newsletter archives

Discipline of steel #43

1) I left out this pull-up secret…
2) Don’t train muscles, train movement.
3) 99% don’t progress because of this.
4) How I pressed “reset” and became stronger at 37 than I was at 22.

Read time: 3.5 minutes

What to do when you’ve reached the shape you wanted?

Do you still restrict yourself, measure your waist every few weeks, and eat bland meals?

Is that the reward you get for your hard work?

Not according to me.

If you want to stay lean, train for strength and eat at maintenance.

I’m not saying you can all have a six-pack without a strict diet and precise nutrition plan, but you will definitely stay athletic and lean without training for looks and obsessing about fat loss.

Focus on becoming stronger, faster, moving better, and running longer.
In short, focus on becoming a better athlete and you’ll look like one.

Nature is well-made. And the surest way to look fit is to train to be fit, not just to look like it.

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. I left out this pull-up secret…

Remember the pull-up series we completed recently? (It starts here.)

Here’s a little secret I left out.

To get the most of your training and make sure you recover properly, there is a stretch that I know almost none of you does.

Do you have tight forearms after a pull workout, or do you think you’re not recovering fast enough between your pull days?

Here’s the forearm and biceps stretch I do after every session.

As usual, what helps you recover faster and avoid injury is also what helps you get stronger faster.

So make sure you don’t give it a pass just because you think stretching is boring.
Remember it’s what’s going to help you do more pull-ups, it’s part of the training!

Click this link for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. Don’t train muscles, train movement.

Don’t ask me how I train my back, chest, or biceps, because I don’t.

At least not in the way people think when they ask me that question.

I don’t isolate muscles.
All I do is what we call compound exercises or movements, where I train different muscles and joints at the same time.

Isolating muscles doesn’t train pure and functional strength.
It doesn’t engage your metabolism as much.
It complicates everything.
It’s monotonous.

Why have these exercises become so popular then?
Because they are absolutely essential in bodybuilding.
But maybe that’s not what you’re into.

So if what you want is:
Build a proportionate body, simply.
Retain muscle mass longer.
Burn fat faster.
Build strength.

Then learn to work out with your bodyweight, free weights, or functional training machines like Technogym Kinesis.
And start training for strength and mobility. 💪🏼

3. 99% don’t progress because of this.

If you don’t see any progress, I have 3 questions about your training:

1) Is it too easy?
2) Is it too hard?
3) Are you taking enough rest?

99% of the time you'll find the reason for a lack of progress in one of these answers.

That's if you're truly not progressing.

Because there's another very common situation I see:
People who actually progress but have not been tracking anything and just don't realize it.

It used to happen all the time when I was coaching.

Luckily I kept written records, photos and videos for my clients.
And I can tell you most of them were in disbelief when they saw how far they'd come.

Don’t make that mistake.

Take pictures, write notes, do a full health checkup if needed, and start tracking your progress now.

4. How I pressed “reset” and became stronger at 37 than I was at 22.

I’ve trained my whole life, but here is the major shift that made me become way stronger at 37 than I was in my so-called prime.

In 2015, I pressed the reset button.
I completely stopped training heavy and decided to re-learn to move.

I focused on compound bodyweight exercises, and exercises with light equipment or very light weights.

By practicing movement and training to master the basics, I reprogrammed my motor patterns and became noticeably stronger.

This in turn allowed me to lift heavier and heavier (and pulling up my own bodyweight with one hand).

So if I have one piece of advice to give you, it’s this:
Train light before you train heavy.

It may sound obvious at first, but few of us have the discipline to start small and go slow.

“The first and best victory is to conquer self.” ― Plato