysis from the Step-Up Randomized Trial [3] found the following from 363 participants in this 18-month study:


“Results support the recommendation of accumulating 10,000 steps·day, with approximately 3,500 of these steps per day being performed at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity in bouts of at least 10 minutes, to enhance weight loss in response to a behavioural weight loss intervention. While these results have implications that inform public health recommendations for physical activity.”

Key things to highlight here are:

Firstly the participants were in a Calorie Deficit.

The second is they completed 3,500 steps at a vigorous intensity.

Third is that it took 18 months for the participants to achieve a greater than 10% of body weight loss and only 263 of them managed to stick with it.


The origins of 10,000 steps a day are quite odd really, it was invented as a target by a Japanese company that wanted to sell their pedometers - and then the figure just stuck - and it was popularised by FitBit.

Essentially there is no magic number of steps a day to lose weight - and all weight loss efforts are futile if you aren’t in a Calorie Deficit.

But increasing your NEAT is always going to help you burn more calories and increase your weight loss efforts - all else being equal.

For some of you, this would be 10,000 steps a day.

For others, an increase in your step count could simply be increasing to 5,000 or 8,000.

What I tell all my clients who are working on a Fat Loss phase is, to work on creative ways to increase their steps over the day, and then still target a walk at vigorous intensity - and the best way to judge that is to challenge yourself to walk fast enough to struggle to hold a conversation, or if you are outside in a colder climate, to a point where you don’t need to wear a jacket.

Let me tell you about my client Jason who lives in Wisconsin and is on the Strong and Confident Program.

Jason is a truck driver. He gets up at 2am and drives from Wisconsin all the way to Ohio to deliver bricks and other materials for buildings, and then he drives back.

His ability to get steps in is really tough. We are constantly working on his diet to make sure he is in a Calorie Deficit when he is on the road, and we have had to come up with some really creative ways to help him regularly hit his step target. Things like walking around the truck when waiting to load and unload. Doing Truck laps when he is at a rest stop.

He has now lost 10kg in three months. His starting weight was 124kg, or as he is American, 272lbs. And in the last screenshot below you can see he hit 252lbs recently.

Here is a snapshot of the hard work he put into increasing his steps from his feedback forms over the last few months of his training. You can see his increased focus on steps week on week and the outcomes associated with them just from what he is feeding back to me.

It really is an awesome insight.

creative ways to increase your steps
10000 steps a day
Recommneded steps per day by age
How to increase step count at home
How to increase steps without walking
How to add steps to your day
Tips to increase daily steps

FOR MORE READING ON THIS TOPIC HEAD HERE:

IS 10,000 STEPS A DAY ENOUGH TO LOSE WEIGHT AND BE HEALTHY?

Can Walking Help Your Mental Health?

 

It certainly can.

I am of the belief that a walk cures most things.

We know, at this point, that exercise benefits your mood, as it helps reduce stress levels, it increases dopamine in your system, releases endorphins and gives you a sense of productivity.

Walking also fits into this narrative very easily.

There is one other key benefit of walking that you don’t get from being in a gym.

Nature.

Being in nature is a great stress reliever as well. Getting Vitamin D on your skin, looking at trees, fresh air and all the good stuff that outside giving you is worth its weight in gold when it comes to improving your mental health.

Another added benefit to your mental health from walking is the fact you will sleep better. This comes from having increased activity levels, but also from your body being able to tell the difference between night and day. The more sunlight your body gets, the more it will help regulate your circadian rhythm which is responsible for the timing of your internal body clock.

I say to all my clients that a walk cures everything.

Stressed…go for a walk.

Anxious…go for a walk.

Angry…go for a walk.

Depressed…go for a walk (if you can).

Feeling pent up…go for a walk.

Feel like you need to move…go for a walk.

Walking demands you create space and time between whatever it is that is stressing you out, and your response to that stress. It allows you to process things not only mentally but physically too. Going for a walk is simply a way for you to iron out anything snags you have in your life.

And I think thats pretty cool - and something worth valuing in one’s life.

How To Increase Your Step Count at Home

 

Over the years I have trained many, many people who have office jobs and busy family lives.

Simply telling them to go for a vigorous walk at lunch was not possible.

Or, a walk when the children were in bed at night time, in East London, considering I train mainly women, was not a good idea either.

So we had to get creative - and I also had to educate them on what steps actually meant.

Your Apple Watch doesn’t just pick up steps when you walk, it picks up any intentional movement that also picks up your heart rate just a touch.

This means you can clock up your steps whenever you are doing any sort of task - because remember the goal isn’t to increase actual steps the goal is to increase your NEAT activity,

You can therefore increase your steps at home by:

  • Cleaning the house

  • Tidying up after your kids

  • Mowing the lawn (I have a two-acre yard, its like walking a marathon every time)

  • Squatting when you brush your teeth

  • Climbing the stairs in the ad breaks when you are watching Love Island

This reminds me of a very funny post I once did:

How to increase steps without walking
 

When I was working in London I had a couple of clients who refused to train with me if it clashed with Love Island - hence I decided to make them workout whilst they watched it.

As you can tell…I am not a Love Island fan…

  • Making your bed

  • Dancing in your living room

  • Having sex (hopefully lots of it)

  • Decorating

  • Doing some building work

  • Sawing some wood

  • Chopping some wood

  • Work upstairs so each time you need to eat you climb the staircase

  • Gardening

  • Chase your children

  • Play with your pets

  • Do calf raises whilst the kettle boils

Basically, anything goes in your house so long as it increases your activity level.

And yes, it may feel superfluous. It might feel a little weird, and a little forced. But the more you do it, the more normal it will feel, and the more you do it, the more likely you are to see the fruits of your labour, which will likely make you more and more motivated to continue.

And remember, if my fiancee was able to get 10,000 steps in a day when she was in a hotel room isolating as she returned to Australia during the covid-19 pandemic then I am sure there are many ways in which you can explore your entire home to increase your step count.

How To Increase Your Step Count at Work

You could set off a fake fire alarm…

 

But I don’t personally recommend it as you might get into trouble with the authorities.

This is quite a hard topic to approach because every job has different demands, and a nurse for example, probably won’t need to read this section. However, a lawyer or an administrator might need to. A truck driver has far less opportunity to increase their steps at work compared to a teacher.

What I will do is approach this section from the point of view of a generic “office worker” and hopefully some of it might give you some ideas to then adapt and take into your own professional life.

And remember, its not just about steps on your watch…its’s about increasing NEAT activity.

  • Park your car further away from the office

  • Stand on Public Transport during your commute

  • Offer to the morning coffee run

  • Make all the tea and coffee in the office all day for your co-workers

  • Drink lots of water so you have to make more journeys to the toilet (I recommend 2-3 litres a day)

  • Eat lots of fibrous food and remember Elmo…

 

  • Fidget at your desk

  • Walk on your lunch break

  • Have walking meetings

  • Always stand up when you are on the phone

  • Take the stairs, not the lift

  • Collect your own printouts

  • Hand out the days post

  • Greet your colleagues by saying hello each morning around the office

  • Go for a walk as opposed to grabbing a snack

  • Get a walking pad in your office

  • Get a standing desk

  • Get a foot cycling thingy like this:

 

As you can see, there are lots of opportunities in and around your office to help increase your steps at work. One thing I know very well from having worked in corporate and many different office setups, from being a City Banker to working in world-class stadiums, is that the first barrier to some of these changes is your co-worker’s judgement on what you are doing, and the second thing is really what is most important.

Focussed activity equals more productivity. I fully appreciate that the argument to your boss to allow you to work out during your work hours will likely fall on deaf ears - more fool your boss when you look at the science involved with this.

There was a study [3] in Denmark 15 randomized trials took place in the workplace. It totalled 3500 employees across 10-52 weeks and gave the employee one hour of training a week. The training - matched something known as Intelligent Physical Exercise Training (which is a fancy term for a personalised training session with a Personal Trainer) as well as meeting other physical activity guidelines.

Its conclusions are rather epic. So epic in fact, I decided to give you the whole conclusion verbatim:

“Physical exercise training at work as IPET benefits the worker in terms of decreasing health risk indicators, improving physical capacity and functions as well as perceived health. Also, the employer may benefit from allowing the employees work time for such training through decreased sickness absenteeism and presenteeism in terms of improved or maintained productivity and workability. Finally, on the societal level exercise can be “more than medicine” since exercise in a specific manner can maintain the individual's ordinary daily physical functions and ability to move (walk, run). This is becoming more and more important among the ageing workers and in a public health perspective.”

Now because despite the evidence on display, your boss isn’t going to give you a free pass to head to the gym for an hour a week, it still shows that physical exercise, any physical exercise, even to the level of walking more, will make you more productive. It will decrease your sickness, it will improve your mood and it will give you more energy to focus on your tasks at hand.

So despite what your co-workers might think, despite how odd it feels pedalling under your desk, it will all feel better when you have far less stress relating to your job, when you feel more socially included with your co-workers and when you are being more productive.

So if going for a walk at lunch takes you some way towards that…then it can’t be a bad thing, and you are also increasing your steps whilst at work.

What a win-win.

A Final Word…

 
 

I truly hope you found this article helpful. I have spent the best part of the last decade of my life helping people reframe and reimagine what fitness means to them and how they view their relationship with fitness.

Whether that is their relationship with food, exercise or themselves, I have helped 1000s of people focus on getting stronger in their mind, body and soul to help them have more increased confidence and self-esteem.

I do this in a variety of ways:

As well as the usual social media channels.

If you would like to find out more about getting stronger then please drop me an email by using the form below:

Have a great day,

Thanks for reading

Coach Adam,

References:

  1. Connolly, M.-L. (2023) Walking more can boost fitness and Mental Health, says Pha, BBC News. BBC. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-65163071 (Accessed: April 10, 2023).

  2. Daily Energy Expenditure Through the Human Life Course | Science (no date). Available at: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.abe5017 (Accessed: April 10, 2023).

  3. Author links open overlay panelGisela Sjøgaard and AbstractBackgroundPhysical activity (PA) includes muscle activity during exercise (2016) Exercise is more than medicine: The working age population’s well-being and productivity, Journal of Sport and Health Science. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254616300096 (Accessed: 17 May 2023).

















 
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Exercise Instruction, Programming, Workouts, Scale Weight, Fitness, PCOS, Womens Health Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Exercise Instruction, Programming, Workouts, Scale Weight, Fitness, PCOS, Womens Health Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

Best Exercise To Lose Weight With PCOS

 
 

One of the biggest factors I have found over the years in helping thousands of women with PCOS lose weight is that you need to reframe your thoughts on the role exercise plays in your life with regard to your condition.

Women shy away from getting in the Gym and lifting weights in a structured manner, for gruelling HIIT workouts and hours upon hours of cardio work because they believe this will burn the most amount of calories for them.

If you have PCOS and you are doing this, please see this Blog Post as a sign to stop.

 

One of the key aspects of your condition is raised testosterone and androgen levels. You should see this aspect of your physiology as an opportunity — an opportunity to stop focusing your exercise regimen on losing weight, but actually on getting stronger.

Due to your condition, you have this natural ability to build strength and muscle, which will make your whole weight loss journey a lot easier.

It will:

  • Improve your relationship with fitness

  • Build your self-confidence

  • Build your self-esteem

  • Improve your dietary behaviours

When you get these in place, your weight loss will come along as a consequence of your desire to get strong. Getting stronger will help you with dealing with your PCOS Belly Fat, weight loss with PCOS and getting a lot stronger in your mind, body and soul.

Building strength first and then achieving your weight loss goals, because no bad comes from getting stronger.

I have been working with women just like you, with PCOS for a long time, and this is the exact strategy I have used to help them achieve the changes in their life that they were after.

Just like my client Sarah who is on the Strong & Confident Program who lost two stone when getting stronger:

PCOS Workout Plan At Home
 
“The foundation of a leaner body is muscle mass, not the absence of fat. ”

My coaching program is called The Strong & Confident Program and yes, it does help people lose weight, but it also teaches you get stronger in your soul, body and mind.

If that sounds like something you might need help with either right now, or you think you might at some point in the future then it’s probably a good idea you send me a friend request. You can do that by just putting in your email address below, and we can stay in touch that way….

Thank you for becoming my friend.

Now let me show you the best way to exercise to lose weight with PCOS.

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Table of Contents

  1. How This Workout Plan Works

  2. The Best Workouts To Lose Weight With PCOS: Day 1 and Day 2

  3. How To Lose Weight And Get Strong with PCOS

HOW THIS WORKOUT PLAN WORKS

How Many Workouts A Week Are You Going To Do?

This plan is two full-body workouts a week.

If you are new to working out, or even if you are just resetting yourself and getting back into it, the good news is you don’t need to be in the gym four to five times a week in order to get stronger and lose some fat.

You will make incredible progress if you can just get into the gym two times a week and work out with enough intensity for the next 3-4 months.

And this program is the start of that.

How Many Workouts Are In The Plan?

Two. Two Beginner Workouts.

I am aware that variety can be important when it comes to working out, but variety is also counterintuitive to your long-term motivation and your ability to be consistent.

I could very easily come up with 8 different workouts for you, but that would overwhelm you. Each week you would have to learn new movement patterns, you wouldn’t develop the skill to get the most out of the movements you are doing and thus you wouldn’t be working to enough intensity for progress.

So there are two workouts.

These two workouts are designed for you to grow within them. They are designed so that by the end of the month you can see that you have improved:

  • The weight you are lifting

  • The form with which you are lifting the weight with

  • The amount of confidence you have from executing the plan consistently.

If you want variety, gain it by adding more weight, improving your form, and by trying to push yourself a little harder each time you do another rep.

The variety comes from your skill and development to achieve.

If you manage that, you will indeed make progress you never thought possible.

Best Time To Exercise with PCOS

Don’t overthink this. In an ideal world, you would have a few days between each workout so that you can recover fully from your last workout, and manage to then put your most into the next workout you do - and the time of day you workout is totally irrelevant.

But we don’t live in an ideal world - we live in a world where you have to balance an awful lot of your life against your health and fitness - so in truth, you have to go back to back days, then do, it won’t hinder you anywhere as much as you think it might or that the internet would have you believe.

When coaching clients I am always telling them to remember to balance what is optimal with what is possible.

We don’t all have the privilege to be optimal all of the time.

How Much Weight Should You Lift?

I can’t answer this in the way that you would probably like me to. I can’t tell you how much you can Lat Pulldown or Goblet Squat - and any program you find on the internet that tells you how much weight to lift - you should find another plan. Like this one.

I have never seen you move. I have no idea how strong you are.

But luckily in the Fitness Industry, we have a way around this.

It is called the RPE Scale. RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion and is a subjective scale upon which you can judge how hard you are working across a set.

HIIT Workout for PCOS
 
 

Across both of your workouts, you want to work to an RPE between 8-10.

In terms of the weight you lift, I would say this:

You are probably stronger than you give yourself credit for, you are probably more capable than you think, and that capability will grow very quickly if you remain consistent.

READ MY ARTICLE THAT HAS HELPED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE NAVIGATE THE GYM MORE SAFELY

WHEN TO INCREASE YOUR WEIGHTS IN THE GYM

Progressing Through The Workouts?

As the weeks roll on - you should be wanting to progress your workouts as much as possible.

This will mean one of three things - you either:

  • Increase the weight you are lifting

  • Change the weight you are using

  • Change aspects of the form to make the lifts harder

You will adapt to these workouts, and therefore I want you to feel empowered to make the changes you feel you need to in order to make sure they remain challenging.

With some exercises, an increase in weight will not be possible, and therefore I would recommend you change the exercise you do.

Here is a list of adaptations you can try:

DAY 1

Box Squat -> Barbell Back Squat

Lat Pulldown -> Assisted Pull Up Machine

Incline Push Up -> Push Up

Glute Bridge -> Single Leg Glute Bridge or Hip Thursts

DAY 2

Reverse Lunges -> Split Squats or Walking Lunges

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row -> Single-Arm Dumbbell Row with a 1-second pause at the top

You can also change from Kettlebells to Dumbbells or to Barbells to help change the intensity and the variety of the movements you might do.

Do I Have To Do HIIT Workouts with PCOS?

No.

Well, certainly not in the manner upon which you think you probably do.

I haven’t written any HIIT or Cardio in your workouts for you.

I personally am a huge fan of walking - and if your goal is to lose weight, you are probably underestimating the benefits that walking for 20mins a day can have, and overemphasising the effect that a workout can have on your ability to lose weight.

Put as simply, you don’t burn anywhere near as many calories working out as you think, and you burn a lot more calories walking than you think.

This is why at the heart of working out to lose weight, the conversation has to be changed from working out to burn calories and lose weight, to working out to get strong and once your strength is built, good things will happen from there.

If you want to do Cardio, of course, you can. It won’t hinder your progress, it will look after your heart which I am a huge fan of. It won’t burn away all of your muscles. I promise.

And here is another dose of good news - you don’t need to do hard 5kms or sit on the recumbent bike for an hour - that hardly will fit into your life, will it?

You need to do 20mins a day - walking - at a pace that makes you feel like you don’t need a jacket and do need a bottle of water if it is late Autumn or Early Springtime.

How Much Rest Should I Take?

Rest is quite a personal thing.

I personally like quite a lot of rest between heavy sets, usually at the start of my workout. Then I can put the most effort into what I am about to do.

Then as my workout progresses, I reduce my rest between each set.

See how you go. Work to the maximum rest you can take at 2mins and the minimum to 30secs.

In the workouts, I have put rest between each set or superset - but they are just guidelines.

What is a Superset?

I feature Supersets quite a bit in this 4-Week Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss. For, two reasons.

Firstly they save time - and long gone are the days where you should be spending hours on end in the gym working out.

Secondly, they are a great way to get variety into your workout - and help stop the feeling of boredom

It basically means that you do one exercise, then the next exercise with no rest between exercises.

You can also superset three exercises together as a little circuit.

Warm-Ups and Cool Downs

In the workouts, I have put “optional” warm-ups.

I strongly advise you do them, but if you are short on time, you will probably be ok if you skip them.

They aren’t “walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes” although if you are short on time, and you need to just get in and get out, that is an adequate warm-up.

The warm-ups focus on developing mobility and improving your ability to work out in a much better way that will improve your results over time, and thus actually end up costing you less time - as you will make more progress quickly.

The Best Workouts To Lose Weight With PCOS: Day 1 and Day 2

DAY 1 - FULL BODY

WARM UP

The Worlds Greatest Stretch - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Spiderman Rocks - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Split Stance Rock To Tall Split Kneel - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

 

CORE

Bird Dogs - 2 Sets, 10 on each side

Russian Twists - 2 Sets, 10 on each side

 

MAIN MOVEMENTS

Box Squat - 4 Sets, 8 Reps - (use a Barbell, a Dumbbell or your Bodyweight)

1.5 Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for 2 minutes between all sets.

 
 

SUPERSET 1:

Lat Pulldown - 3 Sets, 12 Reps
Incline Push Up - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

Squat Thruster - 3 Sets 12 Reps

Rest for 1 minute after completing one set of all exercises

 
 
 

SUPERSET 2:

Plank Shoulder Taps - 3 Sets, 10 Reps on each side
Overhead Press - 3 Sets, 12 Reps on each side

Glute Bridge - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

Rest for 30 seconds after completing one set of all three exercises

 
 
 

DAY 1: SUMMARY

Warm-Up:

The Worlds Greatest Stretch - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Spiderman Rocks - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Split Stance Rock To Tall Split Kneel - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Core Activation:

Bird Dogs - 2 Sets, 10 on each side

Russian Twists - 2 Sets, 10 on each side

Main Movements:

Box Squat - 4 Sets, 8 Reps - (use a Barbell, a Dumbbell or your Bodyweight)

1.5 Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for 2 minutes between all sets.

Superset 1:

Lat Pulldown - 3 Sets, 12 Reps
Incline Push Up - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

Squat Thruster - 3 Sets 12 Reps

Rest for 1 minute after completing one set of all three exercises

Superset 2:

Plank Shoulder Taps - 3 Sets, 10 Reps on each side
Overhead Press - 3 Sets, 12 Reps on each side

Glute Bridge - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

Rest for 30 seconds after completing one set of all three exercises

DAY 2 - FULL BODY

WARM UP

The Worlds Greatest Stretch - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Wide Stance Rock on Forearms - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Toes Touch to Squat - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

 

CORE

Plank - 2 Sets, 30 seconds

Air Bikes - 2 Sets, 30 Reps

 
 

MAIN MOVEMENTS

Deadlift - 4 Sets, 8 Reps - (use a Barbell, a Dumbbell or Kettlebell)

Barbell Bench Press - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for 2 minutes between all sets.

 
 

SUPERSET 1:

Reverse Lunges - 3 Sets, 10 Reps
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for 1 minute after completing one set of both exercises

 
 

SUPERSET 2:

Romanian Deadlift - 3 Sets, 12 Reps
Seated Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Hamstring Walkouts - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for 30 seconds after completing one set of both exercises

 
 
 

FINISHER: SUPERSET 3

Walkouts - 2 Sets, 5 Reps

Lunge Driver - 2 Sets, 5 Reps on each side

No rest between sets or exercises

 
 

DAY 2: SUMMARY

WARM-UP

The Worlds Greatest Stretch - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Wide Stance Rock on Forearms - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Toes Touch to Squat - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

CORE ACTIVATION

Plank - 2 Sets, 30 seconds

Air Bikes - 2 Sets, 30 Reps

MAIN MOVEMENTS

Deadlift - 4 Sets, 8 Reps - (use a Barbell, a Dumbbell or Kettlebell)

Barbell Bench Press - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for 2 minutes between all sets

SUPERSET 1:

Reverse Lunges - 3 Sets, 10 Reps
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for 1 minute after completing one set of both exercises

SUPERSET 2:

Romanian Deadlift - 3 Sets, 12 Reps (use a Barbell,m Dumbbells or Kettlebell)
Seated Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Hamstring Walkouts - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for 30 seconds after completing one set of both exercises

FINISHER: SUPERSET 3

Walkouts - 2 Sets, 5 Reps

Lunge Driver - 2 Sets, 5 Reps on each side

No rest between sets or exercises

How To Lose Weight As Well As Get Strong with PCOS

Over the years I have been doing this job I have worked with people who solely wanted to lose weight.

I have also worked with people who solely wanted to get strong.

And I have found that those who work on getting stronger first, usually lose weight and maintain it at a much more successful rate than those who only focus on losing weight.

And those who have PCOS also realise a whole new world of movement and empowerment by focusing on getting stronger as well. They have learnt to work with their body as opposed to against it.

They also enjoy their movement a lot more.

I have written about this topic extensively and I have much more in-depth guide on losing weight with PCOS right here:

When you’re dragging yourself to the Gym as a means to lose weight it can often feel like you are doing it with a weight around your neck. It’s a chore, it’s something you “have to do”, and the results never seem to come quickly enough.

When you approach your movement as a way of improving your strength, and not just your physical strength…but your mental strength, your emotional strength and your overall resilience, movement takes on a whole other meaning.

You embrace the challenge, you embrace the gift of your body.

Which is pretty epic.

So if you want a workout plan to solely lose weight, I am very sorry that doesn’t exist.

Yes, you do burn calories in the Gym, but nowhere near as much as you would need to create a deficit appropriate for you to lose weight.

You control your weight loss by controlling your energy balance - also known as a Calorie Deficit. On this website, I have extensive resources educating you and empowering you on how to execute a Calorie Deficit.

Articles like:

Any one of those articles will give you a blueprint to losing weight - and the article you are now at the end of is the blueprint for getting strong.

What’s Next?

Easy Way To Lose Weight with PCOS

Well, I suppose you had better get to the Gym to start your journey of getting strong…

However, there’s also some other things I would love to draw your attention to.

The first is my Facebook Group - which you can now consider yourself personally invited to.

It is called Straightforward Fat Loss and I would adore you to join - you can ask me direct questions there, I go Live once a week and jam on a topic. It also has lots of resources to help you make your Fat Loss journey as straightforward as possible.

You can also let me know in the group how you are getting on with these workouts - which would be one of the greatest honours I would have as a coach - to see you sharing your work with me.

If you aren’t on Facebook, we can still become friends and you can get just as many resources from me for your Weight Loss Journey with PCOS as if you were on Facebook.

Just send me a friend request using the form below - and I will be in touch immediately with you.

 

Thank you so much for reading my work, and good luck with your new gym routine and your weight loss journey with PCOS

I cannot wait to see how you go!

Coach Adam

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Exercise Instruction, Fitness, Programming, Strategies Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Exercise Instruction, Fitness, Programming, Strategies Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

How To Stay Active in the Winter - 3 Pillars for Success

 
 
Winter Workout Routine
 

A more succinct version of this article was originally published in Cove Magazine’s July/August Issue- which was a true honour of mine - to actually be published as a Fitness Writer.

It still feels very odd to me, being English, and talking about Winter in Australia over the months of June, July and August.

Right now the Northern Hemisphere is on fire because of incredibly hot temperatures - and I’m looking at buying a dressing gown to match my slippers as I’m really rather cold in Australia at the moment.

Just one of those other things that get turned literally upside down when you move hemispheres.

And it’s one of those things that you don’t realise will affect you as much as it does - moving your entire seasons around is weirder than you would believe.

However, I digress…

Cove Magazine asked me to write about staying active in Winter for them in their July 2022 edition, and I thought it a great time to publish this article on my website as well as before the Northern Hemisphere knows it - the heat will have calmed down and the nights will be drawing in, and you will be back to seeing your breath more often than not.

Summer only lasts a matter of weeks in England.

So I figured this would be apt.

This article focuses on a series of “Pillars of Success” that you should work on in order to help you remain active throughout Winter. The role of this article is to increase the chances of you being able to be active in Winter - as opposed to giving you a “by write” plan of what to do - because let’s face it - “by write” plans seldom work when you have to deal with that thing called life as well.

My job is to make things possible for you.

Not to tell you what to do.

Because I have never lived a day in your shoes - your experience of life will be individual to you.

But these pillars are designed for you to work on building that pillar up in your life to make the likelihood of activity increasing during the winter months a lot more likely.

Many people experience lower activity levels in Winter. As this study [1] in the Journal of Sports and Health Science found that 43.9% of people are likely to delay exercise in Winter compared to Summer which was 51.8%. Individuals who listed “Rain” as the adverse weather condition were 3.49 times more likely to delay exercising compared to “Heat” as the adverse weather condition and those who listed Ice and Snow were more likely to delay exercise compared to those who were just concerned with the cold.

And then again in this study [2] you can see the varied activity levels per season in 5085 participants:

How To Stay Active In The Winter
 

So let's get to work on fleshing out the three pillars designed to help you succeed in Winter. On their surface they seem quite obvious and straightforward - but understanding the nuance of what is behind that surface will really help you strengthen your resolve and resilience in this field.

Before we get into it, I want to thank you for being here and reading my work. I want to thank you so much - that I would love it if you sent me a friend request so we can stay in touch a little more - and I can offer much more help to you than just this Blog Post. I will send you a Calorie Calculator, my book, free workouts and much more (some of which will be appropriate - some of which might not). So if you like the cut of my jib I have two options for you to become my friend.


Firstly just put your email address in here:

Secondly, you can join my Free Facebook Group called “Straightforward Fat Loss” - just click on the button below…

Benefits of exercising in the Winter
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR:

How To Stay Active in the Winter - 3 Pillars For Success

  1. PILLAR 1: Get your Sleep on Track

    - The correlation between Sleep and your Activity Levels

    - How to Improve Your Sleep Hygiene

  2. PILLAR 2: Understanding your Exercise

  3. PILLAR 3: Managing your Diet

PILLAR 1: Get your Sleep on track

When it’s dark outside we tend to hibernate a little bit more – and this can cause very different behaviour relating to your sleep. For example, you might stay up later watching Netflix because you don’t feel as tired from the day due to a drop in activity levels as it is in Winter. Or you end up eating later into the evening causing your sleep to be interrupted at night making you less likely to have the energy to work out the next day.

The second your sleep is negatively impacted, your desire to remain active will diminish greatly regardless of the season.

In anything to do with fitness - whether you want to run a marathon, lose 20lbs or get strong enough to fight a bear in the woods, you need to prioritise your sleep. Ask any Athlete - the only way they can maintain their high-performance levels is through having very well-regulated and well-structured sleep.

Now I know you aren’t an Athlete. But it’s all relative right?

The Correlation Between Sleep and Activity Levels

There is a strong correlation between physical activity and quality of sleep.

As this study [3] shows:

“Twelve weeks of exercise training increased sleep duration and variables of sleep quality in adolescents. These investigators found exercise training to decrease NREM stage N1 (very light sleep) while increasing REM sleep, sleep continuity, and sleep efficiency when using polysomnography:”


This study [4] also found that:

“Regardless of the time of day, engaging in resistance exercise did improve sleep quality”

Makes sense right?

The more you move, the more tired your body will be and the better quality of sleep you will have.

So when that reduces, even slightly, during the Winter, it will have an impact on how restful your sleep truly is by stopping you from getting into that deep REM or Slow Wave Sleep.

This knowledge puts you in a catch-22 situation though.

Activity helps me sleep….Sleep helps me stay active…Winter stops me from being more active…

The key here is to just start somewhere. Try and get the ball rolling in some way.

Remember your goal is to be as active as possible throughout Winter, and we can improve your sleep in many different ways…

Want to find out Why Your Sleep Affects Your Body Weight?

Read my Blog Post that has helped hundreds of people get better sleep…and improve their fitness journey

How To Improve Your Sleep Hygiene during Winter

The rules here are the same as every other month of the year.

In my Blog Post “Why Your Sleep Affects Your Body Weight?“ I identify these 8 ways to improve your sleep:

  1. Plan to get 8 hours of sleep a night

  2. Sleep with the Sun

  3. Exercise regularly

  4. Listen to a Sleep Story

  5. Listen to a Sleep Meditation

  6. Put your phone down 60mins before sleep

  7. Reduce Caffeine intake

  8. Reduce Alcohol consumption

All of these stand true no matter what time of the year it is. However, Winter can cause issues with your achievement of some of these more than others and there are some that exist because of Winter that isn’t on that list.

So let me address that.

In Winter;

You will be more likely to eat more Comfort Food

On a cold winter day give me a nice hot mug of cocoa, any time of the day. Give me refined carbohydrates, and foods full of fat so that I feel like I am getting a nice warm hug from my food.

Added to that - a nice bit of Scotch or a Rum Toddy.

And plenty of Tea. I am English after all.

Or my Mum’s Roast Potatoes. Every night of the week.

During Winter we eat heavier meals - that’s just what happens. It’s not right or wrong, it is what we need. We want that warming hearty broth by the fire or the big bowl of Shepherds Pie to warm us through.

And we naturally consume more calories as we believe we are more hungry in the Wintertime too.

As this study [5] found;


“Daily caloric intake was higher by 86 kcal/day during the fall compared to the spring. Percentage of calories from carbohydrate, fat and saturated fat showed slight seasonal variation, with a peak in the spring for carbohydrate and in the fall for total fat and saturated fat intake. The lowest physical activity level was observed in the winter and the highest in the spring. Body weight varied by about 1/2 kg throughout the year, with a peak in the winter”


The extra calories aren’t so much of a problem, in relation to your ability to sleep, however, they might interrupt your sleep and you will wake up more during your sleep.

Added to this we also perceive ourselves to be more hungry in the Wintertime as this study [6] concludes:


“The subjects rated themselves hungrier at the end of the meal in the fall even though the larger meals resulted in a greater estimated amount of food in the stomach. In the winter and spring there was a strong negative relationship between the amount eaten in the meal and self-rated hunger at the end of the meal.”

This all means you are more likely to eat closer to bedtimes - as you feel like you are still hungry - and that will in turn affect how restful your sleep is once again.

Knowledge is power - and being able to understand this will hopefully help you make more informed choices throughout the colder months.

So when it's close to bedtime - and you are lurching for that hot chocolate before bedtime just asks yourself a series of questions:

  1. Am I actually hungry?

  2. If I’m not actually hungry what am i?

  3. Am I bored?

  4. Am I in need of a hug?

  5. Am I stressed?

  6. Am I anxious?

  7. Am I feeling lonely?

  8. What emotion is driving my hunger?

  9. Will I be able to sleep without having this hot chocolate…if so do I then truly need it?

As you work through those you will be surprised how much you will realise you actually don’t want the Hot Chocolate, it was indeed something else - and then you will have a much more restful sleep.

Alcohol and Caffeine both affect your sleep negatively. They both stop you from being able to experience deep REM restful sleep which will in turn mean that getting your exercise in the next day will be just that little bit harder.

Try to drink water in the afternoons and evenings, or herbal teas. That will help greatly - although I do understand the need for a warm cuppa in the middle of winter.

In Winter;

You will get less daylight

Daylight is crucial to our body’s ability to release melatonin - the hormone that makes us sleepy and drowsy.

Your body needs a clear distinction between night and day. This distinction is critical in your ability to release melatonin appropriately to allow you to sleep well. This is known as a circadian rhythm - and it is mightily important we try to stick to it as best we can.

The key here is to make sure you still get daylight. Not necessarily sunlight.

I know the sun shines all of about 2 weeks in the UK - but unlike parts of Scandanavia you do still get Daylight - and that is critical.

Melatonin time and time again proves that it does indeed improve a person’s sleep, as this Meta-Analysis study [6] concludes:


“Our meta-analysis demonstrates that melatonin significantly improves sleep in subjects with primary sleep disorders compared to placebo. Melatonin reduces sleep-onset latency, increases total sleep time and improves overall sleep quality compared to placebo to a statistically significant degree.”


Therefore you want to do everything you can to make sure your melatonin is firing well for you - and this can be achieved without supplementation. To help with this make sure you are getting out and about in the Wintertime as best you can - exposing yourself to daylight at every opportunity. Get out for lunch, go for small walks, or even sit by a window despite how grey it might be just to get that extra dose of daylight to help improve your sleep.

The other aspect of this is regulating your sleep times. Avoiding daytime naps and making sure that your bed is a place for only sleep and sex will really help here. Even though it can suck to wake up at 5:30 am on a cold winters day (and trust me - I know it does I’m a Personal Trainer with clients all over the world managing many different time zones) making sure you went to bed at the same time each day - and you woke up at the same time will help your hormones, not just your melatonin, but all of your hormones regulate and function in a much better way - which is going to do one thing - help you have enough energy to exercise the next day.


In Winter;

You may be more stressed

The evidence here is quite inconclusive. I have seen a couple of studies that back up the notion of “Seasonal Depression Disorder” admitting there can be a slight increase in low mood through Winter, and there are other studies that say the difference is negligible to other seasons.

There is also one study [7] from Iran that concluded:

“Common depression was more prevalent in the parts of the country where cold and rainy weather was more abundant”

I also think colloquially we all seem a little more dreary in the Wintertime.

If nothing else it explains the English disposition.

And it makes a lot of sense to me - increasing energy prices in Winter, less socialising, anxiety around affording Christmas, and of course the lack of sunshine and the ability to enjoy the outdoors as much with shorter days will all play into the narrative of feeling lower during this time.

That within itself is just natural human behaviour; being denied these things will have an effect.

And the more stressed you are…the less you sleep.

For a whole multitude of reasons but this is physiological as well. In our brains, we have an emotional control centre called the “Amygdala” - and the more stressed you are the more active your amygdala is and when your amygdala is active your sleep is negatively affected.

I can’t very well tell you to just stop worrying about things that drive the low mood in the Wintertime. But I can very well tell you that a key to helping those feelings feel so prevalent in your day-to-day is to make sure you improve your sleep.

And to do that we need to process this stress properly.

And again here we end up in the catch-22 - as exercise is a great way to process stress - but as its winter - we know the likelihood of that happening is reduced.

So how else do you process your stress? There are many things you can do here - but that could be a whole Blog within itself…in fact, it is:

But here are some helpful bullet point tips from that Blog Post:

  1. Understand you are not alone in feeling this way

  2. Remove expectations from your life

  3. Start with small things and build up from there

  4. Acknowledge your wins

  5. Get a plan

Another great tool here to process your stress and therefore allow you to stay more active in winter is to give yourself moments of stillness. Meditation can be a great tool in your toolbox when you need it and I know that when I am ever so stressed taking moments to breathe and just focus on that can really help me calm myself down and get ready to tackle the next task.

I have a series of Meditations called The Daily Stillness which you can get. by signing up right here

If you improve your sleep, even just a little bit, it will help kickstart the wheel to looking after your fitness during these darker months, and your motivation will return.

Pillar 2: Understanding Your Exercise


Within your fitness regime, it’s always very important to change your expectations based on the changing circumstances you’re facing.

To expect the same output from yourself in terms of energy for working out might be doing more harm than good for you over winter. 

If you’re the type of person who gets energy from the bright sunshine it might be a good idea to have some self-empathy over the winter months and reduce the frequency with which you are working out, or the intensity, or both.

During the winter your ability to keep working out to the same intensity will likely be very reduced, for a number of reasons but mainly, you are cold, wet and miserable. That’s not good energy to be working out with and it will likely have an effect on how heavy you are able to lift.

Personally, when it comes to Winter, I would reduce the frequency with which you workout.

As this study [8] found:

“It appears that Reduced Strength Training frequency does not affect the maintenance of muscle mass and strength”

Reduced training is the key statement here. The study took 33 beginners to exercise and tested three groups. The three groups were divided into one session a week, two sessions a week and no sessions at all. Across the strength tests performed for the two groups that remained to train over a 16-week period, they lost no significant strength. In fact, even those who stopped entirely they lost 5% of muscle mass and 22% of strength.

Studies like this one [9] that showed when someone is completely immobilized they can lose 5-10% of muscle mass in just 10 - 21 days.

To combat this you don’t need to work out, you just need to keep moving. You still build muscle without working out. Moving builds muscle. That can be walking, it can be playing a sport, it can be working in the garden.

So if you can’t keep up the frequency of your normal regime throughout Winter then all you have to do is reduce the frequency, and try to keep mobile elsewhere in your life.

That will keep you ticking over nicely.

The issue with keeping active in the winter comes down to people taking a small break, and that break lasting for the best part of the year, as opposed to a few weeks with reduced frequency.

It is similar to going on holiday. No one is expecting you to work out on holiday, you should enjoy yourself when on holiday. But the reason many people think that holidays ruin their progress is because of their inability to get back into the gym when they get back.

They don’t realise 9 months have passed since their holiday - they just remember their holiday being the reason they stopped going.

Winter is three months long.

If you can keep going to the gym once a week for three months - you will lose no progress.

Then when the three months are over just back on track.

PILLAR 3: Managing Your Diet

It wouldn’t be a fitness article without the proverbial ‘eat a balanced diet’ would it?

But there is a reason a cliché is a cliche, because there’s always an element of truth to it.

Fundamentally calories give you energy to do things. 

When trying to lose weight you restrict your calorie intake which causes a reaction in the body to move less.  This is known as Metabolic Adaptation. 

Simply put, the more weight you lose, the more your body will fight against you in your goals to lose weight. This happens through a number of processes but one that impacts us the most is that it makes you move less.

As this study [9] done in pre-meonpausal women found:


“Metabolic adaptation after a 16% weight loss increases the length of time necessary to achieve weight loss goals”


Your body loves being where it is at. This is known as homeostasis, and is one reason that weight loss requires a lot of effort, and combined with metabolic adaptation shows why it so many people don’t succeed at losing weight.

If you’re struggling with your energy levels in winter, and you’re trying to lose weight by reducing calories, then you’re compounding two problems.

I know we have spoken about trying to protect your energy through improving your sleep, but most people in the world don’t have as much energy in the Winter as they do in the Summer. That is simply human.

Therefore in Winter if you are chasing physique goals as well - as in trying to lose weight - you might be trying to bite off more than you can chew.

Lower Calories to lose weight results in less energy. Winter results in less energy, Then there will be less likelihood of you feeling like moving.

To combat this I strongly suggest, nay, I recommend exclusively that you increase your calories to maintenance. Give yourself a scheduled “diet break” enjoy eating a few more calories and all of the benefits that will bring you.

Read my article that has helped 100s of people understand maintenance calories a lot better:

The quickest and simplest way to find your maintenance level would be to take your Goal Bodyweight in LBS and multiply it by 14.

The other method is to keep adding 200kcals into your diet until the scale represents between 1-5lbs above where you started. This method requires much more adherence to tracking your scale weight, and trusting the rollercoaster that is tracking your weight regularly.

And yes. By increasing your weight to maintenance, the scale will go up for the period of time you do that.

But…if the aim is to do this as you try and continue to keep your workouts up, as you will have more energy with which you can workout with, then you will likely not notice an increase in body fat, as much as you think you will.

Scale Weight might well increase.

Body Fat likely will not.

Especially if you only do this over the period of Winter.

As you are increasing your intake, sadly I wouldn’t advise this all comes from alcohol and take outs. Rememebr the goal here is to help you maintain positive energy. Therefore please try and fill these extra calories up with lots of fruits and vegetables and other nutrient dense foods.

How To Stay Active in the Winter - 3 Pillars For Success

And that’s it…

Remember the goal throughout Winter is to keep your energy levels up by managing your sleep, exercise and diet a lot better. Which will in turn make your winter feel more of a success to you.

Increase your sleep and your diet as best you can, and allow that extra energy to keep driving you to being active.

Winter will make you want to move a little less, and being aware of that is one of the key aspects in helping you understand how to manage other aspects of your health through Winter.

Knowledge is power.

You know that Winter will decrease the likelihood of you being able to remain active, therefore you need to keep putting yourself in the best position possible each day to stay on track in the best way possible.

And above all, prioritise your sleep, that will make everything else more likely to happen .

 
how to stay active in the winter at home
 

And as always if you have any questions you only have to ask me.

To be able to do that don’t forget to send me a Friend Request by filling out the form below

I hope you found this article useful and that you enjoy the Winter.

I cannot wait to see you again soon…

Coach Adam

References:

  1. Abram L. Wagner, Florian Keusch, Ting Yan, Philippa J. Clarke, The impact of weather on summer and winter exercise behaviors, Journal of Sport and Health Science, Volume 8, Issue 1, 2019, Pages 39-45, ISSN 2095-2546, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2016.07.007.(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254616300576)

  2. Pivarnik, James M., Mathew J. Reeves, and Ann P. Rafferty. "Seasonal variation in adult leisure-time physical activity." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 35.6 (2003): 1004-1008.

  3. Mendelson M, Borowik A, Michallet AS, Perrin C, Monneret D, Faure P, Levy P, Pépin JL, Wuyam B, Flore P. Sleep quality, sleep duration and physical activity in obese adolescents: effects of exercise training. Pediatr Obes. 2016 Feb;11(1):26-32. doi: 10.1111/ijpo.12015. Epub 2015 Mar 2. PMID: 25727885.

  4. Alley J. R., Mazzochi J. W., Smith C. J., Morris D. M., Collier S. R. Effects of resistance exercise timing on sleep architecture and nocturnal blood pressure. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. 2015;29(5):1378–1385. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000750.

  5. Ma, Y., Olendzki, B., Li, W. et al. Seasonal variation in food intake, physical activity, and body weight in a predominantly overweight population. Eur J Clin Nutr 60, 519–528 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602346

  6. Ferracioli-Oda E, Qawasmi A, Bloch MH. Meta-analysis: melatonin for the treatment of primary sleep disorders. PLoS One. 2013 May 17;8(5):e63773. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063773. PMID: 23691095; PMCID: PMC3656905.

  7. Mirzakhani L, Poursafa P. The Association between Depression and Climatic Conditions in the Iran Way to Preventive of Depression. Int J Prev Med. 2014 Aug;5(8):947-51. PMID: 25489441; PMCID: PMC4258674.

  8. Brad Jon Schoenfeld, Jozo Grgic, James Krieger. (2019) How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining the effects of resistance training frequency. Journal of Sports Sciences 37:11, pages 1286-1295.

 
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Exercise Instruction, Fitness, Programming, Workouts Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Exercise Instruction, Fitness, Programming, Workouts Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

The Best Barbell Exercises and Workout For Beginners

 
 
The Best Barbell Workout For Beginners
 

The Barbell.

It can feel bloody intimidating if you are new to the Gym.

In many Gyms you will see scary looking men lifting scary looking weights, and that alone is enough to put someone off ever grabbing a Barbell for their own fitness journey.

You may well have seen stupid people doing stupid things with them on the Internet and it has put you off for life.

Or you may have seen this fella in your village and you thought…well

And that is a grave shame.

The Barbell can be one of the most empowering tools in the Gym.

There is something more magical about getting a Barbell off the floor or above your head compared to a Dumbbell or an Exercise Machine.

There is an aura about it, a feeling in the body that creates an equilibrium between strength and difficulty and you can feel your whole body just feel strong, empowered and confident when you achieve it.

And if you never explore that feeling in your fitness journey, then you are leaving one of the most important aspects of your workout behind.

This article will take you through a whole workout using a Barbell to help you learn how to use one safely, effectively and with confidence - but if you would like a lot more workouts from me, as well as becoming my friend - where I may send you things that make you smile, things that help you on your fitness journey and things that might be a little inappropriate - then please just send me a friend request via the form below:

Thank you for becoming my friend!

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

  1. The Anatomy of a Barbell

  2. The value of using a Barbell

  3. Different types of Barbells

  4. The Best Barbell Exercises and Workout for Beginners

The Anatomy of a Barbell

When something is misunderstood in my life…I often find one of the most important things I can do is learn as much about it as is possible.

For knowledge is power - and the only way to empower yourself over something that gives you fear is to learn what to do with it.

Since moving to Australia I have adopted this policy on all things that might kill me - basically every animal in the country - however, I am yet to actually have to test my knowledge out when face to face with a snake - so let’s hope my theory holds up all the same.

The anatomy of a Barbell may seem a little “extra”. But when I learnt this I found it truly interesting - and it actually inspired me to go and work with a Barbell - something that up until that point I had actually tried to avoid.

Yup. Even as a Personal Trainer for the first year of my career I avoided using Barbells for myself and for my clients - simply because I didn’t know how they worked or saw the use of using one.

Even us Personal Trainers are working progress’s just like everybody else.

A conventional Barbell does not weigh 4lbs.

A conventional Barbell is also known as an Olympic Bar or “Olly Bar” if you are one of the cool kids - and they weigh 20kgs or 44lbs. They are 28mm in diameter and are usually around 7ft 2in in length.

Here is a breakdown of what it looks like:

The Best Barbell Exercises And Workout For Beginners
 

Sleeves: These are where you put the plates on and load the bar.

Bearings and Bushings: These are designed to let the bar Spin which makes movements like the Clean and Press a lot easier to execute. If you have ever used a Barbell that isn’t an Olympic Bar you will notice it doesn’t rotate in your hands in the same way.

Collar: These stop the plates from moving in towards your hands.

Shaft: The main length of the bar that you grip.

Knurling: A rough hashed part of the Bar which is designed to help you grip the bar with your hands.

Knurling Marks: Two little smooth intersections in the knurling which help you judge whether your hands are evenly placed on the bar. They ar usually 36in apart.

Fastener: Holds the sleeves in place.

Endcap: A little bit of plastic which help hold the sleeves in place - also a good place to look to see what weight the bar is - as they can sometimes vary and it’s usually printed on this part of the bar.

There are two other elements to using a Barbell that I should mention:

Plates: The weight you add to a Bar. Can either be “bumper” plates or standard plates - for most Barbell work bumper plates are most common.

Cuffs: These keep the plates from sliding off the Barbell. They come in two forms “spring cuffs” or “clip cuffs”

Spring cuffs were one of the other reasons I didn’t use Barbells in front of clients because I struggled so much to put them on the bar and take them off the bar and I didn’t want my clients thinking I was too weak to do it (body dysmorphia alert!)

…until I learnt there is a technique behind it and it has nothing to do with strength at all.

And now - let me share that technique with you:

 

And thats all there is to what makes a Barbell a Barbell.

Pretty straightforward right? Now you know exactly what your equipment is made up of let me show you why they are such crucial pieces of the puzzle to your fitness journey…

STRAIGHTFORWARD FAT LOSS

My Facebook Group for anyone who needs a little extra support with their journey…

 
 

The Value Of Using A Barbell

There are studies galore that compare the use of a Dumbbell to a Barbell for building more strength - from what I can see the balance of the evidence would suggest that a Barbell can lead to you being able to lift heavier - but a Dumbbell is far greater at targeting a single muscle in more movement patterns.

Most people can lift about 20% more with a Barbell compared to a Dumbbell - as a Dumbbell stresses more stabilising muscles and thus takes away from your power in your lifts.

As this study [1] in the Journal of Trainology, which compared the velocity of a Barbell Bench Press to a Dumbbell Bench Press and concluded:

“Peak power output was significantly higher for Barbell than dumbbells at 50% and 70% loads.”

and

“Peak power output was reached at 70% of body mass with barbell and 50% with dumbbells”

There is also this study [2] published in the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine compared a Barbell Bench Press and a Dumbbell Chest Flye for muscular activation in the chest.

The results were overwhelmingly in favour of the Barbell compared to the Dumbbell.

The Best Barbell Exercises And Workout For Beginners

The study concluded:

“If the primary aim of the training is maximal mechanical stress (i.e., loading) and muscle activity of the prime movers, the authors recommend the use of barbell bench press and not dumbbell flyes”

To be clear I am not saying that Dumbbells are useless - and all well thought out Training Programs will provide a balance between all three modes of weight lifting - Barbell, Dumbbells and Machines - but what I am saying is that if you want to get strong and confident and feel empowered and lift heavier weights to expedite your progress in the Gym then you do need to start using Barbells in your training.

And they will help you gain muscle and strength faster than anything else.

This happens because:

  1. As I said previously you can lift 20% more with a Barbell. You can Push, Pull and Squat more weight with a Barbell than you will ever manage to with a Dumbell. With my Online Clients I seldom get them to do a Goblet Squat heavier than 20kgs - because at that point it’s just too uncomfortable to hold - and when they move onto a Barbell Squat they can usually hit 30kgs really comfortably.

  2. With Barbells you have the ability to use both hands for stability and the weight is evenly distributed over your body - thus meaning you can put more effort into the actual movement you are executing rather than losing energy trying to remain balanced.

  3. You can incrementally increase a Barbell far easier than with Dumbbells. Most Dumbbells jump up in 5kgs increments across the body whereas with a Barbell you can increase in 2.5kg increments - this is important because to get stronger you need a Progressive Overload.

  4. You can also get into position to lift a Barbell far easier than you can with Dumbbells. With a Barbell you can start with it racked in a position that will be the start of your movement - whereas with Dumbbells you have to nudge, flick, lift and knee them into position.

All of this aside, making your workouts both effective and fun is important for you ability to adhere to your training program - a huge part of that is variety - and by engaging with a Barbell you will make your workouts just that little bit less boring.

Moreover, when I lift a heavy barbell I get a greater sense of “HELL YEAH” than I ever have with a Dumbell.

I don’t know why.

But I do.

And that keeps me training.

Different Types of Barbells

There are many many different types of Barbells - which can confuse things a little bit.

They all have their uses and their drawbacks - but it’s probably a good idea to talk you through them just so you know what is what.

The Olympic Bar

Or the Olly Bar - if you’re a cool kid - I keep cracking that joke hoping that one day I will be a cool kid.

The Best Barbell Exercises And Workout For Beginners

I went into this Barbell in the Anatomy of a Barbell section - a fair bit.

It typically weighs 20kgs and is best used for explosive movements like a Clean and Press, a Deadlift and or a Snatch. They are equally as effective for Bench Pressing, Rowing, Overhead Pressing or Squatting.


The Fixed Barbell

These are usually found on the Barbell Rack- and normally go up by 2.5kgs. They are a great alternative if you can’t lift an Olympic Bar to begin with because 20kgs is too heavy for you.

The Best Barbell Exercises for Beginners
 

These are “fixed” as you cannot change the weight on the Bar without getting a whole new bar. Which makes them a less desirable option if you are building a home gym set-up. They are however awesome for beginners and for movements like Walking Lunges, as they are far less cumbersome than an Olympic Bar and are much smaller in length - so if you are moving and working out - then you are less likely to knock someone out.

Oftentimes Gyms will have these Barbells from 10kgs all the way up to 35kgs.

You can use them for any Barbell movement you wish to - just bear in mind they won’t fit on the racks for Bench Pressing or squatting as they aren’t long enough.


The Trap or Hex Barbell

THE BEST BARBELL EXERCISES AND WORKOUT FOR BEGINNERS

Personally, I hate the Hex Bar. For one very specific reason: Every time I get one out I hurt myself. If the Olympic Bar is cumbersome - then the Hex Bar is like trying to get a double-decker bus through the quiet village of Castle Combe.

That being said - they are awesome pieces of equipment for beginners and anyone who wants to Deadlift but has lumbar spine worries or issues.

The Hex Bar distributes the weight of the Deadlift evenly around the body, putting less stress on your format loading which in turn creates less stress on your lower back as this study [3] concludes:

“the hexagonal barbell may be the better choice for barbell selection because of its ability to evenly distribute the load among all joints and reduce the moment at the lumbar spine.”

The Hex Bar also requires far less technical skill to be able to execute without you losing much effect on the body in terms of gaining muscle and developing strength.

Added to that this study [4] looked into a Hex Bar Deadlift vs a Barbell Deadlift and found some really interesting results.

It found that powerlifters could produce a great one rep max compared to the standard Barbell Deadlift and the Hex Bar caused greater peak force, peak power and peak velocity.

So a cumbersome choice, but a very effective one all round.



EZ Barbell

Anyone who has used one of these effectively will tell you - they aren’t easy at all.

The Best Barbell Exercises for beginners

Also known as a “Curl” Bar the bar is wavy which makes exercises like Bicep Curls and Tricep Extensions a lot more comfortable on your wrists and elbows.

I personally don’t do a lot of Bicep and Tricep Work but whenever I do with a Barbell I will always look for the EZ Bar as opposed to a straight or fixed bar as my elbows specifically prefer being slightly internally rotated when working the Biceps.

They are also useful as you can load any weights you wish onto them - just remember to clip the plates in place!

There are other variants of Barbells you can get - like Log Bars and Cambered bars, but they are seldom found in Gyms and unless you are getting very specific about certain aspects of your training you won’t need them.

The Best Barbell Exercises and Workout for Beginners

Now I will take you through a workout using only your Barbell.

It is a Full Body Workout which will hit every major muscle group in your body.

The workout is written thus:

A1,

B1,

C1, C2, C3

D1, D2, D3.

If exercises have the same letter in front of them eg: C1, C2 then you need to do them as a Superset - with no rest in between - and then rest once you have done each round.

For all other exercises please rest for up to 2mins between them.

In terms of the weights you should be lifting, you want to be working to a feeling of exertion to a level of around 8/10.

You should probably warm yourself up first…

Here is your Warm-Up. This was originally designed as a monthly challenge for my clients on the Strong & Confident Program - but teaching you to warm up is terribly important to me - and I, therefore, thought it would be a good idea to share it with you publicly too.

Warm Up Routine:

 

A1: Deadlift or Hex Bar Deadlift - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for up to 2mins between sets

I love a Deadlift. I think being empowered right at the start of your workout is terribly important - and it is a fundamental exercise to do for human movement.

If you prefer you can also do a Sumo Deadlift (video below).

This exercise works nearly every sinew in your body, and when you safely get the bar from the floor to your hips, it is incredibly gratifying.

 

B1: Overhead Press - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for up to 2mins between sets

I love working my shoulders. When you get that very heavy Barbell above your head, and you get yourself into a full lockout at the top - there are few greater feelings in the Gym.

Other than hometime.

Added to that, if you get this right, it works the Full Body as well, make sure you squeeze the Glutes the whole time to protect the lower back and use the upper back and chest to help you move that Barbell up and down…

 

C1: Barbell Bent Over Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

The Barbell Bent Over Row is a very challenging exercise for your hip hinge movement and your Core strength. It is great to build upper and lower back strength, and I use it very often in my programming for clients.

 

C2: Front Squat - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

I do love a Front Squat. The way in which it challenges your Core is fantastic as well as working your Legs and Glutes in a challenging way.

 

C3: Barbell Bench Press - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for up to 60secs before you go back to C1.

Again, a fantastic compound movement that will help you get strong through the upper body and in your chest. Make sure your feet are nice and stable on the floor, and you line your hands up using the Knurling Rings on the bar.

 

D1: EZ Bar Bicep Curl - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

The EZ Bar Bicep Curl is a great exercise for working those guns. Just like Dwight does…

It is also a fantastic exercise to protect your elbow from injuries such as Tennis Elbow and some shoulder injuries in relation to your rotator cuff.

I used to seldom program them for clients due to the fact that the Biceps Brachii are a very small muscle and therefore if your goal was Fat Loss I saw it as not being the most time-efficient exercise for your goals - especially when you consider the Bicep gets worked on in many other movements as well. However, I was wrong. Aside from Injury Protection the Bicep Curl should be in your workout programming somewhere at least - so that it can help you with all the other lifts you have to do as well. Remember even if your goal is. to lose weight, you should always focus on being as strong as possible as well.

 

D2: Barbell Romanian Deadlift - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

The RDL is a crucial exercise for your posterior chain and therefore your posture. This exercise will help you run, lift, stand and walk. The posterior chain goes from your hamstrings all the way up to your upper back - so I am sure you can see the benefit to the exercise.

Added to that if you want to work and develop the Glutes then this exercise has to be in your regime.

 

D3: EZ Bar Skull Crusher or Lying French Press

Rest for 30secs before you go back to D1.

I have no idea why this is called the French Press and I could take a guess - but I don’t really want to fall into stereotypes about French people - as it is a gorgeous country with lovely people.

But I’m thinking of something to do with baguettes…

This is a great exercise to work your Triceps and again requires great elbow control - just like the Bicep Curl. Having strong Triceps will very much help you with your Push-Ups, Bench Pressing and other pushing movements.

 

I Hope You Found This Useful…

 
Best Barbell Exercises for Weight Loss
 

And that’s it.

That is everything you need to know as a Beginner about a Barbell.

As I said before, I get it. I used to avoid using Barbells because I didn’t understand them - and I was a Personal Trainer at the time. But my goodness are they now a really important aspect of my training and what I ask of my clients on The Strong & Confident Program.

Please don’t be scared. You can adapt everything to suit your ability, and the benefits are worth it tenfold.

And as always if you have any questions you only have to ask me.

To be able to do that don’t forget to send me a Friend Request by filling out the form below:

Or you can join my Facebook Group where we talk all things Fitness and is for anyone who needs a little extra support with their journey…

 
 

I hope you found this article useful and that you enjoy the workout.

I cannot wait to see you again soon…

Coach Adam

References:

  1. Jared D. Littlefield, Kellie K. Schramm, Jerry L. Mayhew, Comparison of lift velocity and power output between barbell and dumbbell bench presses, Journal of Trainology, 2021, Volume 10, Issue 1, Pages 5-9, Released on J-STAGE May 26, 2021, Online ISSN 2186-5264, https://doi.org/10.17338/trainology.10.1_5,

  2. Solstad TE, Andersen V, Shaw M, Hoel EM, Vonheim A, Saeterbakken AH. A Comparison of Muscle Activation between Barbell Bench Press and Dumbbell Flyes in Resistance-Trained Males. J Sports Sci Med. 2020 Nov 19;19(4):645-651. PMID: 33239937; PMCID: PMC7675616.

  3. Camara, Kevin D.; Coburn, Jared W.; Dunnick, Dustin D.; Brown, Lee E.; Galpin, Andrew J.; Costa, Pablo B. An Examination of Muscle Activation and Power Characteristics While Performing the Deadlift Exercise With Straight and Hexagonal Barbells, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: May 2016 - Volume 30 - Issue 5 - p 1183-1188

    doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001352

  4. Swinton PA, Stewart A, Agouris I, Keogh JW, Lloyd R. A biomechanical analysis of straight and hexagonal barbell deadlifts using submaximal loads. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jul;25(7):2000-9. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181e73f87. PMID: 21659894.

 
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Exercise Instruction, Fitness, Programming, Workouts Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Exercise Instruction, Fitness, Programming, Workouts Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

4 Week Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss: A Video Guide

 
Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss
 

I want to take a hot second to talk about the title of this post.

Whenever I engage in writing like this I always do some research on what title I want to go for exactly. I have an idea in my head, and then take to Google and start looking at things.

My first idea for this post was:

“Full Body Workout Plan”

Then I realized I am known as The Gym Starter and thought I better add the word beginner:

“Full Body Workout Plan for Beginners”

Which sent me into a wormhole of things like:

“Strength Training Routine for Beginners”

“4 Day Gym Plan for Beginners”

“Weight Lifting for Weight Loss Female Plan”

And then the title of this article popped out at me:

“Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss”

The reason this one popped out at me is that it combines my two loves when it comes to fitness.

And it puts those two loves in the order upon which I try to get all of my clients to focus.

Building strength first and then helping people achieve their weight loss goals.

This is why today I am sharing with you a four-week beginner strength training routine - with a video guide to help you feel comfortable and at ease when you go to the gym to do it.

I firmly believe in seeing you get stronger, and then allowing that strength to allow the weight loss to happen.

The foundation of a leaner body is muscle mass, not the absence of fat.

My coaching program is called The Strong & Confident Program and yes, it does help people lose weight, but it also teaches you to move better, learn to fit fitness into your life, and help you build a better relationship with food, exercise and yourself.

If that sounds like something you might need help with either right now, or you think you might at some point in the future then it’s probably a good idea you send me a friend request. You can do that by just putting in your email address below, and we can stay in touch that way….

Thank you for becoming my friend.

Now here are the workouts you are after…

4 Week Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss: A Video Guide

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR:

4 Week Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss: A Video Guide:

  1. How This Workout Plan Works

  2. The Workouts: Day 1 and Day 2

  3. How To Lose Weight As Well As Get Strong

HOW THIS WORKOUT PLAN WORKS

How Many Workouts A Week Are You Going To Do?

This plan is two full-body workouts a week.

If you are new to working out, or even if you are just resetting yourself and getting back into it, the good news is you don’t need to be in the gym four to five times a week in order to get stronger and lose some fat.

You will make incredible progress if you can just get into the gym two times a week and work out with enough intensity for the next 3-4 months.

And this program is the start of that.


How Many Workouts Are In The Plan?

Two.

I am aware that variety can be important when it comes to working out, but variety is also counterintuitive to your long-term motivation and your ability to be consistent.

I could very easily come up with 8 different workouts for you, but that would overwhelm you. Each week you would have to learn new movement patterns, you wouldn’t develop the skill to get the most out of the movements you are doing and thus you wouldn’t be working to enough intensity for progress.

So there are two workouts.

These two workouts are designed for you to grow within them. They are designed so that by the end of the month you can see that you have improved:

  • The weight you are lifting

  • The form with which you are lifting the weight with

  • The amount of confidence you have from executing the plan consistently.

If you want variety, gain it by adding more weight, improving your form, and by trying to push yourself a little harder each time you do another rep.

The variety comes from your skill and development to achieve.

If you manage that, you will indeed make progress you never thought possible.

What Days Should I Work Out?

Don’t overthink this. In an ideal world you would have a few days between each workout so that you can recover fully from your last workout, and manage to then put your most into the next workout you do. But we don’t live in an ideal world - we live in a world where you have to balance an awful lot of your life against your health and fitness - so in truth, you have to go back to back days, then do, it won’t hinder you anywhere as much as you think it might or that the internet would have you believe.

When coaching clients I am always telling them to remember to balance what is optimal with what is possible.

We don’t all have the privilege to be optimal all of the time.

How Much Weight Should I Lift?

I can’t answer this in the way that you would probably like me to. I can’t tell you how much you can Lat Pulldown or Goblet Squat - and any program you find on the internet that tells you how much weight to lift - you should find another plan. Like this one.

I have never seen you move. I have no idea how strong you are.

But luckily in the Fitness Industry, we have a way around this.

It is called the RPE Scale. RPE stands for Rate of Perceived Exertion and is a subjective scale upon which you can judge how hard you are working across a set.

Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss
 
 

Across both of your workouts, you want to work to an RPE between 8-10.

In terms of the weight you lift, I would say this:

You are probably stronger than you give yourself credit for, you are probably more capable than you think, and that capability will grow very quickly if you remain consistent.

READ MY ARTICLE THAT HAS HELPED HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE NAVIGATE THE GYM MORE SAFELY

WHEN TO INCREASE YOUR WEIGHTS IN THE GYM

Progressing Through The Workouts?

As the weeks roll on - you should be wanting to progress your workouts as much as possible.

This will mean one of three things - you either:

  • Increase the weight you are lifting

  • Change the weight you are using

  • Change aspects of the form to make the lifts harder

You will adapt to these workouts, and therefore I want you to feel empowered to make the changes you feel you need to in order to make sure they remain challenging.

With some exercises, an increase in weight will not be possible, and therefore I would recommend you change the exercise you do.

Here is a list of adaptations you can try:

DAY 1

Box Squat -> Barbell Back Squat

Lat Pulldown -> Assisted Pull Up Machine

Incline Push Up -> Push Up

Glute Bridge -> Single Leg Glute Bridge or Hip Thursts

DAY 2

Reverse Lunges -> Split Squats or Walking Lunges

Single-Arm Dumbbell Row -> Single-Arm Dumbbell Row with a 1-second pause at the top

You can also change from Kettlebells to Dumbbells or to Barbells to help change the intensity and the variety of the movements you might do.

Do I Have To Do Cardio?

No.

Well, certainly not in the manner upon which you think you probably do.

I haven’t written any Cardio in your workouts for you.

I personally am a huge fan of walking - and if your goal is to lose weight, you are probably underestimating the benefits that walking for 20mins a day can have, and overemphasising the effect that a workout can have on your ability to lose weight.

Put as simply, you don’t burn anywhere near as many calories working out as you think, and you burn a lot more calories walking than you think.

This is why at the heart of working out to lose weight, the conversation has to be changed from working out to burn calories and lose weight, to working out to get strong and once your strength is built, good things will happen from there.

If you want to do Cardio, of course, you can. It won’t hinder your progress, it will look after your heart which I am a huge fan of. It won’t burn away all of your muscle. I promise.

And here is another dose of good news - you don’t need to do hard 5kms or sit on the recumbent bike for an hour - that hardly will fit into your life, will it?

You need to do 20mins a day - walking - at a pace that makes you feel like you don’t need a jacket and do need a bottle of water if it is late Autumn or Early Springtime.

How Much Rest Should I Take?

Rest is quite a personal thing.

I personally like quite a lot of rest between heavy sets, usually at the start of my workout. Then I can put the most effort into what I am about to do.

Then as my workout progresses, I reduce my rest between each set.

See how you go. Work to the maximum rest you can take at 2mins and the minimum to 30secs.

In the workouts, I have put rest between each set or superset - but they are just guidelines.

What is a Superset?

I feature Supersets quite a bit in this 4-Week Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss. For, two reasons.

Firstly they save time - and long gone are the days where you should be spending hours on end in the gym working out.

Secondly, they are a great way to get variety into your workout - and help stop the feeling of boredom

It basically means that you do one exercise, then the next exercise with no rest between exercises.

You can also superset three exercises together as a little circuit.

Warm-Ups and Cool Downs

In the workouts, I have put “optional” warm-ups.

I strongly advise you do them, but if you are short on time, you will probably be ok if you skip them.

They aren’t “walk on the treadmill for 5 minutes” although if you are short on time, and you need to just get in and get out, that is an adequate warm-up.

The warm-ups focus on developing mobility and improving your ability to work out in a much better way that will improve your results over time, and thus actually end up costing you less time - as you will make more progress quickly.

THE WORKOUTS

DAY 1 - FULL BODY

WARM UP

The Worlds Greatest Stretch - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Spiderman Rocks - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Split Stance Rock To Tall Split Kneel - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

 

CORE

Bird Dogs - 2 Sets, 10 on each side

Russian Twists - 2 Sets, 10 on each side

 

MAIN MOVEMENTS

Box Squat - 4 Sets, 8 Reps - (use a Barbell, a Dumbbell or your Bodyweight)

1.5 Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for 2 minutes between all sets.

 
 

SUPERSET 1:

Lat Pulldown - 3 Sets, 12 Reps
Incline Push Up - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

Squat Thruster - 3 Sets 12 Reps

Rest for 1 minute after completing one set of all exercises

 
 
 

SUPERSET 2:

Plank Shoulder Taps - 3 Sets, 10 Reps on each side
Overhead Press - 3 Sets, 12 Reps on each side

Glute Bridge - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

Rest for 30 seconds after completing one set of all three exercises

 
 
 

DAY 1: SUMMARY

Warm-Up:

The Worlds Greatest Stretch - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Spiderman Rocks - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Split Stance Rock To Tall Split Kneel - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Core Activation:

Bird Dogs - 2 Sets, 10 on each side

Russian Twists - 2 Sets, 10 on each side

Main Movements:

Box Squat - 4 Sets, 8 Reps - (use a Barbell, a Dumbbell or your Bodyweight)

1.5 Dumbbell Bench Press - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for 2 minutes between all sets.

Superset 1:

Lat Pulldown - 3 Sets, 12 Reps
Incline Push Up - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

Squat Thruster - 3 Sets 12 Reps

Rest for 1 minute after completing one set of all three exercises

Superset 2:

Plank Shoulder Taps - 3 Sets, 10 Reps on each side
Overhead Press - 3 Sets, 12 Reps on each side

Glute Bridge - 3 Sets, 12 Reps

Rest for 30 seconds after completing one set of all three exercises

DAY 2 - FULL BODY

WARM UP

The Worlds Greatest Stretch - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Wide Stance Rock on Forearms - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Toes Touch to Squat - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

 

CORE

Plank - 2 Sets, 30 seconds

Air Bikes - 2 Sets, 30 Reps

 
 

MAIN MOVEMENTS

Deadlift - 4 Sets, 8 Reps - (use a Barbell, a Dumbbell or Kettlebell)

Barbell Bench Press - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for 2 minutes between all sets.

 
 

SUPERSET 1:

Reverse Lunges - 3 Sets, 10 Reps
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for 1 minute after completing one set of both exercises

 
 

SUPERSET 2:

Romanian Deadlift - 3 Sets, 12 Reps
Seated Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Hamstring Walkouts - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for 30 seconds after completing one set of both exercises

 
 
 

FINISHER: SUPERSET 3

Walkouts - 2 Sets, 5 Reps

Lunge Driver - 2 Sets, 5 Reps on each side

No rest between sets or exercises

 
 

DAY 2: SUMMARY

WARM-UP

The Worlds Greatest Stretch - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Wide Stance Rock on Forearms - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

Toes Touch to Squat - 2 Sets, 10 Reps on each side

CORE ACTIVATION

Plank - 2 Sets, 30 seconds

Air Bikes - 2 Sets, 30 Reps

MAIN MOVEMENTS

Deadlift - 4 Sets, 8 Reps - (use a Barbell, a Dumbbell or Kettlebell)

Barbell Bench Press - 4 Sets, 8 Reps

Rest for 2 minutes between all sets

SUPERSET 1:

Reverse Lunges - 3 Sets, 10 Reps
Single-Arm Dumbbell Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for 1 minute after completing one set of both exercises

SUPERSET 2:

Romanian Deadlift - 3 Sets, 12 Reps (use a Barbell,m Dumbbells or Kettlebell)
Seated Row - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Hamstring Walkouts - 3 Sets, 10 Reps

Rest for 30 seconds after completing one set of both exercises

FINISHER: SUPERSET 3

Walkouts - 2 Sets, 5 Reps

Lunge Driver - 2 Sets, 5 Reps on each side

No rest between sets or exercises

How To Lose Weight As Well As Get Strong

Over the years I have been doing this job I have worked with people who solely wanted to lose weight.

I have also worked with people who solely wanted to get strong.

And I have found that those who work on getting stronger first, usually lose weight and maintain it at a much more successful rate than those who only focus on losing weight.

They also enjoy their movement a lot more.

When you’re dragging yourself to the Gym as a means to lose weight it can often feel like you are doing it with a weight around your neck. It’s a chore, it’s something you “have to do”, and the results never seem to come quick enough.

When you approach your movement as a way of improving your strength, and not just your physical strength…but your mental strength, your emotional strength and your overall resilience, movement takes on a whole other meaning.

You embrace the challenge, you embrace the gift of your body.

Which is pretty epic.

So if you want a workout plan to solely lose weight, I am very sorry that doesn’t exist.

Yes, you do burn calories in the Gym, but nowhere near as much as you would need to create a deficit appropriate for you to lose weight.

You control your weight loss by controlling your energy balance - also known as a Calorie Deficit. On this website, I have extensive resources educating you and empowering you on how to execute a Calorie Deficit.

Articles like:

Any one of those articles will give you a blueprint to losing weight - and the article you are now at the end of is the blueprint for getting strong.

What’s Next?

Beginner Strength Training Routine for Weight Loss
 

Well, I suppose you had better get to the Gym to start your journey of getting strong…

However, there’s also some other things I would love to draw your attention to.

The first is my Facebook Group - which you can now consider yourself personally invited to.

It is called Straightforward Fat Loss and I would adore you to join - you can ask me direct questions there, I go Live once a week and jam on a topic. It also has lots of resources to help you make your Fat Loss journey as straightforward as possible.

You can also let me know in the group how you are getting on with these workouts - which would be one of the greatest honours I would have as a coach - to see you sharing your work with me.

If you aren’t on Facebook, we can still become friends and you can get just as many resources from me for your Fat Loss Journey as if you were on Facebook.

Just send me a friend request using the form below - and I will be in touch immediately with you.

 

Thank you so much for reading my work, and good luck with your new gym routine.

I cannot wait to see how you go!

Coach Adam

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Diets, Exercise Instruction, Fat Loss, Fitness Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Diets, Exercise Instruction, Fat Loss, Fitness Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

Diet vs Exercise To Lose Weight: What Is More Important?

 
 
Diet vs Exercise To Lose Weight: What Is More Important?
 

Sometimes I like to think I have a secret.

A secret that no one else in the world will ever know.

A secret so important for the well-being of mankind that I’m scared to share it because it will just blow the minds of everyone and create a new world order.

This secret might be bigger than Einstein’s Theory of Relativity.

It might change the world more than when Sir Isaac Newton discovered Gravity.

Heck, it might just change your life.

This is actually far more important to me than changing the world - which is the premise of this Blog Post. I can’t change the world at once - but I certainly can change the mind of one person at a time through words like these, and slowly over time that might help make a change in the world.

But if it doesn’t - at least we had this moment. You and I. And that means an awful lot to me - so much in fact that I would love to have a few more moments with you.

Without sounding too creepy - I just wanted to ask you to be my friend.

As your friend, I will send you some very important things, like educational material, inspirational material and maybe just some stories from my life which you can enjoy reading with a coffee, beer or glass of wine.

See - I told you we could be friends.

If you would like to send me a friend request then please just fill out the form below and I will be in touch once you have finished this article.

 

Table of Contents for:

What's more important Diet vs Exercise vs THIS to lose weight?

  1. How does Diet help you lose weight?

  2. How does exercise help you lose weight?

  3. My secret: How does Imperfect Action help you lose weight?

  4. Being Optimal is a privilege

  5. To Conclude…

How does Diet help you lose weight?

 

I have failed to see a scientific study that doesn’t look at the topic of weight loss and explains that in order to create weight loss a Calorie Deficit must be achieved.

And I have read a lot of these studies:

  • “Health professionals recommend that individuals with overweight and obesity lose weight by reducing energy intake while maintaining a healthful diet” [1]

  • “Individuals interested in losing weight should continue to be advised to regularly self-monitor energy intake and expenditure as well as to create a consistent daily energy deficit” [2]

  • “Individuals can lose body weight and improve health status on a wide range of energy (calorie)-restricted dietary interventions” [3]

  • “With the increasing obesity epidemic comes the search for effective dietary approaches for calorie restriction and weight loss.” [4]

  • “Overall, for significant safe weight loss, an energy deficit was required, which was commonly achieved by reduced fat intake” [5]

  • “An energy deficit is the most important factor in weight loss” [6]

 

*She* sadly I don’t get to make sure GIFS are balanced…so please don’t get offended if you are a female reading this.

But I think you get my point when it relates to just how important a Calorie Deficit or Energy Deficit is for losing weight.

Being in Energy Balance you will maintain your weight.

Learn how to maintain your Calorie Maintenance Level in my blog post that has helped thousands of people so far

To create a Calorie Deficit you will need to do one of three things:

  1. Adjust the energy in (what you consume through diet).

  2. Adjust the energy out (what you burn).

  3. A combination of both.

When I set a client up, who has a weight loss goal, I will always work on their dietary intake to create the calorie deficit first.

It is incredibly easy to overeat due to a number of factors.

Emotional Overeating:

It is not uncommon for us to use food to soothe our emotional state and thus compulsively overeat without realising it to meet unmet needs from our childhood [7].


Food is Addictive:

 

This sums me up pretty well, sat here, in a coffee shop, writing this post.

A study called "Food Addiction: Implications for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Overeating” concluded that:

“There is evidence to suggest that, for some individuals, food can induce addictive-type behaviours similar to those seen with other addictive substances” [8]

With this pretty awesome graphic attached:

Diet or Exercise to lose weight? What is more important

This graphic also gives us great insight into other reasons we can easily overeat:

  • Stress

  • Social Difficulty

  • Cravings

  • Vulnerability

  • Impulsivity

  • Other emotional responses both positive and negative

You can see the complex web of why, when looking at weight loss as a goal for someone, we must always address Energy Intake.

There are also many studies that advocate for all different types of dietary control to aid weight loss.

Whether that is:

  • The Keto Diet (please do not do this and find out why here)

  • Intermittent Fasting

  • Low Fat, High Carb

  • Low Carb, High Fat

  • High Protein

  • Slimming World and Weight Watchers

  • Paleo Diet

  • Vegan Diet

  • Carnivore Diet

  • Vegetarian Diet

  • Celery Juicing


Essentially it doesn't matter what diet you do from a purely physiological point of view - if it gets you into a Calorie Deficit it will work.

This does not mean I am advocating for all of those dietary behaviours - I am simply informing you that they are all designed to create a calorie deficit. In fact, of that list, I would probably advocate for only one or two of them in general terms.


cough - I am a vegetarian - cough


But in terms of being able to adhere to it for long enough, to protect your relationship with food, or at the very least rebuild it, many of the diets I have listed will be absolutely damaging to you regardless if you achieve your goal or not.

And this is why diet is so very important in the discussion of weight loss.

You will eat every day, and relatively speaking it is easier for you to manage your food intake throughout the day to create an energy deficit than it would be to exercise.

Let us say you are working on a 500kcal deficit diet each day.

All else remaining equal, that is simply not having the Venti Iced Mocha with Whipped Cream at Starbucks each day which comes in at ~450kcals.

That’s an easier thing to adhere to than getting into the gym each day to try and burn 500kcals.

Its easier to learn an element of portion control and increasing lower calorie foods in your diet than it is to show up to the gym for 75 mins a day to burn calories.

It is better for your overall well-being to increase your vegetable and fruit intake to help create a calorie deficit each day than it is to panic about getting to the Spin Class at 5 am when you have a family at home - or a stressful job to go to.

How does exercise help you lose weight?

I’m not sitting here, denying science.

Exercise does burn calories.

But it doesn’t burn enough calories for you to get into a deficit each day irrespective of your food intake.

It is also incredibly hard to know how many calories you are burning in a workout. Believe it or not having a watch on, made by a computer company, isn’t that scientifically accurate, in fact, this study [9] found them to be up to 60% inaccurate.

The other issue I have with using the Gym to burn calories is that it creates a hamster wheel scenario.

When you get into the habit of burning calories in the gym, you also get into the habit of demonising food - and you end up on this perpetual path of trying to undo the calories you ate, which destroys your relationship with food and exercise.

In an average strength session, you will be lucky to burn 300kcals.

On a Cardio Machine you will burn more in the moment, but less over time - and the more you eat the more time you have to spend burning calories.

Which only damages how you feel both on the inside and the outside.

This is why it is incredibly important to separate the two.

Allow your diet to dictate your Caloric Deficit and make sure you exercise to get strong.

Not just in the body, but in your heart, in your mind, in your soul.

When working out, ask yourself:

  • Does this exercise make me feel stronger?

  • Do I feel accomplished for completing it?

  • Do I want to get that feeling again?

And if the answer is yes, regardless of calories burned, then you are exercising in a way that will make you feel good.

And that is what is most important in this scenario.

Exercise can help you lose weight in other ways too...but these take time.


Preservation of Muscle Mass

By lifting weights, you will preserve or potentially increase your muscle mass. Which over time will increase your metabolism because muscle is more efficient at burning calories than adipose tissue (fat).

When you only diet and eat fewer calories to lose weight, without exercise you will lower your metabolism by up to 20% [10].

As you lower your calories to lose weight, you need to work against this as a lower metabolism will not help you in the long run - and the best way to prevent this lowering from occurring is by lifting weights.


Regulation of Hunger Hormones

Our two friends: Leptin and Grehlin.

Grehlin is like a little gremlin that sits in your stomach and whinges at you telling you that you’re hungry - even when you aren’t.

Grehlin = Gremlin.

And in people with higher-weight bodies, their ability to control the production of grehlin is reduced - and their sensitivity to listening to it is increased.

This study called: “Acute Exercise and Appetite-Regulating Hormones in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Meta-Analysis” [11] concluded:


“An evidence synthesis of the six studies on overweight/obese individuals indicated that a moderate reduction in acylated ghrelin occurs after acute exercise”


By exercising, the effects of grehlin are reduced and therefore over time will help you achieve a calorie deficit.

Now onto Leptin.

Leptin is the hormone that tells you you're full.

And its tricky. The more Adipose Tissue we have, the higher levels of Leptin in the body - but when levels are increased for so long, we develop a resistance to it.

Creating a “Leptin Resistance”.

This resistance is more prevalent in Obese Individuals and inherently runs through families [12].

And as you can expect…Exercise might be one of the best ways to combat Leptin Resistance as this study from the University of Oslo confirms [13]:


“Long-term changes in lifestyle consisting of decreased intake of dietary fat and increased physical activity reduced plasma leptin concentrations in humans beyond the reduction expected as a result of changes in fat mass.”


Which is a conclusion I love for two main reasons.

  1. “Long Term Changes in lifestyle” is something I am on board with. There’s little point, to try and change things quickly for a short period of time hoping those changes will last a lifetime.

  2. Engaging in long-term physical activity and reducing your dietary fat in the long term has better results for your Leptin Resistance, and probably your overall health (a fair inference) than just losing weight.

How I Like To View Exercise For Weight Loss

Use it as your guiding light, as a signal for you to stay on track with your diet.

I used to play badminton with my best friend - and after every session, he would want to go for a beer - which made no sense to me.

Yes. I enjoy Beer like the best of them.

But, I used to think to myself what was the point of slogging it out on a court for 90 minutes to then harm all of your recovery efforts with a couple of Beers.

I used the movement as a way of improving my willpower and my desire to keep my diet in better place.

And if you can do that over time - you will then see the effects and benefits of weight loss as a result of your movement.

Because it will lead to better dietary choices.

It will reduce stress which will lead to better dietary choices.

It will help your Mental Health which will lead to better dietary choices.

But either way, you are looking to use exercise to improve your dietary choices and create a better balance in your life in favour of your goals.

My secret: How does Imperfect Action help you lose weight?

 

This secret is the greatest superpower you will need in this whole “weight loss thing”

It is understanding the concept of imperfect action.

I think, it is fair to conclude that to lose weight you need to combine both Diet and Exercise to help you.

But knowing this doesn’t necessarily help.

Because as you can see, the complex hormonal balance in your body just from Leptin and Grehlin is a hard thing to control, combined with the fact that not everyone finds the ability to, or the enjoyment out of exercising in a manner that might be “optimal”.

I was on a call with one of my online Clients on the Strong & Confident Program the other day and I was explaining this concept to him.

He is a very high Politician in the UK - and as you can imagine he, therefore, has a very crazy life. He also sits on the Foreign Affairs Select Committee - and at the time of writing this - Europe is at War.

Nonetheless, he has big goals and wonderful aspirations and it is my pleasure to help him.

And at the moment, helping him the most is putting the brakes on him.

Telling him not to work out, rather than do more.

He wants to try and aim for four workouts a week - and I am having to tell him not to. I am a fan of four workouts a week, truly I am, but not when it means that you will only be able to do it for a few weeks, and missing workouts will have a bigger negative effect on your feelings of accomplishment and strength than only doing three workouts a week.

But no one needs perfection. You need consistency and setting up a system that
will inspire consistency over perfection is imperfect action at work.

I know one thing to be true for him, if he gives up, nothing will change - and therefore making sure that he is set up in a way that will not make him feel like he can’t stay on top of everything will lower the likelihood of him giving up.

There is a point of diminishing returns in all things we do.

When doing more, is actually counterproductive.

Diet or Exercise for losing belly fat?
 

MRV stand for Maximal Recoverable Volume.

You want to get the best bang for your buck - especially if you struggle with adherence over time. Therefore staying where the curve is steepest is best.

Doing more isn’t worth it - and what determines what is recoverable is dominated by one thing: Stress. The more stressed you are, the lower the amount of maximal recoverable volume you will be able to take on.

And how much exercise do we know to be too much?

That’s determined by time - not necessarily the amount of workouts.

Previously I stated that I like clients to do 4 workouts a week - Upper, Lower, Upper, Lower.

However when I program this, I don’t program four hours of workouts.

diet vs exercise essay
 

I try to keep my workouts to 30mins of working to intensity for my clients. This would be the time outside of a warm-up and a cool-down, but from the load, they will really need to recover.

You need to keep between two and three hours a week.

That’s all you need to do.

Examples of Imperfect Action

Can’t get to the gym for an hour? Go for 30 minutes.

Can’t get to the gym for 30 minutes? Go for 20 minutes.

Want to have pizza for dinner? Order a massive salad with it too.

Have a night out? Maybe substitute Pints for halves. Mixers for Soda Water. Large Glasses of wine for Smaller ones.

When I was at Drama School we had to write our own film - and they bought in two professional writers to help us learn how to do it.

The very first thing, and most useful thing that these two writers told us was:

“Don’t get it right, get it written”
— Two Writers

And that is the best way I can sum up Imperfect Action.

Nothing needs to be perfect or exact. Nothing needs to be optimal.

It just needs to be done.

If getting it done means it might not be perfect….then get it done anyway.

Do you know how many of these blogs I have written with spelling errors in them?

A fair few.

Because if I fretted over getting everything right all the time, I just wouldn’t get as much work done as I need to and I comprehend that the quality of what I write and how I help people is more important than the odd spelling error.

Over time, all of these imperfect actions add up. They compound within you, inspiring more action, more results and more motivation.

You see, no one gains weight from missing one workout, no one gains weight from eating one McDonald’s.

It is the build-up of these behaviours over very long periods of time that creates weight gain.

And therefore the reverse is true.

It is the opposite of the all-or-nothing mindset you need to approach this with, because all-or-nothing mindsets always lead to nothing - if that wasn’t true - you wouldn’t be sitting here reading this.

Tick off and sweat the small stuff more.

Being Optimal Is A Privilege

 

Privilege is a word that is banded around a lot these days. I do feel that sometimes it’s on the verge of being overused.

However, this concept is very important to understand when it comes to imperfect action.

In fact, privilege is important to understand full stop. I remember when I first grappled with this idea during the Black Lives Matter protests and it took a lot of interesting and eye-opening conversations to understand the concepts set behind my privilege.

I also remember my birthday in 2021 was almost ruined by being attacked online for “not understanding my privilege” when I commented on a post about how progressive overload works.

I was described as an “SIS White Man, who has a genetic advantage over the rest of the world and has never had to worry about his health and therefore has no right to comment or to help those who have had struggles I would never understand”.

I have a 7-inch scar down my chest, which I have had my entire life because I have to worry about my health each and every day. In fact, I was born with a condition that means I will have had to have gone through open-heart surgery twice in my lifetime - and at the moment, I am just waiting for the day I am told “let’s go in again”.

Never judge a book by its cover.

When you are on the Socials seeing people “succeed” you have no idea what privilege is afforded to them that isn’t afforded to you:

  • Genetic

  • Societal

  • Family

  • Occupational

  • Health - Mental and Physical

  • Financial

I used to struggle with this.

I honestly used to believe that if Chris Pratt could change his body the way he did, then I should be able to too.

But what that doesn’t take into account is the fact that I have a very different life to him.

He has chefs who manage his food each and every day.

He has Personal Trainers paid for by Hollywood Studios in order to make sure he changes the way he needs to.

He also has the allure of being able to put in the work because at the end of it is a $3m bonus, on top of actually being contractually paid to workout and change his body.

I do not.

He has a significantly greater privilege than me to help him manage his change.

And that’s not his fault, that’s not my fault.

Its just fact.

 

You may not have the ability to execute what is optimal - and understanding the concept of Imperfect Action is a release from the pressure of making sure you are “doing everything right”.

You need to do what you enjoy.

And setting yourself up for an optimal diet, an optimal workout plan and an optimal weight loss journey is more than likely setting you up for failure.

Because you simply do not have the privilege that is required for an optimal environment.

To Conclude…

To lose weight your diet is the driving force.

To help make that process easier. and more maintainable exercise is the driving force.

To make the journey as easy as possible with self-compassion and taking pressure off of your shoulders…

To allow you to coach yourself through the journey and to talk to yourself with self-love…

To keep your mindset in the place that will help you most…

Imperfect Action is the driving force for long-term sustainable habits that will build up over time and make it easier as you go.

The National Weight Loss Registry [14] is a database of over 10,000 members that have lost over 30 pounds and maintained that for one year or more.

They conclude:

  • 98% of Registry participants report that they modified their food intake in some way to lose weight.

  • 94% increased their physical activity, with the most frequently reported form of activity being walking.

  • There is variety in how NWCR members keep the weight off. Most report continuing to maintain a low-calorie, low-fat diet and doing high levels of activity.

    • 78% eat breakfast every day.

    • 75% weigh themselves at least once a week.

    • 62% watch less than 10 hours of TV per week.

    • 90% exercise, on average, about 1 hour per day.

If you want to lose weight, I urge you to not look at the picture of one vs the other.

Diet vs Exercises.

This isn’t a competition.

It’s a blend of behaviours that create a bigger picture over time.

Balance everything always.

What’s Next?

 
what's more important when losing weight diet or exercise
 
 

I hope you found this article useful, and that you feel a lot better about your struggles at the moment.

If you would like to join my free Facebook group: Straightforward Fat Loss then click below:

Diet vs Exercise to lose weight - what is most important?
 

Added to all of that, if you would like a Free Calorie and Macro Calculator then just put your email here:

References:

  1. Tatiana Andreyeva, Michael W. Long, Kathryn E. Henderson, Gabrielle M. Grode, Trying to Lose Weight: Diet Strategies among Americans with Overweight or Obesity in 1996 and 2003, Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 110, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 535-542, ISSN 0002-8223,

  2. Robert A. Carels, Kathleen M. Young, Carissa Coit, Anna Marie Clayton, Alexis Spencer, Marissa Hobbs, Can following the caloric restriction recommendations from the Dietary Guidelines for Americans help individuals lose weight?, Eating Behaviors, Volume 9, Issue 3, 2008, Pages 328-335, ISSN 1471-0153, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2007.12.003.

  3. Thom G, Lean M. Is There an Optimal Diet for Weight Management and Metabolic Health? Gastroenterology. 2017 May;152(7):1739-1751. doi: 10.1053/j.gastro.2017.01.056. Epub 2017 Feb 15. PMID: 28214525.

  4. Johnstone A. Fasting for weight loss: an effective strategy or latest dieting trend? Int J Obes (Lond). 2015 May;39(5):727-33. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2014.214. Epub 2014 Dec 26. PMID: 25540982.

  5. Ramage S, Farmer A, Eccles KA, McCargar L. Healthy strategies for successful weight loss and weight maintenance: a systematic review. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2014 Jan;39(1):1-20. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2013-0026. Epub 2013 Nov 4. PMID: 24383502.

  6. Kim JY. Optimal Diet Strategies for Weight Loss and Weight Loss Maintenance. J Obes Metab Syndr. 2021 Mar 30;30(1):20-31. doi: 10.7570/jomes20065. PMID: 33107442; PMCID: PMC8017325.

  7. Miller KD. Compulsive overeating. Nurs Clin North Am. 1991 Sep;26(3):699-705. PMID: 1891402.

  8. Adams RC, Sedgmond J, Maizey L, Chambers CD, Lawrence NS. Food Addiction: Implications for the Diagnosis and Treatment of Overeating. Nutrients. 2019 Sep 4;11(9):2086. doi: 10.3390/nu11092086. PMID: 31487791; PMCID: PMC6770567.

  9. News.iastate.edu. 2020. Activity Trackers Not As Accurate For Some Activities, ISU Study Finds • News Service • Iowa State University. [online] Available at: <https://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2015/08/19/activitytrackers> [Accessed 22 June 2020].

  10. Fat facts. (n.d.). Retrieved March 18, 2022, from http://www.unm.edu/~lkravitz/Article%20folder/fatfacts.html

  11. Douglas JA, Deighton K, Atkinson JM, Sari-Sarraf V, Stensel DJ, Atkinson G. Acute Exercise and Appetite-Regulating Hormones in Overweight and Obese Individuals: A Meta-Analysis. J Obes. 2016;2016:2643625. doi: 10.1155/2016/2643625. Epub 2016 Dec 27. PMID: 28116150; PMCID: PMC5223036.

  12. Lee, J., Reed, D. & Price, R. Leptin resistance is associated with extreme obesity and aggregates in families. Int J Obes 25, 1471–1473 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801736

  13. Reseland JE, Anderssen SA, Solvoll K, Hjermann I, Urdal P, Holme I, Drevon CA. Effect of long-term changes in diet and exercise on plasma leptin concentrations. Am J Clin Nutr. 2001 Feb;73(2):240-5. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/73.2.240. PMID: 11157319.

  14. “National Weight Control Registry.” Nwcr.ws, nwcr.ws/default.html

 
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Fitness, Strategies Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Fitness, Strategies Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

How To Start Your Fitness Journey: A Guide for Beginners

 
How To Start Your Fitness Journey: A Guide for Beginners By The Gym Starter

As you probably know by now, I’m The Gym Starter, better known as Adam and I find it shocking that I haven’t written this article sooner.

I’m working on my own self compassion with this…a theme that will be key to this article…so if I can forgive myself, I’m hoping, you can too dear reader.

There was a phrase I was taught at Drama School when it came to writing:

“Don’t get it right, get it written”
— Unknown

Which along with self-compassion is one of the most important tasks for someone who wants to “start their fitness journey”

Before we begin, I just wanted to let you know that I have indeed written a Workout Guide exactly for you. It’s called The Beginners Bodyweight Workout Guide and is made up of 10-minute workouts, to do at home. It has 56 workouts in there and you can get this totally for free.

how to start your fitness journey at home
 

If you chose to acquire it, you are also acquiring me as your friend. This brings me joys untold but does come with a warning. The warning being: I will send you things. Helpful things. Things like Podcasts, Articles and thoughts…these thoughts might not always be appropriate, but in truth, isn’t that what makes friends friends?

To send me a friend request (and to get The Beginners Bodyweight Guide) just put your email in here:

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR:

How To Start Your Fitness Journey:

  1. Step 1: The truth behind being able to start

  2. Step 2: Why is it called a journey?

  3. Step 3: Releasing Expectations

  4. Step 4: Understanding confidence

  5. Step 5: Understanding there is no right/or wrong

  6. Step 6: What Should You Do In The Gym?

Step 1: The Truth Behind Being Able To Start

 

At the point of which I am writing this…the number one hit on Google for this topic (a position I am hoping to overthrow) outlines 6 points about starting.

One of which is “create a vision board”.

I remember doing this once because I was told to do it. It didn’t connect me to my dreams, it just annoyed me - because it forced my brain into the world of comparison, and it constantly reminded me of where I wasn’t - not where I currently am.

Maybe I’m just bad at Vision Boards - and if that is your thing, then great, but I don’t think it offers much help here.

Starting a Fitness Journey might just be one of the hardest things someone is going to do.

And I just don’t think a Vision Board is really going to help someone overcome their fears.

Fears of:

  • Failure

  • The Gym Environment

  • Judgement from others

  • Resistance from loved ones

  • Overwhelm of information

  • Getting it wrong

  • It taking too long

and one of the biggest fears:

  • Not being good enough

For it is within these topics that we have to truly find the answers.

I could tell you all the practical stuff in the world:

  • Find a Gym you like

  • Ask for help from Personal Trainer at the Gym

  • Start with X workout

  • Eat-in a Calorie Deficit to lose weight

  • Get a Vision Board

But none of that is really going to create the lasting change you need until we deal with the fears that you have about fitness.

Fear is:

  • F alse

  • E xpectation

  • A ppearing

  • R eal

And having practical help, will not alleviate these false expectations, they will simply suspend them - and when they come home to roost again you will have fallen into the same pattern as before of starting then stopping and feeling like a failure.

The issue with allowing fear to dominate in the short term is that it feeds the fear in the longer term. By not addressing your fear when you first feel it, you give it more and more power over time, to the point it will dominate you more than it needs to.

All of those fears I listed above are very real, but the more you find the courage to work against them, the less significant the fear will feel.

And it is my job to help you find the courage to negotiate those fears in order to help you start your fitness journey.

You are here now. You are in a safe space.

Just this weekend I felt the need to reach out to an old client of the Strong & Confident Program.

She had her fears. She was very new to exercise and working out. She had never worked with a Coach before - and even though our time came to an end about a year ago, just the other day I sent her this:

how to start your gym journey
 

This should always be the ultimate goal. To continue being active, to continue getting stronger, to be able to get rid of your fears, so the changes last forever. So they last the entire length of your journey… also known as: Life.

Step 2: Why Is It Called A Journey?

 

Just quickly, every time I put a Schitts Creek GIF into one of these articles, it slows me down, because I then have to go back and watch it all over again…HOW GOOD IS SCHITT’S CREEK?

Ok, I’ve now managed to prize myself away from Netflix. I need to be honest with you.

I have a love/hate relationship with the word “journey”.

But the more I see, and I am nearly 10 years into my Personal Training Career the more I understand why we use this word, and why I am currently in a phase of loving it more than hating it.

It comes down to the human experience. We live to experience, not to simply achieve.

In fact, the more you focus on achievement, quite often the more elusive it becomes.

Because what happens is you close yourself off to everything the journey has to offer.

A journey undulates.

A journey has a beginning (the topic if this article)

A middle

An end

A journey will be hard at times.

It will also be easy at times.

You will want to stop

You will want to speed it up

You will have to be patient

You will have to contend with things both in and out of your control

A journey changes as you experience it

It has phases

And it also guarantees you stay in the moment.

You have to be present.

If you want to get somewhere - you can’t rush the process of getting there. It will only ever take as long as it takes.

In Intuitive Eating: 4th Edition Evelyn Tribole states:

“We call it a journey because there is no judgement attached”

I might have paraphrased, but I like the effect of these words. The more we can disassociate with judgement from ourselves with regards to fitness, the more present in the human experience we can be.

I say we because this is something I have to work on as well.

Each month, I set my clients a monthly challenge - for February 2022 its to read a book by a psychologist. The book is by Dr Julie Smith, and is called “Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before”

In the section addressing the topic of self-acceptance, she explains that the “work is never done”. She reveals that on the journey of living a life of self-compassion, you do the work every day to live in align with unconditional self-acceptance; you never arrive.

And it is through the same lens that those who are successful in fitness view their fitness. It is this that makes it a journey for them.

And it is this that is the key to getting your journey started.

Step 3: Releasing Expectation

 

I talk about this very often with fitness - the biggest thing that will perpetuate your feelings of failure is your expectations of the result.

Its a very frustrating dichotomy:

We have to have a goal to get started on a fitness journey, but these goals can also be the reason you give up.

And it all comes down to your expectations.

Society at large has done a fantastic job on selling you the unachievable dream in terms of fitness. I’m not here to sour your hopes and dreams about getting started, but a realistic starting point for you would be to take what you want to achieve and then at least double the time frame in which you think it will be achievable.

By lengthening out your time frame, you will give yourself more space and time to allow your fitness to develop properly. The human body doesn’t change quickly, and more importantly the faster it does change the harder it is to sustain.

Many diets are built on your willpower, not habit transformation,

And your willpower will run out. As your life gets stressful. And your life will get stressful.

And when that happens, you won’t be able to live up to your expectations - which creates more stress, and the cycle will continue until you finally stop your fitness journey.

All because you tried to do too much, too soon and it just wasn’t sustainable.

Nor was it flexible.

My birthday is in early February. This means every new year I know it is futile to set huge expectations of fitness because |’m going to enjoy my birthday, and I won’t be able to keep up with a 4x a week program in the Gym at that time in my life.

For you, it could be lots of your friends are getting married, the school holidays, the Christmas/New Year combination or why is it that every single human in your family seems to have their birthday in the same month?

When these events which happen every year coincide with the 12 week period you gave yourself to “lose the weight” you obviously aren’t going to sacrifice making memories for going to the Gym.

And nor should you have to.

The only time you think you should have to is when you have far too strict a time frame to achieve your goals.

When you open up your time frame you create flexibility in your fitness journey to allow for your life.

This is crucial…because when it comes down to:

Life vs Fitness Journey

Life ALWAYS wins.

You should never have to pip one against the other - this is another reason we call it a journey. It has to have the ability to work with your life, not versus it.

Step 4: Understanding Confidence

 

Now that we have managed to take away your expectations, legitimised your fears and strategised on how to help you overcome them as well as actually figured out why it’s called a journey and how that will scope your attitude towards your future fitness I’m hoping you will feel a little more confident about starting.

Which is great.

And a good sign that you are setting yourself up for success, and not for repeated failure.

But confidence is a fickle thing.

And when you might actually be faced with a little more resistance it can evaporate quickly on us.

I’ve had many clients say to me over the years that they wished they had my confidence - and for many years I was never really sure where my confidence came from.

Then I heard something that bought it all into focus for me.

And I want you to remember this too.

Between where you are right now….and the confidence you wish to have is one word:

Courage

Now it’s important to remember this quote when discussing courage:

“Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, “I will try again tomorrow”
— Mary Anne Radmacher

Courage comes in many forms. Sometimes it is the Braveheart-Esque bashing of the chest very masculine energy (FYI: I don’t have a great deal of that energy).

Sometimes it is having the courage to lead yourself with self-compassion.

Sometimes it’s having the courage to execute on the small things each day you said you would.

Confidence is something we must build at all different times in our lives. It is not something inherently given to you by God.

One reason I have confidence is because I have always been able to build a new comfort zone in new environments.

We can’t get confident unless we become comfortable. But you must keep levelling up your comfort zone to continue feeding your confidence. When you stop stretching out, when you stop trying to rebuild new zones of comfort in your life, you end up in what is known as a fixed mindset - and when you are challenged with a new environment or a new prospect ahead of you, like a fitness journey, you have no recent experience in building a new comfort zone, and so it seems all far too much to handle.

You stay where you are - and your confidence isn’t fed.

To build each new zone of comfort in your life you must have courage. This can be built slowly, or quickly, it really doesn't matter, but we do have to keep in order to keep driving our confidence and to not withdraw.

For example, at home I was always a very confident person, in my comfort zone and felt very capable at school…then I got into Drama School.

The first two years of my life at Drama School, yes; two years, I was low on confidence. I was out of my comfort zone by a long way and had to very slowly rebuild it alongside trying to figure out how to find out who I was in the world of a very elite Drama School full of extremely talented people.

I honestly never felt confident at Drama School, and in my abilities there, until my third year.

But I didn’t shy away. It was my dream coming true, I wasn’t going to stay at home and not show up each day. I just focussed on looking for my wins, trying to develop my ability, crafting my talent into a skill and rebuilding a comfort zone for me there on the first floor of a dingy building in Farringdon, London.

And that took courage. My courage took patience, it took self-compassion and it took a lot of failures and it took a lot of time. But I knew with every experience, both positive and negative, I would be able to make it my comfort zone - and when I managed that - I was a different person altogether.

And this is something I have done time and time and time again in my life.

The more comfort zones I have built, the more feedback I have in my life that I can figure it out. The easier it is to build again, and again, and again.

how to start a fitness journey blog
 

The above image shows where growth and therefore the building of your confidence lies.

Imagine the image as stepping stones over a river. You start on the first one, then once you are balanced and comfortable on that stone, you stretch your leg out, and move onto the next stone.

When you over stretch, you fall in and begin to panic.

 

But each time you stretch, you then find comfort again, and then you know you are ready to stretch once more. Avoiding panic.

Each Zone on the above diagram comes with words attached:

Comfort Zone: Unchallenged, Safe, Low Risk- Low Reward, Easy, Stable, Secure

Stretch Zone: Education focussed, Willing to learn, Find Purpose, Conquer Objectives, Anticipating, Excited

Panic Zone: Panic, Annoyed, Stressed, Lacks Self Confidence, Frustrated, Fed Up, Fearful, Effected by Opinions, Excuse Driven, Overwhelmed

We exist in all three zones in very different aspects of our lives. But let's convert this model into starting your Fitness Journey…because that is why you are here isn’t it?

In terms of Fitness, the Comfort Zone is not a good place to be. You will find your workouts uninteresting, you will find your journey monotonous, and progress will feel incredibly slow.

The Stretch Zone is where I try to keep all of my clients on my Strong and Confident Program. I think one of the most important aspects of a Fitness Journey is that of education - and I spend a lot of time trying to educate my clients on what they are doing. A fitness journey is a skill, and you can’t get better at that skill unless you learn more about it, and practice what you are learning.

My Weekly Forms for instance, which my clients use as a journal focus their minds on completing objectives, trying to get them excited about the progress they are journalling each week, and keeping them focussed on the purpose of living an active lifestyle and how they balance that into their lives.

Now, without a doubt, many of my clients miss the stretch zone and end up in the panic zone. They can feel overwhelmed, try to do too much at once, many of them lack self-confidence as a result of literally “over-stretching” all the time - and as you can imagine this undermines their ability to actually grow.

My job as their Personal Trainer is to write plans and workouts and check their form on exercises.

My role as their Coach is to keep them in the Stretch Zone.

And as you start your Fitness Journey - this will be your role too.

Don’t get overwhelmed by all the information, don’t worry about the result.

Focus on the process, not the outcome. The process is within your control, the output is not.

And by remaining in the stretch zone, you will stay rooted in the process, and build your confidence naturally. And as you grow, the way in which you stretch yourself will grow as well - ensuring constant development and growth throughout your Fitness Journey.

Step 5: Understanding There Is No Right or Wrong

 

Fitness can be a very overwhelming topic.

Wait: Where have you seen that word before in this article?

Overwhelm puts you into the Panic Zone.

Overwhelm can make you feel paralysed.

Overwhelm can make you feel like there’s no possible way you can do it.

And I’m sure whenever you have looked into “The Best Meal Plan” or “What Exercise is best for Fat Loss - Cardio or Weight Training” or even “How To Lose A Stone” the sheer amount of conflicting information has just made your brain go:

 

This is why truly getting to grips with the understanding that there is no right or wrong, just exploration is crucial as you start your journey.

Worrying about things that are well out of what you need to worry about isn’t going to help you.

At all.

To see whether or not you are achieving what you want to achieve with your fitness journey, all you need to do is the following:

One action every day that moves you further down the road

This could be increasing your step count day on day.

This could be increasing your step count on rest days, and doing your workout when it is planned.

This could be having a protein shake today.

This could be increasing your Vegetable intake.

Or my personal favourite:

Increase your sleep

And each day as you string together new behaviours you will make far greater progress, far quicker, than if you focus on what is right, or what is best.

I would go so far as to say, as long as today, you build in what you did yesterday - that is all you ever need to do really.

This doesn’t mean keep doing more.

Sometimes building on yesterday can mean having a rest day to allow the foundations to settle. It could mean listening to The Fitness Solution Podcast to educate and get a greater understanding of where you are at.

It could mean working out again.

You see, the options are actually limitless when you stop focussing on what is right and wrong and start focussing on what you want to explore.

And with limitless options, your journey will be full of colour, intrigue and excitement.

Step 6: What and How To Do. Not Why To Do It

 

This quote is another of my favourites.

“Practice makes progress permanent”
— Adam Berry

A lot of people when setting someone up on a fitness journey will try and get you to focus wholly on your “why”. Try and pull those emotional heartstrings:

You know the kind of stuff I mean:

  • To be able to play with my children

  • To feel more confident

  • To feel comfortable in photos

  • To feel sexy again

  • To reduce my tiredness

  • To improve my mental health

  • To reduce my feelings of anxiety

  • To get strong enough to fight a bear in the woods

The list goes on and on and on.

And I’m not demeaning why you want to do something, but when we attach whys to actions we frame them through judgement.

“To be able to play with my children” which could actually be “I’m too unfit and lazy to be able to enjoy time with my children”

“To feel sexy again” which could actually be “To feel less self-conscious and to feel desired by the opposite sex. To reduce my loneliness and to hopefully find some happiness through the attachment of another human”

And the truth behind the simpler forms of the whys is loaded with self-guilt, lack of self-compassion and brutal self-talk and inner feelings that will only focus you more on them.

You know why you are wanting to start a fitness journey - and really - you only need to use that as a motivator once.

That was your motivation for searching for this article on Google.

Now it’s about practical application.

Now it’s about building progress.

And making that progress permanent.

This is why, as you start your Fitness Journey it is vitally important you focus on “What to Do” and “How To Do It”.

What and How takes away the judgement of the “Why” and places you into a Stretch Zone.

Whereas focussing on the “Why” puts you into the Panic Zone.

Look at this practically. If you went to the Gym because you wanted to lose weight, a perfectly fair and reasonable goal, but you associate the action of going to the gym solely with why you are there.

“To lose weight” which could actually be “To feel more attractive to the opposite sex and to feel less judged by society”.

The Gym then becomes the place where you are going to get fixed, where you are going to try and remove your feelings - and that is not a nice energy to be working with when you are working out. It’s an energy that makes everything so much harder because you are focussed far too much on your negative self.

Therefore get focussed on the Practical.

What Should You Do In The Gym?

 

Honestly? Do what you enjoy.

That is your number one priority. As long as it is safe.

Don’t do what I have done on a couple of occasions.

Like fall off a treadmill at 18km/h. Yup I did that.

Try not to load a Deadlift Bar up unevenly by 20kgs, when thinking you’re going for a PB. Yup. I did that too.

Another thing I have done in the Gym that bought me no enjoyment. Enjoyment is key.

Because enjoyment is sustainable.

And…

Enjoyment is moveable. It’s so very easy to get caught up in optimal strength training for “best results”.

But if you hate doing it…you will never get to those “best results” because you won’t be able to do it for long enough.

Added to that by starting with what you enjoy, you can then build from there. What you enjoy can change over time as you get stronger, see results and keep consistent. What I enjoy now in the Gym is vastly different to what I enjoyed 3 or 4 years ago.

And that’s ok.

Because that means what I am doing right now is optimal for my results - because in four years time I will hopefully still be going and loving the benefits attached to being that consistent with my movement.

Let me tell you a little secret.

 

I used to get really caught up on what was the “ideal” thing for my clients - and it used to get in the way so much. Strength Training and Fitness for the vast majority of people isn’t that complex or needs to be overthought.

I used to feel so insignificant, and so unknowledgeable because I didn’t know the secret order of exercises to progress someone over a year.

I didn’t know what it felt like everyone else seemed to know…and that made me very worried indeed.

But there is no secret. Which is why I didn’t know it.

In fact…the thing that every other trainer seemed to know only got in the way of how they worked with people. They overthought it too much also.

The most optimal thing in strength training for the general population is showing up, and doing something that you enjoy.

Then from there, we can look at workouts that will progress you over time.

But that’s not as hard as it sounds. And don’t let it worry you.

The key principles to What to do in the Gym are:

  1. Show Up

  2. Enjoy what you do when you show up

  3. Work on improving your form

  4. Work on increasing the intensity of what you do in the Gym (heavier weights, longer runs, more sets and reps)

I have two workout Manuals I give away that work on these compelte principles.

how to start a fitness journey blog
how to start your fitness journey for beginners
 

The Confident and Strong Manual is a month of Gym Workouts and Home Workouts designed to be quick, accessible and straightforward for you.

They take care of all of the principles outlined above and will really help you start your Strength Training.

The Beginners Bodyweight Guide has a slightly lower barrier to entry and can be done at home. The workouts are just 10mins a day and include guided walks by myself as well - which is one of the most underrated forms of movement a human can do.

To get these manuals then all you have to do is put your email address in below and I will send the straight to you.

What’s Next?

 
how to start exercising when youre out of shape
 

I really hope you found this article useful, and you feel a lot more comfortable about starting your journey.

I also have some other articles you might find useful to help flesh out how to go about starting your Fitness Journey.

  1. I’m Scared Of Going To The Gym For The First Time

  2. 4 Gym Workouts For Beginners

  3. How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight And Exercise?

Thank you so much for being here - it means an awful lot to me.

Have a great day…

Coach Adam

 
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Confidence, Fitness, Exercise Instruction, Strategies Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Confidence, Fitness, Exercise Instruction, Strategies Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

How To Love Exercise Again

 
 
How To Love Exercise When You Hate It
 

One of the greatest DMs I ever got happened about 6 years ago when I was working in London as a Personal Trainer.

This wonderful human messaged me asking for details about my Personal Training…and I asked her why she wanted to work with me?

Her response was:

“All of your clients look like they are having fun”

Amy became a client for two years. Her partner and now fiancee…soon to be husband, and I can’t wait to see them get married...became a client for 3 years.

I miss Amy and Howard every day and when I got that message, it lit me up.

It got me in the feels.

 

Many many many of the friends I work with usually come to me because they believe that I have the key to helping them love exercise again.

They see my balanced approach, my forgiving tone, and my ability to program to their needs, and I think I make them feel safe and special.

As a Personal Trainer, my job is to make you feel two inches taller when you walk out of the gym than when you walked into it - sadly, just tracking your weight loss doesn't do that.

But rebuilding your relationship with exercise so that you can learn to love moving again is one of the most important things I can do for anyone who comes across me - and I want to help you improve your relationship with exercise.

And as you are here…I want to show you exactly how to do that here in this article. Show you precisley how to love exercise again.

But first, let's be friends. The fact you are here means so much to me. And if we become friends I’ll email you things. Sometimes they will be educational, sometimes they will be inappropriate, and sometimes I might just want to know how you are; either way…it would be delightful to connect with you.

Just send me a friend request by filling out the form below…

Oh, and I will also send you some free fitness goodies to help start our new friendship off on the best foot possible.

TABLE OF CONTENTS FOR “HOW TO LOVE EXERCISE AGAIN”

  1. Terminology Matters

  2. Why are you exercising?

  3. Releasing expectation: The All or Nothing Mindset

  4. Ask Yourself How and What?

  5. The Success Loop

Terminology Matters

 

I have to start here.

Not because I don’t think you need to learn how to talk.

But you probably do need to learn how to talk about exercise…

The words we chose, and the verbiage we work with each and every day is very very important. View the way you talk about movement in your life as micro messages for your relationship with it.

Words carry great meaning in our lives and if you are trying to rebuild a relationship - or even begin a relationship with movement then the words you use will frame the way in which you think about what it is you are doing.

And there are some key things you need to change here.

The fitness industry thrives from talking about extremes because extremes sell. They create a void between you and the outcome and therefore you will spend money on making that void smaller.

What the fitness industry sucks at in terms of its verbiage is balance - and the more you use words and terms that promote balance in your thoughts, the better your relationship with movement will become.

Say: “Movement” not Exercise

A paper called “Move Your DNA: The Difference Between Exercise and Movement” [1] which was published by the Journal of Evolution and Health in 2017 it outlines a very interesting concept between the two words of Movement and Exercise.

It states that: “Caspersen et al. (1985) define “physical activity” as “any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure” (i.e., calories utilized) and “exercise” as “physical activity that is planned, structured, repetitive, and purposive in the sense that improvement or maintenance of one or more components of physical fitness is an objective.”

The paper then goes on to define the movement as:

“Movement” is a term used abundantly in discussions about evolutionary health, yet has not been clearly defined—especially as compared to related terms like “exercise” and “physical activity.” However, the effects and benefits of movement are not limited to caloric expenditure and physical fitness; movement facilitates operations in almost every human system (e.g. immune, digestive, nervous)”

And it concludes with the proposed definition of movement as: “any motion that creates a change in the shape of a body or parts of a body”

Which is a phrase I like. A lot.

Previously I stated that words carry great meaning - and the word Exercise is wrapped up in feelings of struggle, punishment, diet culture, expelling calories, and Physical Education classes you muddled through and hated doing…

Whereas Movement.

Well, we all move. All of the time.

We all have to move all of the time, and therefore all movement matters.

When you look at your Workout Plans and understand that they are a very small concept of your overall movement for the day you fall into line with the Science.

And when you are trying to lose weight, being aligned with the science as opposed to being at odds with it will help give you perspective and allow you to rebuild that relationship with exercise.

When you workout you are merely burning 5% of the Calories you will burn overall for that day.

It’s a small piece of the pie.

But when you look at Movement in total it’s 90% of the calories you burn every day divided thus:

70% is your Basal Metabolic Rate - your metabolic baseline

15% is your daily movement outside of prescribed exercise - we call this NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis).

5% is your prescribed movement session or a “workout” (Activity Thermogenesis)

And when you can see your movement in this way, you see that all movement matters, all movement is important…and missing a workout really isn’t that big a deal.

In fact missing a workout should be seen as an opportunity missed to get stronger, not a moment where you failed and gained weight. When you see it as a missed opportunity to get stronger, you can easily recuperate that moment by doing one thing…giving yourself the opportunity again.

To learn more about your Metabolism please read my article that has helped hundreds of people understand the science of burning calories and help them improve their relationship with exercise

Food is nourishing, not good or bad

We have grown up in a society where we divide foods into two groups.

Food that is good for you, and food that is bad for you.

However, neither is true.

Foods can be more nutrient-dense and less nutrient-dense. Foods can have higher calories or lower calories. Foods can make us feel more energised or less energised.

And that is it.

Of all my clients on the Strong and Confident Program I ask one thing of them when it comes to diet, and that is to use their guiding light as the word “nourishing”.

Because there are times in your life when a Pizza (especially when there is Pineapple on there) is going to nourish you, and there are times when a Pumpkin Salad will nourish you also.

Sometimes you need to nourish your cells with nutrient-dense foods. Sometimes you need to nourish your emotions with food that is like getting a warm hug.

Both are valid and neither take you away from your goals, so long as you are giving yourself absolute permission to enjoy the food you are eating and therefore can enjoy it without guilt attached.

A key metric in being able to do this is understanding how much weight the human actually gains from overeating.

A study [2] produced by the American Diabetes Association looked at just this. It took 29 men and made them eat at 40% above their Maintenance Calories for 8 weeks every single day. This varied between 1200kcal and 1500kcal ABOVE their maintenance calories. Every. Single. Day.

In two months of overeating in a controlled environment, they gained just 9lbs of body fat, or 0.16lbs of fat a day.

By having some food when you need to nourish your emotions, it isn’t going to make you gain a stone overnight. It’s not going to derail all of your progress. This doesn't mean don’t take actions that help you process your emotions and your stress levels, of course, I would always recommend that, but one very key aspect of managing those stress levels when you are working towards a goal in movement is to comprehend what really happens to your body when you indulge, as opposed to what you think is gong to happen.

Say: Stronger, not Slimmer

This will be the title of my next book.

And yes, if you’re a publisher reading this please drop me an email, because I REALLY WANT TO WRITE THAT BOOK (adam@thegymstarter.com)

 

You have been told your whole life that slimmer is better. Thinner is sexier. But it’s not true.

The truth here is that getting stronger is more accessible to everyone.

There is this phenomenon in life called “Set Point Theory”. The fact it is referred to as a theory has always cast doubt in my mind about its validity, however, the more I have looked into it, the more I understand where the “theory” comes from and the truth behind it.

In this study called: Is there evidence for a set point that regulates human body weight?


”Taken collectively, these data provide evidence for the idea that there is biological (active) control of body weight and also weight stability (and thus a set point at a healthy steady-state) in response to eating healthy chow diets. By contrast, this regulation is lost or camouflaged by Western diets, suggesting that the failure of biological control is due mainly to external factors”


The study proposes that there isn't so much a “set point” but a range described as a “settling point”: upon which adult bodies exist at.

Colloquially I have known this to be true as well. When I became a Personal Trainer I dreamed of the transformation pictures I was going to create for my clients where they looked like totally different humans, but what I have found to be true is that in those photos you see on Instagram, they nearly always are different humans, or at least the photos are incredibly heavily edited.

I learnt this lesson about two years in when it just dawned on me that for the majority of my clients, who could afford Personal Training, they had a very set environment - a stable job, a stable relationship, a stable home life, very regular habits, and they were for the most part very comfortable in their environment - which meant when it came to losing weight with them, we were discussing losing a few pounds, not a few stones.

And surprisingly the clients who were the most consistent, the most engaged and the most interested in their fitness journey’s were those who focussed on getting Stronger - not slimmer.

The study cited above concludes that your body does have biological settling points, but it is actually your environment that is masking over what these true setpoints are - and changing your environment is really hard to do - because as we grow older we build our responsibilities on our stability.

I would also argue that the word environment refers to both internal and external environments. The study cited above only look sta the physical environment. But your mental environment here is just as powerful and must be dealt with as much due care and attention. The way in which you view yourself, speak about yourself to yourself and others is as much a part of your environment as the physical world you live in.

This is why getting stronger is a much more accessible way to focus your movement compared to losing weight.

Stronger, not slimmer.

It’s also why I created the Strong & Confident Program, not the Slimmer Is Better Program.

Say: Energy, not Calories

Calories are a unit of measurement of energy in your food. However, Calories are often associated with over restriction and/or overeating.

They can be used as a method to count your food amounts and therefore control what it is you are eating. This isn’t true in all cases with all people, I personally am a proponent of being Calorie aware, but if you are someone who is trying to learn how to love exercise again, or even trying to learn how to love exercise period, then focussing on calories might not be useful for you.

Instead, look at your food with a wider angle lens.

Look at it as Energy - and when you are managing your nutrition throughout the day ask yourself what kind of Energy do I want from what it is I am eating.

Sometimes that energy will be of comfort. Sometimes that energy will be of absolute nourishment. Sometimes it will be that of community.

When you view your food as an energy source, as opposed to a calorie source, you will choose foods that relate far deeper to your needs of hunger and nourishment compared to if you just focussed on the calories and the macros involved with the food you are eating.

Say: Exploration, not Right/Wrong

 

I repeat this message daily to my clients on the Strong & Confident Program.

I have to repeat it daily because in some cases for 50+ years they have been told that what they are doing is wrong - and what they should be doing is right.

Undoing 30+ years of micro-messaging from diet companies, fitness magazines, lifestyle magazines and modern media is hard work.

But its work that I personally see as an honour to have to do.

If you are familiar with my work, and that of Kamala, you will know the phrase you are about to read. If you are new to my work, then this is the single most important thing I need you to understand when it comes to movement and nutrition.

Are you ready?

““There is no right or wrong, just exploration””
— Adam Berry, The Gym Starter


You can’t get a movement plan wrong. You can’t get your nutrition wrong. You can’t get anything on a fitness journey wrong.

A fitness journey means that it exists without judgement.

If you constantly think that what you are doing is right or wrong, then you are constantly living in a world with judgement. You aren’t on trial, you aren’t in front of a jury - and if you think you are…then you need to recover that relationship yourself.

Living through judgement is very stressful, both internal judgement and external judgement - and this work can be hard enough as it is, without that added stress being added.

Why are you exercising?

 

And if it is to “put the ab in fab” then you need to stop. RIGHT NOW.

I touched on this above but I wanted to go a little bit deeper into this particular theme.

I have trained many many people who wanted to lose weight - and the reasons for this are multi-faceted. It could be because they want to look good at a wedding, it could be because they feel uncomfortable in their skin, it could be because they think losing weight will improve their self-confidence.

I want you to take a moment and think about when you have engaged with movement before. What was the reason you did it for?

“Did you want to lose weight because of ‘X’?”

And if so…ask yourself why can X only happen in the context of weight loss.

Why do you need to lose weight in order to:

Look good at a wedding? Feel comfortable in your skin? or have self-confidence?

The truth is that you simply do not need to lose weight in order to achieve any of those things. You need to be able to give yourself permission outside of losing weight in order to explore those feelings.

There are two great ironies in terms of weight loss and exercise.

The first is as I outlined above in the sense that it is counterintuitive to your metabolism to engage with prescribed exercise for the sole reason to create weight loss.

The second is that dieting undermines your confidence. You are literally pulling the rug from under your feet every time you diet. You are making yourself constantly question your validity, question your choices and question your freedom around movement and exercise in the name of reducing your body size.

As opposed to giving yourself permission to enjoy what it is you are doing, what it is you are trying to achieve.

This is why changing the framing of why you are wanting to move is really important.

Changing it from “to lose weight because of X”

To:

“Get strong enough to fight a bear in the woods”

 

This will take away food guilt and frustration because suddenly foods that were off your imaginary fat loss table are now in play - because to get strong enough to fight a bear, my friend, you’re going to need the calories and you will feel the need to choose foods that nourish your goals, rather than withdraw you from them.

100% of my clients who only moved to reduce their body size have all struggled to be consistent with their movement schedules.

100% of my clients who move to get strong enough to fight a bear in the woods have a relationship with exercise that is based on discovery and investigation.

A relationship with exercise that excites them with the possibility and releases them from the guilt of diet culture.

Losing weight may well be a consequence of their actions, but when they have a framing of getting stronger they see their movement plans as opportunities of growth, opportunities of development and opportunities of discovery.

And if you miss an opportunity that’s ok.

But when you believe that your movement schedule is the key to losing weight, and you attach the all or nothing mindset to it, then you will attach far too much guilt to missing a movement session which will eventually lead to you giving up and feeling like a failure compared to having a more balanced perspective.

Move to get strong in your body, in your mind and in your soul.

That is a much more inspiring message to tell yourself than because you want to fit in a dress because society deems that more acceptable.

Releasing expectation: The all-or-nothing mindset

 

When you approach movement and nutrition with an all or nothing mindset you always end up with nothing.

Extremes lead to extremes.

You may well be able to give your movement a 100% attitude for a period of time, but when you have done that, and you can’t keep up with it, like the vast majority of people who are not professional athletes can’t, then when you grind to a halt because of stressors in your life like work, family and other things, you again end up feeling like a failure and giving up.

Some people can give movement their all for 6 months.

Some people can give movement their all for 6 weeks.

Some can do it for a week.

But they all end up stopping when they believe that the only way to success is by giving it all.

Those who incorporate a balanced approach to their movement success end up being more consistent over much longer periods of time and being able to adopt a balanced mindset is much easier said than done.

How to adopt a balanced mindset to movement and nutrition?

My best piece of advice for this is to adopt what I call a wide-angle lens.

Zoom out on your life.

Stop listening to diet culture that makes you think that you should be able to lose 10kgs in 12 weeks. Stop allowing yourself to feel like a failure when you have a Pizza with pineapple on it because you believe it has made you gain 3lbs of fat.

Stop calling yourself fat.

You have fat.

There is a difference between those two statements.

You must comprehend and understand and truly internalise what I outlined previously about the body’s settling points. Great change of your body requires a change in both your internal and external environments, and that is not something that is accessible to all people.

But getting stronger is.

You must realise that one movement session will not give you muscles like Arnie. That one can of Spinach will not make you look like Popeye.

 

And that missing one movement session will not undo all of your progress.

Or that eating one bag of chips will not make you gain 6lbs of body fat.

Nothing in life changes that quickly - and that is a good thing.

I would even argue you could miss a month from moving and the progress you “lose” is finite.

By comprehending this, you will find freedom in both your movement and your nutrition. You will be able to give yourself full freedom and permission to enjoy foods you want to eat, and you will be able to remove the guilt and stigma from your life that is associated with your actions.

You will be able to find peace from second-guessing everything that you do - because you can begin to realise that it just isn’t that big a deal.

I’m a personal trainer, I have a roster of clients that rely on me every day for my expertise in this field, and there are times that I don’t work out, there are times that I eat pizza three days in a row, and there are times I may have alcohol every night - erm 2021 and lockdown is calling.

The only reason I am able to do this is that when I look at myself over the years I know that I have been consistent with my movement and nutrition more than not.

And consistent means at a maximum 25 days out of 30 in a month.

Not 30 days out of 30 - that’s perfection.

You will always need to have respect for your work, your home life, other demands on your being like socialising and travelling - and by making sure you have a wide-angle lens on what it is you want to achieve you will always be able to make movement and nutrition fit in around these things. But when you have the all or nothing mindset…when bigger priorities like paying your mortgage kick in, you will feel like you are letting yourself down, when in fact you are just being a beautiful human being.

 

There will always be pressure from all angles of your life - and therefore the more we can work on releasing pressure from your movement, you will be able to build a much better relationship with it. Take Kevin for example, if we can take exercise out of his hot pot, he might not be so overwhelmed and might not drop everything on the floor….and that’s the goal.

To view the movement as something that stops your cup from overflowing - not adds to your overwhelm.

 

I found this when looking for GIFs about Balance.

And it brightened up my day - I hope it does yours too.

Ask Yourself How and What Questions

You have more than likely seen many a Personal Trainer talks about your “Why?”. Some dude in a room in a gym that knows nothing about you pretending to give a shit about why you want to “get fit” and that his methods of Heavy Barbell Back Squatting will magically answer all the problems associated with your marriage, relationship with children and take out the stress from work.

This dude who is 25 years old, lives with his parents and has no idea how hard you find moving and how nervous you were to ever step foot in the Gym because well let’s face it, he has the empathy of a Goldfish.

Finding out about clients’ “Why” is nothing other than a sales tactic, and unsurprisingly it sets you up for failure. It focuses you on all of your insecurities, and it focuses your mind on fixing those insecurities.

It turns your main focus into a results-based solution.

A “why?” question is what’s known as an extrinsic motivational question.

And the issue with extrinsic motivation is that it fades quite quickly. Especially when the lived experience is not what your expectation was at the start. When those results aren’t as forthcoming as quickly as you think they should be, or when your life takes over and you can’t show up as much as you hoped, you think everything is going wrong and that you will never be able to achieve what you hoped for.

You need to get down and dirty with intrinsic motivational questions.

This is why as your Coach I would ask you different questions. I would only ask you:

How are you going to achieve your objectives?

What are you going to do to achieve your objectives?

And your mind will be razor-focussed only on the next week or two.

This way you throw yourself into a process.

Carol Dweck in her book “Mindset” states:

“Becoming is better than being”
— Carol Dweck, Mindset

If you really want to learn how to love exercise again the greatest thing you can do is forget about the why - and enjoy the process.

Become who you want to become. Rather than try to live up to being who you want to be.

You have probably heard Personal Trainers all over the internet tell you to enjoy the process without you actually being told how that happens. I know I have experienced this.

I have been told it so many times, I almost feel guilty that I don’t enjoy the process because no one showed me how that part works - they just told me to enjoy it.

No one actually laid it out for you in a way you can actually comprehend. But I am going to do that for you…

To truly enjoy the process you must see your movement as an investigation.

And each time you do a movement session, you will give yourself one goal, one new thing to investigate. Lifting weights and building strength is a skill. Developing movements is a skill, and skill is developed in one way.

Through mindful repetition.

There is a very famous quote that states:

“Repetition is the mother of skill ”
— Tony Robbins

I would also like to add the word persistence to that quote.

“Persistence through repetition is the mother of skill”
— Adam Berry, The Gym Starter

Especially in relation to building strength.

It’s not just enough to repeat something, without being present with it, and in order to bring your mind with you to your workout, you need to investigate what it is you want to achieve.

When I was on Stage, one of the very best Directors I ever worked with every night at the half-hour call would come on the tannoy and announce:

“Your theme for tonight’s performance is X”

And he would insert a theme that he knew was a feature of the story, and he would want us to see how that thought would enhance our ability to tell the story for that evening’s audience.

The themes he came up with would be both technical and emotional:

  • Love

  • Money

  • Sex

  • Hatred

  • Poetry

  • Positioning

  • Listening

  • Friendships

  • Loss

  • Danger

  • Super Objectives

And the list goes on. Each night, we would allow this one word to resonate through our performance and see how that might change the rhythm and the presence of our performance.

Performing a Play for a total of one hundred performances is going to get monotonous and stale. There is a trap that many ensembles fall into where they just phone in the performance because they know it that well, and they can run it on auto-pilot.

Ever felt like that in the Gym? Of course, you have.

But your movement session should not be phoned in. You should try your hardest to not make it seem like you’re just there doing the work for the sake of the work - this can’t be avoided every time of course - but investigating a theme when you workout it can reduce the chances of this happening to you.

Investigation cues I use with clients are:

  • Develop the range of motion

  • Explore the floor

  • Root the Glutes

  • Stack your joints

  • Tempo

  • The feeling of strength

  • What muscle are you trying to activate?

  • Intensity of Exertion

  • How does one movement pattern inform another movement pattern?

Some of these are more complex than others, and some of them require more context than I can get into here on the Blog - they are always ongoing and deep discussions with my clients on how they can get the most out of their movement and develop the skill.

The Success Loop

In my article, “How Do You Get Motivated To Lose Weight and Exercise?” I outline the idea of the success loop.

The success loop is something I have designed to help people understand the science behind motivation and how they can make sure that motivation is the last thing they rely on in order to love exercise again.

Many people think that beginning fitness starts with Motivation.

They see their journey thus:

Get Motivated -> Take Action -> Get Results

However, Motivation actually works this way:

how to enjoy exercise again
 

You take action first, then you get results and those results are what keep you motivated.

Or as I say it:

DO -> TRACK -> REPEAT


The Success Loop takes this one step further, and looks like this:

how can i learn to enjoy exercise
 

Here you can see I have added in a very important aspect of what continues to perpetuate your motivation to investigate movement - and it is education.

Because educating yourself can keep you inspired to carry on.

As you look to rebuild your relationship with exercise, I want you to think about how much are you learning on this journey. Heck, you wouldn’t have a hobby and not learn how to do it. Many many people think exercise is something you justhave to show up for, tick the box and away you go…

But when you start investigating what and how you are going execute your movement, you start to look at educating yourself in the process - and the more you learn, the more awesome your movement will become.

So read Blogs, follow people who focus on educating you, not showing off in front of you, question the choices your personal trainer makes with them and ask them insightful questions about how you move and why things are they way they are in your sessions.

Education leads to empowerment.

And an empowered human is a Strong and Confident human.

 

And Finally…

Before you consider everything in this Blog Post the heartbeat of how you move, what you move in what way and how to truly love exercise again is that you have to enjoy it.

At the very front of the success loop, at the very front of what you chose to do, before you even think about about what to do and how to do it you must ask yourself - what do I enjoy doing the most?

This whole article has been about how to change your outlook on movement.

To promote a more balanced view of fitness in your mind, because being imbalanced is probably the reason you feel out of love with movement in the first place.

Every human I have ever worked with, who had the sole desire to move in order to lose weight, has had an awful relationship with exercise, and we have had to do some really hard work to refocus them onto the thought of getting stronger and more confident.

Because there is nothing inspiring about reducing the size of your body.

You should love yourself more than having a mentality of diminishing yourself.

You should love yourself so much that you do things you enjoy - and learn how to enjoy them more.

Have fun. You deserve to have fun, just like Amy wanted to all those years ago.

And, in my most personal of opinons, that is a far more insipiring thought than going to the Gym to just burn some calories.


Did You Find This Useful?

Firstly I want to say a huge thank you for reading my article, and I hope it has given you some food for thought in relation to rebuilding your relationship with movement.

Across this website, I have other Articles all about managing your relationship with exercise:

I would also love to invite you to grab some free fitness goodies from me, including a free month of coaching on The Strong and Confident Program

 
how to lose weight when you hate exercise
 

You also have a unique opportunity to grab a Free Month of Coaching from me as a thank you for being here.

Thank you so much for reading my article - I really hope you found it helpful.

References:

  1. Anon, Move your DNA: Movement ecology and the ... - escholarship.org. Available at: https://escholarship.org/content/qt1k6948g0/qt1k6948g0.pdf?t=q3qtt8 [Accessed November 14, 2021].

  2. Johannsen DL, Tchoukalova Y, Tam CS, et al. Effect of 8 weeks of overfeeding on ectopic fat deposition and insulin sensitivity: testing the "adipose tissue expandability" hypothesis. Diabetes Care. 2014;37(10):2789-2797. doi:10.2337/dc14-0761

  3. Müller MJ, Bosy-Westphal A, Heymsfield SB. Is there evidence for a set point that regulates human body weight?. F1000 Med Rep. 2010;2:59. Published 2010 Aug 9. doi:10.3410/M2-59

 
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Confidence, Fitness, Exercise Instruction, Tracking, Workouts Adam Berry - The Gym Starter Confidence, Fitness, Exercise Instruction, Tracking, Workouts Adam Berry - The Gym Starter

When To Increase Your Weights In The Gym

 
how do i know when to increase weight when lifting
 

The Gym can be a very intimidating place.

And there are few things more intimidating than increasing the weights you lift.

Whenever I rack on a few extra KGs I still hear my Mum’s Voice:

“You be careful Adam!”

And I respond like my 14-year-old self with a “Yes Mother” in my own head.

Ask most people who haven’t spent a long time in the Gym, or working out, and they will tell you that a Gym is a dangerous place and that if you lift too heavy…you will hurt yourself.

Interestingly the most common person to be injured in a Gym is a 27-year-old male,:

“Patients' mean age was 27.6 years (range, 6-100 years); 82.3% were male”

And most of the time…they are trying to get the Pectoral Muscles and shoulders of a Greek God:

“The upper trunk (25.3%) and lower trunk (19.7%) were the most commonly injured body parts” [1]

 

And women, I’m not sure what you have been doing but…

“Females had a larger proportion of foot injuries” [1]

Actually, I found some footage that might explain this:

 

From 1990 to 2007, 25 335 weight training injuries were seen in US emergency departments, correlating to an estimated 970 801 injuries nationwide

That is four injuries a day that went to an Emergency Department - in the whole of the United States.

“The most common diagnosis was sprain/strain (46.1%). The most common mechanism of injury was weights dropping on the person (65.5%)” [1]

 

The Gym is a relatively safe space to exert yourself physically.

It's far safer than contact sport participation.

Don’t get me wrong, Social Sport and participation in a Group Sports Activity are very very important…so much so that after years of retirement, I have rejuvenated my career as a Football Referee here in Australia.

how often to increase weight when lifting
 

Yes. This is in Australia. I was promised sun and sand…its all lies…

Social Sport is very important for many aspects of your wellbeing - but mainly:

  • Community

  • Humility

  • Sense of Achievement

  • Enjoyable Exercise

  • Eye Hand Co-ordination

And I recommend everyone finds a sport they enjoy to participate in but you do get more injures on the field of play than you do on the Gym Floor.

This is mainly due to the duration of exercise and fatigue setting in.

However, the stigma around the Gym being dangerous, especially for non-gym goers is very real and very true.

The fact that the most common diagnoses in the Gym were sprains/strains leads me to believe one main thing that too many people are “upping the weights” far too quickly, or misunderstand how, why, and when to increase the weights they are lifting.

Thus leading to the 46% rate of strains and sprains.

So here we are.

Let me take you through when to increase your weights in the Gym, so it remains effective for your goals, sensible for you ability and above all lets you be in charge of the decisions you need to make when it comes to putting on 5 more kgs!

Table of Contents for “When To Increase Your Weights In The Gym”:

  1. What are Sets and Reps? A Practical History Lesson

  2. What Sets And Reps Should I Chose?

  3. How much weight should I actually choose? And at what Intensity?

  4. Progressive Overload

  5. When To Increase Your Weights In The Gym

  6. Bottom Line

To be able to explain and empower you to make strong and informed decisions about your weight training, I will need to first explain to you why we have different numbers for Sets and Reps. I’m a firm believer in understanding the systems in place, and why, so that when you make decisions on those systems you are making a much more informed decision.

I can’t simply tell you when to increase your weights in the gym, without first telling you the context behind the decisions that will determine the weights you chose in the first place.


If you want to know the Golden Rule for When To Increase Your Weights In The Gym - it is written at the bottom of this article. But I would encourage you to get the education and context you need to help you make a better decision when the time comes to lift heavier.


So here is your context:

What are Sets and Reps? A Practical History Lesson

 

Simply put:

A Set is one group of repetitions of a particular exercise you will perform, typically with rest after the set is completed and before you commence a new set.

A Rep is the number of repetitions of a single exercise you will do within a set.

So if you did 10 push-ups, in three separate non-stop goes with a rest time in between each block of push-ups, you have achieved 3 Sets of 10 Reps of a Push-Up.

The History of a Set

When I write my programs I play around with Reps more than I do with Sets.

I ask my online clients to typically perform 3 sets of each exercise or 5 sets of each exercise. But very rarely fewer than that.

The reason behind this is steeped in lots of Science that is very much agreed upon in the Fitness Industry.

In May 2015, a study was done on 48 men with no experience in Resistance Training and it split them into three Groups: 1 SET, 3 SETS, and 5 SETS.

Over 6 months the men trained 3x a week and the study found:



“that multiple sets would result in greater changes in strength and local muscular endurance than single-set training and that there would be a dose-response for these same measures were supported.” [2]



Concluding that multiple sets are more beneficial than singular sets in un-trained populations.

And as I am called The Gym Starter I suppose that is what I should educate you about.

This 2015 study also found that any number of sets was effective for Body Composition:

“The percentage of body fat was reduced significantly and FFM (fat-free mass) significantly increased in all training groups, with no significant difference between groups”

The whole 3 sets of 10 are quite an interesting story….

A physician 1948 called Thomas L. DeLorme prescribed 3 Sets of 10 Reps of resistance training to his injured patients to help with their rehabilitation, and he recorded his results. Once they were published, that was it.

3 sets of 10 Reps became “permanently etched into the collective subconscious of the fitness community.” [3]

So that is our default starting point thanks to Dr Tom with Sets.

The History of a Rep

You can play around with Reps a little more in a workout - which is fun.

Because different Rep ranges elicit a different response in the Muscle.

The lower the number of Reps you are working in, the heavier the weight you should try to lift.

Here are the Guidelines:

1-5 Reps = Power

 

Think of this range as “very heavy, very intense” just want to get strong AF. Lots of concentrated effort and it will tax your Central Nervous System a lot more.

(Intense being a word we will come back to later)

Recommended Rest Time Between Sets: 2mins

5-8 Reps = Strength

 

Think of this as granite strength. Not explosive power, but solid and stable, useful for sports performance.

Not as intense as Power, but still aware you have worked hard.

Recommended Rest Time Between Sets: 90secs

8-12 Reps = Hypertrophy

 

Your “Popping” muscles. This is the range you want to be in to grow your muscles and make them show.

This range increases Sarcoplasm in your muscle, which is responsible for 30% of the total makeup of your muscle.

This is why it helps make them look bigger.

If only it was as easy as eating a can of Spinach!

Recommended Rest Time Between Sets: 60-90secs

12-20 Reps = Muscular Endurance

 

This would be where you want to be if you are an Endurance Athlete. Training and building your muscular ability to train for an extended period of time.

If you are working on this aspect of your training, then you will be typically be lifting lighter weights, but for a longer period of time.

If you’re a runner, triathlete, or cyclist this is where you will want to be, as you will not only create more ability in the muscle, but it will also help your injury prevention.

Recommended Rest Time Between Sets: 60secs


The Bottom Line on Sets and Reps

Think of Sets and Reps as an intricate web that interacts with itself.

Just because you are doing 12 Reps of an Exercise as opposed to 8 doesn’t mean you aren’t getting stronger.

Or just because you only do 6 Reps of an Exercise, it doesn’t mean that muscle isn’t gaining the long-term ability for that movement.

Each Rep Rage is a guideline. A guideline that supports all of the others at the same time.

What Sets and Reps Should I Choose?

Like with most things, I like to keep it simple when constructing a workout and this can be overthought, over-philosophized, and over-complicated very quickly.

So this is how my brain figures it all out…whenever I am programming for one of my clients on my Strong and Confident Coaching Program

The guiding principle of my structure is Intensity.

I have to consider their Goals, Ability, and above all enjoyment.

Intensity guides everything.

I want my clients to be working most intensely when they have the most energy.

Intensity can be established in three ways in a workout:

  1. More Sets

  2. More Reps

  3. More Weight

I will show you these looks in a workout, in a little bit. But first I will need to talk you through how to judge your Intensity - as that will tell you how and when you should increase your weights in the Gym.

But if you want a very quick answer to What Sets and Reps should I choose?

My best advice is this:

Pick an Exercise.

Pick something. Anything within the Rep ranges I have outlined previously for your goals: 3 Sets of 10 Reps. 4 Sets of 12 Reps. 5 Sets of 5 Reps.

Pick a weight - any weight you feel comfortable with - but err on the side of caution, to begin with.

Then execute. See how it feels. And amend from there.

The next time you come to do that exercise, try and do a little more.

You can do this by either - increasing your Reps, increasing your Sets, or increasing your Weight.

If you want to stay in a particular Rep range, for a particular reason - muscle growth, endurance, etc, then when you find your ability is exceeding the weight you have chosen, you can either increase the weight or increase the Sets.

Most people chose to increase their weight - because it’s simply more time-efficient.

How much weight should I actually choose? And at What Intensity?

When you are in the Gym, on your own, without an expert…it is surprising how good you will be at judging what weight to use.

You won’t always get it right.

Sometimes it will be too light, sometimes it will be too heavy.

 

And that’s ok…because you need to remember:

““When it comes to Fitness there is no right or wrong; just exploration””
— Adam Berry

Yes. I quoted myself.

Let’s move on…

Personal Trainers don’t automatically know what weights to choose for each client, we simply have the best guess….and amend from there based on the performance we see.

You too can only try something. And amend from there.

Once you have your starting point there is a guideline to let you know whether or not you are working hard enough throughout a given Set of movements.

Or the more accurate term for this is “Intensity”.

When it comes to resistance training you must apply a certain level of stress on the body in order to achieve the desired outcome. As in, its pretty pointless lifting 2kg Dumbells on a Bench Press if you aren’t working to the correct intensity.

A systematic review called ”Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods” on literature between 1996 and September 2019 which was published in 2019, concluded the following:

“Effective hypertrophy-oriented training should comprise a combination of mechanical tension and metabolic stress. In summary, foundations for individuals seeking to maximize muscle growth should be hypertrophy-oriented RT consisting of multiple sets (3−6) of six to 12 repetitions with short rest intervals (60 s) and moderate-intensity of effort (60−80% 1RM) with subsequent increases in training volume (12–28 sets/muscle/week)”

Now finding your One Rep Max (1RM) isn’t necessary to see results - and this study backs that up, as you need to be working to 60-80% of your 1RM.

How To Establish 60-80% Intensity

The guide you need to use to find this Intensity is called the RPE or Rate of Perceived Exertion Scale.

This is a subjective sliding scale from 1 to 10 which will determine whether or not you are working with enough Intensity in a Set to get the desired outcome.

When I write plans for those I work with Online I don’t tell them what weight to lift, I tell them what RPE to aim for - and let them decide for themselves whether or not the weight they have chosen, is creating a big enough stimulus on their body.

This is how we establish the weights you need to lift, without having a Personal Trainer there with you on the Strong and Confident Program.

The RPE Scale looks like this:

when should i increase weight when lifting reddithow much weight should i lift for my size calculatorhow much weight should i increase per weekwhen to increase dumbbell weight reddithow much weight to increase each weekhow much weight should i increase per week redditwhen to increase weight or repshow to increase dumbbell weight at homeweight trainingdeadliftsquatpushupplanklungeoverhead pressdumbbellhammer curllying triceps extensionsupright rowbiceps curlwhen to increase dumbbell weight reddithow much weight to increase each weekwhen to increase weight or repshow to increase dumbbell weight at homewhen should i increase weight when lifting reddithow much weight should i increase per weekwhen should you increase weight when liftinghow do i know when to increase weight when lifting
 

Throughout a workout, you want to be working through the RPE Scale in this manner:

Warm Up = 1-2 RPE

Main Movement For The Day = 8-9 RPE

Rest Of Workout = 6-8 RPE

Optional Cardio-Metabolic Finisher = 8-9 RPE

In an actual Workout that I have written for my Client Tim it looks like this:

how often should you increase weight for progressive overload
 

You will notice that as the workout progresses the Target RPE drops. This is to account for fatigue over a workout. If you can keep the Intensity high throughout then be my guest - but remember it’s always a balance between what is possible and what is optimal.

If what is optimal might hurt you - let’s not do that.

The Main Movement in a workout is the most important part of your workout as well - which is why it has the highest intensity attached to it. In workouts, I write this is always a multi-joint compound movement, and if all a client does in a workout is that one exercise, to the desired RPE, then that is still a successful workout.

And then the rest of the workout is there to support my client’s goals from their fitness.

When it comes to what Weight to actually choose…as you can see there is no one size fits all. Everybody is different, and everybody is different, which is why I would encourage you to use a subjective answer as opposed to an objective one.

When it comes to increasing your weights - and crucially when to increase your weights…we need to discuss one more principle before we bring it all together.

Progressive Overload

Now, we need to go back to Ancient Greece, to learn about a Wrestler called Milo or Croton. Milo was the most successful Wrestler of his day, having won the Ancient Olympic Games, 6 times over. Milo was a six-time wrestling champion at the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. In 540 BC, he won the boys wrestling category and then proceeded to win the men's competition at the next five Olympic Games in a row. He also dominated the Pythian Games (7-time winner), Isthmian Games (10-time winner), and Nemean Games (9-time winner).

In the rare event that an athlete won not only the Olympic title but also all three other games in one cycle, they were awarded the title of Periodonikes, a grand slam winner. Milo won this grand slam five times. [5]

 

So how did Milo build such strength and athleticism? Well, it comes in the principle of Progressive Overload - the core and guiding principle of any method of self-development, including building strength.

As legend has it, a baby Calf was born near Milos's home when he was a boy.

Every single day Milo put the Calf on his back and walked him on his shoulders.

Milo did this every day for four years.

The calf grew into a four-year-old bull, and as the animal grew so did Milo of Croton.

should i increase weight every week
 

This is the guiding principle of strength training - to create a Progressive Overload over time.

As you can imagine your body will adapt to the same stimulus quite quickly also known as a “plateau”, therefore you need to change the stimulus to encourage growth.

Progressive Overload can be created in a number of ways:

  • Increase the weights you lift in the Gym

  • Increase the number of Reps you do

  • Increase the number of Sets you do

  • Improve your Form through an exercise.

  • Slow down the Tempo of your Reps or increase “Time Under Tension”

  • Do more workouts (to a point)

A 2011 study decided to test Progressive Overload.

Researchers found progressive overload — gradually increasing the weight and number of repetitions of exercises — to be effective for increasing bicep strength and muscle growth in both men and women. [6]

Every time you address a bar or a dumbbell, you should give yourself a thought, a task, a mindful check-in, to try and work on one thing on the progressive overload list.

Increasing Weight is always the easiest one to go for, especially as a beginner, but it is quite common to get caught between weights. I.e: 10kgs is too light, and 12.5kgs is too heavy for your Rep Range.

And this is when awareness of Progressive Overload comes into its own - by focussing more on form or time under tension at the same weight one day you will be able to make that 12.5kgs move like a hot knife through butter.

Drawbacks of Progressive Overload

With everything in life, there is a point of diminishing returns.

This is evident in a form of training knowns as German Volume Training - upon which you are expected to do 10 Sets of 10 Reps of an Exercise.

This study in 2017, found that with such a High Load of Volume the actual gains being made after 5 Sets were non-existent. Participants were just wasting time in the Gym and working out for the sheer sake of working out.

The study also concluded, which backs up the study from before when I was discussing Sets and Reps, that:


“To maximize hypertrophic training effects, it is recommended that 4-6 sets per exercise be performed, as it seems gains will plateau beyond this set range and may even regress due to overtraining.” [7]


Ergo more is not always better in the Gym.

Therefore always try to work within the parameters of what we outlined above in terms of Sets and Reps.

With regards to trying to achieve the principle of Progressive Overload, if you go for too much…too quickly it could have negative repercussions, injury for example.

Do it slowly, steadily, and surely.

The only other thing to add here is that the stronger you get, the more slow progression will occur.

“For males, baseline strength capacity appears to be negatively associated with hypertrophy, and thus stronger males may be less likely to experience the same degree of hypertrophic adaptation over 12 weeks as compared to weaker males.” [7]

This is why being aware of all of the aspects that can create a progressive overload is important because when you find you are lifting the same weight week on week, it can get demoralizing. So having other ways and means to demonstrate and experience progress is a great way to keep motivated.

When To Actually Increase Your Weights In The Gym

Now that you know why we do what we do when it comes to the Gym floor, you should be able to establish when it is sensible and logical for you to increase your weights in the Gym.

There are a lot of myths around this as well.

One of the most common ones is that you should “confuse your muscles”.

This is in a word:

 

Firstly, your muscles don’t have brains - so how can you confuse them? Secondly, there is ZERO Science to back up the Muscle Confusion theory. Thirdly, it will move you away from consistency and our bodies need consistency to be able to adapt. The more you change the less likely you are to see results.

If you really want to confuse your muscles, do it by adding a greater stimulus in a movement that you have been working on - as in - increase the weights you are lifting.

The Golden Rule is coming up…as promised.

I will now tell you EXACTLY when to increase your weights in the Gym

The Golden Rule is:


Increase your weights when in a Set you are no longer hitting “Target RPE”


By working towards your Target RPE you will be in the best position to strike a balance between the intensity required for growth (60-80% of 1RM) and your own personal ability.

Thus protecting you from Injury and still allowing Progressive Overload over time. RPE will take into account all the Progressive Overload factors, such as when you decrease or increase the tempo when you increase or decrease weight when you increase or decrease Sets and Reps your RPE should respond accordingly.

The human body can be a fickle system - especially when it comes to energy levels. RPE also allows for this. If you go to the Gym having slept well, fuelled well, and it’s early in the morning and you are full of beans.

You are likely to be able to produce more effort.

If you are sleep-deprived, tired, and just have no energy, you are likely to produce less effort.

RPE allows for these changes in your system and is more than likely still going to drive you to your goals as you will still be working to between a 60-80% intensity.

The Bottom Line

The answer to this question of when to increase weights in the gym comes down to balance.

You will always be balancing three main factors:

  1. Your own physical ability

  2. Your energy levels

  3. Your likelihood to cause injury

Just walking up to a Barbell with an arbitrary number of KGs on it with no context or frame of reference as to whether you can actually do it, will likely not end well.

 

And this brings me to my last and final point on the topic.

Tracking your workouts is the key to your success.

You must track your workouts.

Without recording what you are doing then you will have no idea if you are actually making progress, or whether or not you are able to life the weight you want to set yourself.

Track the following data as a minimum:

  1. Weight

  2. Sets

  3. Reps

  4. RPE

If you write nothing else down - those four are the key to your success.

Then from there, when you see the Weight, Sets, and Reps staying the same - and the RPE coming down - you can increase your weights.

Or if you see the Weight, Sets, and Reps staying the same - and the RPE is increasing or not coming down - maybe take some weight off, and try to acquire the progressive overload in another way.

  • Time Under Tension

  • Higher Rep Scheme

  • More Sets

  • Add a workout into your week

The amount of weight you lift is your prerogative.

All I would ask is that you keep working hard, be consistent, and always try your hardest.

That deosn’t always mean lift more weight or always push yourself beyond belief.

Sometimes working your hardest can be just showing up.

Just remember to make sure every workout is effective to work to the Target RPE and adjust accordingly.

If you do that as each workout passes, you will begin to feel more and more like this:

 

Because really.

Thats the goal isn’t it.

Become Strong and Confident.

Be the Bad-Ass you were born to be.

Because you deserve to be.

Did You Find This Useful?

 
when lifting weights when should you increase the weight
 

Thank you so much for reading my article - I really hope you found it helpful.

If you are interested in working with me then please click on the button below to leanr more about getting a free momnth of coaching from me:

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References:

  1. Kerr ZY, Collins CL, Comstock RD. Epidemiology of weight training-related injuries presenting to United States emergency departments, 1990 to 2007. Am J Sports Med. 2010 Apr;38(4):765-71. doi: 10.1177/0363546509351560. Epub 2010 Feb 5. PMID: 20139328.

  2. Radaelli, Regis1; Fleck, Steven J.2; Leite, Thalita3; Leite, Richard D.4; Pinto, Ronei S.1; Fernandes, Liliam3; Simão, Roberto3 Dose-Response of 1, 3, and 5 Sets of Resistance Exercise on Strength, Local Muscular Endurance, and Hypertrophy, Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research: May 2015 - Volume 29 - Issue 5 - p 1349-1358 doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000000758

  3. https://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/fulltext/2012/11000/Thomas_L__DeLorme_and_the_Science_of_Progressive.1.aspx

  4. Krzysztofik, M., Wilk, M., Wojdała, G., & Gołaś, A. (2019). Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(24), 4897. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897

  5. James Clear. 2021. How to Build Muscle: Strength Lessons from Milo of Croton. [online] Available at: <https://jamesclear.com/milo> [Accessed 27 June 2021].

  6. Healthline. 2021. Progressive Overload: What It Is, Examples, and Tips. [online] Available at: <https://www.healthline.com/health/progressive-overload#benefits> [Accessed 28 June 2021].

  7. Peterson, M. D., Pistilli, E., Haff, G. G., Hoffman, E. P., & Gordon, P. M. (2011). Progression of volume load and muscular adaptation during resistance exercise. European journal of applied physiology, 111(6), 1063–1071. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-010-1735-9

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