While it took me MANY years and countless struggles and setbacks to find my ‘’sweet spot’’ with my training and lifestyle, I’ve gotten there and will never look back.
I train for life, and to experience joy, fun, and empowerment. I also love to learn, fail, I appreciate the process, and I try to better myself every day. While I’m not saying my way is the ONLY way, it certainly feels great!
Here are 10 key ways my training has evolved and improved from my 20s to 40s.
#1) No more “ego-lifting”
I prioritize rep/movement quality over ‘’ego lifting.’’ I was hugely guilty of ego lifting when I was in my 20s. I am significantly stronger now that I no longer ego lift! My body also feels WAY better. Shocking, I know!
And if you are unfamiliar with ego lifting, it typically means using as much weight as possible but at the expense of form. As I always say, form first!
#2) More unilateral training, especially lower body
I really prioritize my unilateral training, particularly with my lower body. The end result is I have gotten a lot stronger, am way more athletic, and feel dramatically better. I have also gained a significant amount of muscle in my legs and glutes.
Here are a few of my favorite unilateral lower body exercises. I include some of these in my Ultimate Lower Body And Core Program, and Ultimate Full Body Program.
#3) I rarely train to failure
While I occasionally train to failure, I usually leave one to two good reps in the tank per set. This is especially true with the more technical and/or higher risk exercises.
#4) Recognizing that bad workouts are NORMAL and common!
Now when I have a bad workout (happens a lot), instead of feeling upset or disappointed in myself, I remind myself what a privilege being able to train is, and how grateful I am. I also remind myself that progress is not linear.
#5) I listen to my body versus going “all out” no matter what!
Before I would go ALL out, no matter how I was feeling. Now I am much less rigid in my programming. How my body feels on a particular day will dictate what I do/how I train. If I feel great, I will push myself more (lift more, do more reps, go for a PR, etc). If I am having a low energy day, I will often use less weight, do fewer reps, or focus on my ‘’weaker links.’’
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#6) I no longer train to control how I look
Back in my 20s, I largely trained to control how I looked. This was soul-zapping and ineffective! Now I train to enhance how I feel both mentally and physically, and to get stronger, and more athletic. Any aesthetic changes are a byproduct of my training, not the focus of my training.
#7) Now I train “weak links” to make them “strong points“
When it comes to strength training, I no longer neglect muscles that are overlooked by many. These muscles/muscle groups include the adductors, hip flexors, serratus, mid and lower traps, etc. The end result is I am WAY stronger, and feel so much better!
Here are several of my go-to exercises for these overlooked muscles:
Adductors
Hip Flexors:
Traps (mid and lower):
Serratus Anterior:
#8) I vary my cardio
Before, all of my cardio used to be high intensity. Now I do a combo of high, medium, and low intensity. I usually do each two times per week. And before, most of my movement occurred in the gym. Now I focus on walking a lot throughout the day. This has been fantastic for both my mental and physical health!
#9) More is not always better!
With all aspects of my training, I have learned that more is not always better! There is an optimal ‘’training’’ dose that will help me get stronger, improve my athleticism, and allow me to recover more effectively. This applies to all parts of my training, allows me to train more consistently, and keep improving.
#10) I embrace training the fundamentals
As I have gotten older, I truly appreciate that if you want to be elite at something, you have to become proficient at the fundamentals, and never stop working at these fundamentals. Mastering the fundamentals will help you achieve any training goal you have, and is a necessity! Training the fundamentals is a FOREVER thing!
Bonus Point: Process > fixating on the results
Now when I train, and this is particularly true when I have a set goal like I do with my muscle-ups, I have truly bought into enjoying and embracing the process and struggle versus fixating on the end result. This mindset has helped me achieve dramatically better results, and has made my training even more fulfilling.
Here are several muscle-up milestones I’m currently at. I am a “work in progress” with these.
If muscle-ups are a goal of yours, check out my Ultimate Muscle-Up Program!
SAVE $37 – Get a package of The Ultimate Pull-Up Program and The Ultimate Hip Flexor And Core Guide for $157. Both programs regularly cost $97 each, so you save $37.
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