When and How to Train to Get Results

In short, I’ve created a Simple Training Program that answers the following questions:

• What type of workouts should I do?
• How often should I workout?
• What results can I expect?

This program covers when and how I recommend you train based on the results you want to get. You can download it below. Now, I’ll elaborate a little.

The number one way to get results is consistency. Your workouts don’t have to always be hard to get results, but they do have to be consistent. Consistency beats intensity. And if you are advanced enough to train intensely…consistently…you should be getting extraordinary results.

I’m going to beat the word “consistent” into your head. When I say consistent, I generally mean at least 4 days a week of exercise, but that all depends on your goal, which I cover in the download.

Being consistent means you make time to workout with some regularity every week. Many people make the mistake of not tracking their workouts or following a schedule. In their mind, they workout consistently not realizing that in a two week period they only worked out 4 times. This can go on for weeks, months, years even, until they become shocked and frustrated, wondering why they didn’t make any progress. Sadly, it often leads to quitting. It’s an easy mistake to make, but it’s also an easy fix.

To ensure you are consistent and get the results you want, get on a training program. After all, if you know where you want your training to take you, you should know how you’re going to get there. Just like when you travel somewhere, you don’t just aim in that direction, you follow a specific set of instructions. It doesn’t need to be complicated though. A training program only needs to be a plan of what type of workouts you’ll do and when you’ll do them (aha, like in the Simple Training Program available for download below).

Anyone who trains with me or hears me talk about training knows I’m a die-hard advocate of strength training. Talk to me further (or wait a few seconds) and you’ll find I’m all about following a customized strength training program. Yes, a program is ideal, but a good training program is only good if it’s followed and I recognize most people won’t follow a detailed program, at least not at first. I also recognize that a very small percentage of people who exercise actually strength train, but that’s a topic for another day.

Even with my firm stance on strength training, I’ll agree that there are many ways to approach fitness and still get good results. Some ways work better than others (ahem, strength training), but if something works for you and your goals, that’s what matters most. As long as you’re consistent, you can pretty much do any form of exercise and you’ll get something from it.

This is good news for all fitness enthusiasts because unless you have a very specific goal in mind, such as Deadlifting 2.5 times your bodyweight by July, or rehabilitating after a surgery, or doing your first unassisted pull-up, you can train in a way that appeals to you. You’ll be able to get good results by following a very basic program (or a Simple Training Program perhaps, wink, wink). Methods like CrossFit thrive off of “constantly varied” workouts without complicated programming and it works good enough to get the results people want. For the fitness enthusiast, a program should have a balance of workouts and exercises that include what you like to do with what you need to do. In other words, a customized program is not required to get results when a simple training program consisting of certain types of workouts will do.

Side note, if you are an athlete or competitor, you absolutely should be on a program coached by a professional, but even they don’t tend to always follow a program. And athletes can have some of the simplest programming, it all depends.

So what are the most effective types of workouts for getting results? Did you NOT read what I wrote above? Strength training, of course 🙂 But really, the most effective workout is the workout you actually do, and the workout you’re most likely to do is the one you want to do. Keep in mind, workouts do need to challenge you, but that’s also a topic for another day. Just make sure the workouts you choose align with your goals. Guess what? I cover this in the download. Wow! Actually, I may have hyped it up too much already. It’s not that big of a deal, but I do hope you find it useful.

In summary, all most of us need is a basic training program and some guidelines for what workouts to do. Have a look at the Simple Training Program I’ve prepared then let me know what you think and if you have any questions.