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One of the main keys in life is growth.
If you are not experiencing growth then you are either declining or remaining stagnant. Last time I checked no one who chose those options ever accomplished anything of value.
When it comes to your physique, growth is of the utmost importance. Your strength, muscular size, and performance should all be consistently growing even it is only small improvements.
Whether you move forward one inch or one mile you are still moving forward. But many trainees are stuck when it comes to making real progress.
If your physique and your performance have not seen positive changes since The Fresh Prince went off the air, then, unfortunately, you are one of these trainees.
All is not lost. Find out about the 2 ways to guarantee growth with your physique below.
1. When You Train Do Something that Scares You
Many trainees are consumed by fear.
It could be the fear of failure.
It could be the fear of looking bad in the gym.
Related: 7 Habits of Highly Successful & Motivated Gym-Goers
It could even be the fear of feeling the pain of an intense set of work.
These trainees will never see big changes with their physiques because fear dictates what they do in the gym. This is a severely limiting mindset.
What if you have been performing 60lb dumbbell bench presses for 5×10 for the last 12 weeks and avoiding going up in weight?
What if you have been performing half-squats in order to avoid squatting down deep into the bucket?
These decisions are driven by fear but what you have to know is that embracing that fear will drastically change how you think and look.
The most fearsome thing I’ve ever done training-wise in my life was the Lunges of Death.
For months and the final weeks leading up to it, the thought of finally doing it made me beyond queasy. Sleeping at night became difficult.
When the day finally came to perform, I was terrified. But as I fought through and completed the task, something magical happened.
The fear that I had about doing the Lunges of Death was replaced by a different mindset. The mindset of nothing is impossible.
When your mind progresses in such a drastic fashion you will begin to look at your training with a different set of eyes.
I want to start you with a small challenge to apply to your workouts this week. I want you to do something in the gym that scares you.
Use heavier weights when you train.
Make an effort to get down to the bucket when you squat.
Find a movement you are terrible at and start to perform it. For example, I just started doing Russian Dips 2 weeks ago.
Even though I have done weighted dips with up to 140lbs added to the dip belt, I could barely do 6 Russian Dips. I got completely folded but when you get humbled it creates an opportunity to get better.
I can now do 10 Russian Dips after a few training sessions and will continue to grow this difficult movement until I become great at it.
Whatever you do, I want you to have butterflies in your stomach before you perform it. Do not use a weight so heavy that your form gets compromised but use a weight that forces you to get uncomfortable.
By overcoming fear you are priming your body and mind for extreme growth.
2. Step Outside the Box
The box is comfortable like a top of the line bed.
Unfortunately, the box is where the majority of trainees and lifters reside. Staying in the box is dangerous because the box has boundaries.
When you decide to stay within the confines of the box you have no chance for growth. This applies to the physical box and more importantly the mental box.
Let’s say you are a lifter.
You start your lifting career with a good attitude and are able to make decent progress initially. As you begin to progress as a lifter you start to notice that the workouts and the diet you used to get into decent shape are no longer creating any results.
You consistently go to the gym but you still perform the same exact workouts every single time. Your attitude towards training has become negative and when you look in the mirror you see the same exact physique every month. When you lift the barbell, the same exact amount of weight is always on it.
Step Outside the Box and Challenge Yourself
What can you do to change this?
You could stay in the box and be comfortable. This would entail you keeping the same uninspiring physique and performance for years and years and never truly actualizing your potential.
Or you can step outside the box and begin to do different workouts that make you uncomfortable and will lead you down a path to build the incredible physique you want. The most basic way to do this is to change your sets, reps, and movements.
Related: 3 Keys To Making Continuous Progress In The Gym
Taking the second route will be decidedly harder, but the payoff will be well worth it. There is no downside to getting stronger, building more muscle, and forging mental toughness.
Who cares if everyone else is using machines? This is your time to master the iron.
Who cares if everyone is wasting time in the “cardio” section? This is your time to hit the track, learn how to sprint, and become athletic.
Staying in the box will limit your potential. Stepping outside of the box will come with many challenges, but overcoming these challenges will transform you into an unstoppable force.
To go along with the challenge of using heavier weights and performing different exercises, I challenge you this week to step outside the box with your actual training program.
If you have been doing 3x10 since baggy jeans were hot, use the RP-21 Training System to supercharge your physique and performance. It is time to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
At the end of this article leave your comments on what you did this week in the gym that scared you and made you step outside the box. I promise you a dramatic mental and physical transformation once you begin to overcome these new hurdles.
Step Outside The Box Training Program
If your current training program is stale, then you are overdue for a change. Use the new program below to challenge your body and mind.
I’ve known many men who use a training program that looks like this:
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Shoulders
Wednesday: Chest, Biceps, and Abs
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Chest and Triceps
Saturday: Shoulders, Biceps and Abs (the club pump)
I’ve known many women use a training program that looks like this:
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Legs, Cardio, and Abs
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Cardio and Abs
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Legs, Cardio, and Abs
Saturday: Cardio
When you combine the fact that these atrociously constructed programs are typically defined by half-reps, bad movement selection, and low intensity you create the recipe for no real results. We are going to erase the above programs because they will only lead you to the dustbins of iron oblivion.
Starting now, you are going to shock your body and use a training program that looks like this:
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Lower Body
Tuesday: Upper Body and Conditioning
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Lower Body
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Upper Body and Conditioning
You can shift the program more towards your goals in regards to your movement selection. For example, a trainee looking to focus more on building glutes and hamstrings would do more posterior based lower body exercises than anterior based ones.
Note: Read the RP-21 Training System article that I linked above to see what exercises to use with the above training split. Training that focuses on progression and accountability will yield phenomenal results.
When you escape the box you will find the truth and success.
If you are not experiencing growth then you are either declining or remaining stagnant. Last time I checked no one who chose those options ever accomplished anything of value.
When it comes to your physique, growth is of the utmost importance. Your strength, muscular size, and performance should all be consistently growing even it is only small improvements.
Whether you move forward one inch or one mile you are still moving forward. But many trainees are stuck when it comes to making real progress.
If your physique and your performance have not seen positive changes since The Fresh Prince went off the air, then, unfortunately, you are one of these trainees.
All is not lost. Find out about the 2 ways to guarantee growth with your physique below.
1. When You Train Do Something that Scares You
Many trainees are consumed by fear.
It could be the fear of failure.
It could be the fear of looking bad in the gym.
Related: 7 Habits of Highly Successful & Motivated Gym-Goers
It could even be the fear of feeling the pain of an intense set of work.
These trainees will never see big changes with their physiques because fear dictates what they do in the gym. This is a severely limiting mindset.
What if you have been performing 60lb dumbbell bench presses for 5×10 for the last 12 weeks and avoiding going up in weight?
What if you have been performing half-squats in order to avoid squatting down deep into the bucket?
These decisions are driven by fear but what you have to know is that embracing that fear will drastically change how you think and look.
The most fearsome thing I’ve ever done training-wise in my life was the Lunges of Death.
For months and the final weeks leading up to it, the thought of finally doing it made me beyond queasy. Sleeping at night became difficult.
When the day finally came to perform, I was terrified. But as I fought through and completed the task, something magical happened.
The fear that I had about doing the Lunges of Death was replaced by a different mindset. The mindset of nothing is impossible.
When your mind progresses in such a drastic fashion you will begin to look at your training with a different set of eyes.
I want to start you with a small challenge to apply to your workouts this week. I want you to do something in the gym that scares you.
Use heavier weights when you train.
Make an effort to get down to the bucket when you squat.
Find a movement you are terrible at and start to perform it. For example, I just started doing Russian Dips 2 weeks ago.
Even though I have done weighted dips with up to 140lbs added to the dip belt, I could barely do 6 Russian Dips. I got completely folded but when you get humbled it creates an opportunity to get better.
I can now do 10 Russian Dips after a few training sessions and will continue to grow this difficult movement until I become great at it.
Whatever you do, I want you to have butterflies in your stomach before you perform it. Do not use a weight so heavy that your form gets compromised but use a weight that forces you to get uncomfortable.
By overcoming fear you are priming your body and mind for extreme growth.
2. Step Outside the Box
The box is comfortable like a top of the line bed.
Unfortunately, the box is where the majority of trainees and lifters reside. Staying in the box is dangerous because the box has boundaries.
When you decide to stay within the confines of the box you have no chance for growth. This applies to the physical box and more importantly the mental box.
Let’s say you are a lifter.
You start your lifting career with a good attitude and are able to make decent progress initially. As you begin to progress as a lifter you start to notice that the workouts and the diet you used to get into decent shape are no longer creating any results.
You consistently go to the gym but you still perform the same exact workouts every single time. Your attitude towards training has become negative and when you look in the mirror you see the same exact physique every month. When you lift the barbell, the same exact amount of weight is always on it.
Step Outside the Box and Challenge Yourself
What can you do to change this?
You could stay in the box and be comfortable. This would entail you keeping the same uninspiring physique and performance for years and years and never truly actualizing your potential.
Or you can step outside the box and begin to do different workouts that make you uncomfortable and will lead you down a path to build the incredible physique you want. The most basic way to do this is to change your sets, reps, and movements.
Related: 3 Keys To Making Continuous Progress In The Gym
Taking the second route will be decidedly harder, but the payoff will be well worth it. There is no downside to getting stronger, building more muscle, and forging mental toughness.
Who cares if everyone else is using machines? This is your time to master the iron.
Who cares if everyone is wasting time in the “cardio” section? This is your time to hit the track, learn how to sprint, and become athletic.
Staying in the box will limit your potential. Stepping outside of the box will come with many challenges, but overcoming these challenges will transform you into an unstoppable force.
To go along with the challenge of using heavier weights and performing different exercises, I challenge you this week to step outside the box with your actual training program.
If you have been doing 3x10 since baggy jeans were hot, use the RP-21 Training System to supercharge your physique and performance. It is time to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
At the end of this article leave your comments on what you did this week in the gym that scared you and made you step outside the box. I promise you a dramatic mental and physical transformation once you begin to overcome these new hurdles.
Step Outside The Box Training Program
If your current training program is stale, then you are overdue for a change. Use the new program below to challenge your body and mind.
I’ve known many men who use a training program that looks like this:
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Chest
Tuesday: Shoulders
Wednesday: Chest, Biceps, and Abs
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Chest and Triceps
Saturday: Shoulders, Biceps and Abs (the club pump)
I’ve known many women use a training program that looks like this:
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Legs, Cardio, and Abs
Tuesday: Cardio
Wednesday: Cardio and Abs
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Legs, Cardio, and Abs
Saturday: Cardio
When you combine the fact that these atrociously constructed programs are typically defined by half-reps, bad movement selection, and low intensity you create the recipe for no real results. We are going to erase the above programs because they will only lead you to the dustbins of iron oblivion.
Starting now, you are going to shock your body and use a training program that looks like this:
Sunday: OFF
Monday: Lower Body
Tuesday: Upper Body and Conditioning
Wednesday: OFF
Thursday: Lower Body
Friday: OFF
Saturday: Upper Body and Conditioning
You can shift the program more towards your goals in regards to your movement selection. For example, a trainee looking to focus more on building glutes and hamstrings would do more posterior based lower body exercises than anterior based ones.
Note: Read the RP-21 Training System article that I linked above to see what exercises to use with the above training split. Training that focuses on progression and accountability will yield phenomenal results.
When you escape the box you will find the truth and success.
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