The Four R’s of Training & Nutrition

When it comes to strength/resistance training and nutrition, there are a number of essential things that can put you on track in attaining RESULTS – whether it’s putting on muscle, torching body fat, boosting metabolism, etc. There’s not a day that goes by when our clients/members ask about some of the things that they can start implementing in order to reap the rewards of dedicating their time & energy into their workouts, building better eating habits, staying consistent and making daily progress.I want to share with you some helpful tips that we share with our clientele that has helped them get to where they want be in terms of making their health & fitness goals become a reality. I can guarantee that if you take, apply & implement the following, you too will see results!But before I get to the ‘meat & potatoes’ of this post, I want you take the time to reflect, understand and know your “Why”.

The reason I say this is that I need you to fully comprehend that making change in your life is never easy. From our experiences in working with people from all walks of life, we’ve worked with a few folks who embraced the change for a short time period only to fall short & regress back to old (bad) habits! The reasons for such behaviors were vast & many – anything from having a hard time adjusting to making multiple changes at once to not being disciplined enough to stick it out when times got tough.If you don’t know why you’re doing something, maybe you should stop and think about that for a second and see how it’s going to benefit you in the long run. Are there any benefits involved?Why are you doing the things you’re currently doing (in terms of getting to your goals)?Why is this important to you?How will it make you feel?It's important to remember the following components to maximize your results and to reap the benefits from the time, work & effort put forth into your workouts and maintain a healthy clean eating plan.With that being said, here’s what I call “The Four R’s of Training & Nutrition”:

RESISTANCE

Training: For a muscle to increase strength it must be “loaded/overloaded” with some type of resistance. It matters little whether the resistance is applied to a muscle via machines, barbells, dumbbells, stretch cords, bricks, or even other human beings. This loading of a muscle is referred to as the “Overload Principle”, which states that for a muscle to increase in strength, it must be stressed or overloaded, with a workout that is beyond its present capacity. The load or resistance must be made progressively more challenging over time for strength and muscle size (hypertrophy) to continue increasing.

Nutrition: Let’s face it – you’re doing to face resistance on a daily basis when it comes to staying on track with your meal plans. By “resistance”, I mean having temptations all around you that will try to entice and steer you off track -“giving in” to guilty pleasures, eating fast food/fast food commercials, drinking too many adult beverages over the weekend, attending numerous happy hour social events, etc. One way to make sure you stay on track is to plan ahead and to always refer back to your ‘why’. Keeping a journal of what you eat, when you eat and how much you eat can assist you making sure you stay on point without falling off the wagon. I will elaborate a bit more about this in detail below in the “Records” section.

RECORDS

Training: For strength training to be as productive as possible, it's critical to keep records that are accurate and detailed. Records document a history of what was accomplished, what lifts/exercises were performed, the loads you used, when you trained, etc. In case of injury, the effectiveness of rehab can be gauged if there is a record of pre-injury strength. Records can also be used to identify plateaus. Your workouts can be made more meaningful and productive by keeping records!Nutrition: When it comes to the things you eat, there’s one simple rule that I follow and one that I express that all of our clients do. The rule is this – “You bite it, you write it!” Period! Keeping track of the things you eat, as well as when and how much you eat, you’re more apt to make any changes needed to ‘tweak’ the plan when it comes to attaining results. Feeling flat and have no energy? Let’s take a peek at that journal and see how many meals you ate for that day, if you’re lacking complex carbs for energy, maybe you ate too much sugary foods that weren’t part of the plan, the possibilities are many. That’s why keeping track is essential in identifying the root cause & effect of your progress or lack of. Put it this way – if you’re not assessing, you’re guessing!

REPETITIONS

Training: There are 2 key components to the performance of a repetition. First, perform each repetition in a manner that is effective and safe. This means, move through the repetition in a deliberate and controlled fashion, without jerking. Second, each repetition should be performed through the greatest possible range of motion that is orthopedically safe. This ensures flexibility is maintained (perhaps increased) and that the whole muscle is being exercised, not just a portion of it.Nutrition: As in the training section above, in order to be really good and efficient in a specific skill, repetition of a particular skill will not only create mastery but also increase your ability to perform a given a task with complete confidence. In the case of nutrition, if you start building the habit to prep for food/meals for the week, you’re more apt to 1) be successful in getting your required meals in for the day, 2) know where you’re food is coming from in knowing that you prepped it yourself, 3) save $$ vs. having to eat out and risk the possibility in eating foods that are not part of the given plan. The more of a habit you can create with food prep, making your weekly shopping trips for the foods you need for your plan, the better you will be in staying aligned with your goals.

RECOVERY

Training: Remember, muscles don’t get stronger during a workout - muscles get stronger after a workout during the recovery phase. If the demands of a workout are of sufficient magnitude, the recovery process is essential because it allows damaged muscle enough time to repair itself. There are individual variations in recovery. However, anywhere between 24-48 hours might be necessary for a muscle to recover sufficiently from an intense workout. Recovery methods that may help you on your quest to get back into training action may include massage therapy, foam rolling, self myofascial release, Graston Technique, dry needling, ice baths, stretching, and of course power naps & sleep.Nutrition: When it comes to recovery methods with nutrition but we’ll refer to them as ‘planned cheat days’ – days when you can to a ‘break’ from the given plan and pretty much eat whatever you’d like….within reason. The only stipulation that I would add to this would be not go overboard by take in a massive amount of calories of foods that contain empty calories such as sweets, cookies, pastries, donuts, ice cream, etc. – so much intake that it puts you into a food coma. Again, it’s OK to “take off the gloves”, so to say, and take a mental break from the plan and enjoy a burger, pizza and some dessert but make it a point to get back on track. Doing so will not only make you happy but will also guarantee that you keep your sanity in the process.

There you have it – 4 R’s that are guaranteed to take things to the next level in your quest for optimizing your health, fitness, training and nutrition! Be sure to apply the components above and fit them accordingly into your plan and watch just how amazing things will be!I guarantee this – as long as you stay in compliance with your ‘why’ and streamline your efforts and intentions by making sure that every choice and decision that you make aligns with your end result, you will be successful in making your goals a reality.Remember to have a plan, prepare in advance, and follow through by taking MASSIVE ACTION!