newsletter archives

Discipline of steel #42

1) Single leg squats made easy.
2) Stop training for a 6-pack (and still get one).
3) Learn to walk before you run.
4) This is how you stay motivated.

Read time: 3.5 minutes

“You could be good today, but instead you choose tomorrow.”

Marcus Aurelius would have made a great coach.

Because this is so on point with how many of us approach fitness, especially working out and dieting.

We’re always about to start tomorrow, next week, or very soon, when work gets less busy.

And what happens tomorrow?
We say tomorrow, again.

So let’s break that pattern, and let’s choose today, now.

Even if it’s just for a short run, or a simple workout.

Let’s act, and let’s "be good today".

If you need help or have a question about your training, please let me know by replying to this email and I’ll share my answer with everyone.

Now let’s start! 💪

1. Single leg squats made easy.

Single leg exercises are not only for advanced and sport-specific training.

Everybody can benefit from it, and I’ll go so far as to say that especially beginners and intermediates need it.

Overall balance and proprioception (body awareness) is an issue for most people, as well as muscle imbalances (one side is stronger than the other) in the lower body.

Bulgarian split squats allow you to get the benefits of single leg squats at a lower intensity and with less balance skills required.

Your weak leg will get stronger and catch up with the stronger one.
Just make sure you do as many reps on each leg, don’t do more with the strong leg otherwise the weaker one won’t catch up.

You’ll also greatly improve your balance.

If this is too hard, try TRX shrimp squats.

Click this link for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. Stop training for a 6-pack (and still get one).

Here are the 2 reasons I stopped training abs to get a six-pack 9 years ago.
(And how it actually helped me get one in the end.)

Reason no.1: That’s not how it works.

Doing sit-ups and other ab exercises may increase their size a little bit, but that’s irrelevant.
If you want a six-pack, you need to lose the layer of fat that’s hiding it.

It’s the only way.

And you do that by losing fat overall.
Because in case you didn’t know yet, you can’t choose to reduce fat in a specific area.

Reason no.2: You should be much more interested in the other benefits of training abs.

So do train them.

But train them to get a strong core.

A strong core enables everything else.
It makes you better at everything you do.
It makes you stronger overall, it reduces your risk of injury, your back pain, and improves your posture too.

A bulletproof core will make you strong enough to do the things that can actually give you a six-pack.

So my advice is the same as always: train to be strong and you’ll look good.

3. Learn to walk before you run.

Do you want to get strong, live long, look good and stay injury-free?

Here’s why you should start with bodyweight or light training before going heavy:

- It allows you to focus on motor patterns, which makes everything easier down the line.
- It prepares your joints, tendons, and ligaments.
- It teaches you patience and to master the basics first.
- It builds smaller muscles that will support your main muscles on heavier lifts later.
- It keeps you safe from injury.
- You won’t be forced to regress to the basics when you hit a plateau.
- It saves you tons of time for all the reasons above.
- This type of training naturally sculpts a proportionate body, which you can build upon later.

Remember you must learn to walk before you can run.
It’s as old as the hills.

4. This is how you stay motivated.

This common mistake makes a lot of people who are trying to get fit lose motivation.

Many even give up.

Taking pictures or videos of your progress is mandatory.
But a lot of people still don’t see the value of it.

It is not about vanity at all.
You need to keep visual evidence of your journey preciously, so you can look back and see how far you’ve come.

Because trust me, if you don’t, you won’t notice any progress.
You won’t even believe the compliments from people who see the changes in you.

And there is nothing more demotivating than working out and feeling like you're not going anywhere.

So make sure you document your journey and record all your improvements.

That’s how you’ll stay on track and reach your goals.

“The body benefits from movement, and the mind benefits from stillness.” ― Sakyong Mipham