There is a very important fitness question that I want to ask you. If you could meet yourself walking into the gym for the very first time and you are allowed to say three words, what are you saying? In this video, we are going to discuss the 6 bits of wisdom that I would say to myself in this exact scenario.
The first thing that I would say to young Jeff is “address your weaknesses.” All too often, when we go to the gym, we gravitate towards things that we like or that we are good at. It’s completely natural to seek out comfort in everything that we do, even in the weight room. However, I would argue that this is counterproductive to achieving your best gains.
To seek out the best results possible from your training, you need to start working on your deficiencies. Maybe your posture is less than ideal; you need to address the muscular weaknesses and imbalances that you have in order to correct it. Working on what you are good at is only going to get you so far, but working on where you are lacking is key.
My second piece of wisdom that I would tell myself in only three words is this: you versus you. Many of us that first start out at the gym are self-conscious about what other gym-goers are thinking of us. Are they judging us for being small or weak or the fact that we’re new to training? In reality, probably not! It’s too common for us to worry about what others are thinking about us.
Instead, you need to focus on nobody but yourself and focus on creating a better version of yourself. Look at it like a competition where you need to beat yourself. If you do just one thing to better yourself that day, you’ve won that day’s competition.
Next up, another three word phrase I would utter to young Jeff Cavaliere is “effort is everything.” Now, this should come as a no-brainer, but it needs to be said because too often is effort thrown out the window in the idea that you should “just show up.” Sure, showing up is the first part of the battle, but what you do after that is even more important.
When it comes to training, just showing up is not nearly enough. You can go to the gym and still not put in enough effort to make a change. I’ve said it many times before that you can train long or you can train hard but you can’t do both. I opt to for the training hard approach because that is where you will find the most results.
The next three words are part of a phrase that is all too common these days: “natty or not.” It comes from the decision point as a new lifter on whether or not to stay natural through their lifting career or the urge to indulge in enhancements. Just about every new gym-goer has wondered what kind of results they would get if they were to use steroids and sometimes are forced to make a choice.
I would argue that it is far more rewarding to go down the path of remaining a natural lifter throughout your training journey. While the gains may come a little bit slower and not seem as impressive as somebody who is getting a little extra “help,” you can say that every bit of growth you have has come from nothing but hard work.
Now, of course I would have give myself some nutritional advice too! Three simple words: focus on nutrition. I used to have terrible eating habits growing up and I feel that my early training days suffered from it. Luckily, once I dialed in what I was eating, the results were coming quicker and more noticeably. The same advice will work for you too. The sooner that you get your nutrition down and can find a way to stick with it, the sooner you will see the results that you are looking for.
This brings me to the final three words of training advice that I would give to myself just starting out in the gym: consistency is key. This encompasses just about everything I mentioned already in that remaining consistent and dedicated to addressing weaknesses, working on being the best version of yourself, staying on a natural path, and dialing in your nutrition.
Remaining consistent on all these points will lead you down a path of success and bring you the results you are ultimately seeking. If you’re looking for a consistent workout plan to help you achieve your training goals, be sure to visit athleanx.com using the link below and remember to use the program selector to select the plan best suited for you.
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Chris Wright
*NOTIFICATION SQUAD GIVEAWAY* – Alright guys, I’m giving away a complete 30 Day Workout program to 100 lucky clickers within the first hour this video is published! Remember, this is NOT THE FIRST 100, but those randomly selected within the first hour the video is published. Click the link to see if you’ve won. No strings attached!
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@Adam Paape Thank you!! All yours. My gift to you!
Rofl. I didn’t even realize that he had a give away. I wrote something during the first 20 minutes. Oh well, probably too late now.
I am 51 and have belly fat. Diet is more dirty keto. However I follow a lot of your lifts, but how much Cardio should I do in 5 day workout schedule. I try to do 10 minutes of cardio 3x a week. Could you suggest what would be best?
If you believe Jeff is natty his whole career your not the brightest. Does provide great info tho.
Dont count reps!
The one about people at the gym not judging you is very true. I started out the same way, being shy and a little scared to use gym equipment. But I actually found that the most ripped/fit people at the gym are usually the friendliest and most helpful. I’ve gotten tons of motivating comments from people like that who see me everyday and tell me to keep going.
Depends on what gym and where… good to hear there is some places that are welcoming and supportive.
Not sure if that is really true. I’m judging everyone at the gym. So if I am, problably some other people are too. I can’t help it.
It takes a long time to come to that realization though
Jordan Daly nice profile picture, i cri evritiem
It would have to be either “Just keep coming” or “Trust the process”. The biggest lesson I learned is that the most important thing in this journey is to just keep at it. The worst training routine possible that I can keep doing is better than any perfect plan that I give up on after two weeks.
boa
“discipline is key”. you’re gonna have bad days in the gym. there are gonna be days when you wake up and dread getting out of bed. but those are the days where your true passion for wanting to get better show.
Exactly. I only started going to the gym 2 years ago (at the age of 30). On my 2nd day, a friend advised me to be regular; Stick to a schedule. Come to the gym and just sit there if you don’t feel like working out. Enjoy free coffee offered by the gym and just see other people (a bit creepy :D).
That was the best advise that I could have gotten and it worked wonders for me.
“Form then heavy” – every time I got injured in the gym I sacrificed good form to lift heavier. After the last injury I finally let go of my ego and dropped all my weights amounts so I could focus on muscle memory with good form. Not only has it saved me from serious injuries since, it has allowed me to reach new max weights lifting because I am recruiting my muscles properly.
A big part of getting my form right was watching and rewatching a lot of Jeff’s videos that break down each aspect of specific exercises. Thank you, Jeff!
Same here, using heavy weights thinking I was progressing but as weights kept increasing, my form kept getting shittier. I also pulled back on the weights, and although the weight progression is slower, at least the form is done correctly.
Excellent.
When you’re injured you can still make progress from regressing an exercice and doing many reps to muscle failure. There’s no difference in hypertrophy gains and only slightly decreased strength gains. I wish more people knew that and told me in the beginning.
@Darth Tesla theres a huge decrease in strength progress from going to high reps instead of low. hypertrophy will lessen also. depending on what you mean by many reps ofc. if youre new to gym then you will obviously gain muscle and strength no matter the reps really
Yep. This is why my shoulders are recovering…I hope. We were doing that texas 5×5 model thing and went too heavy too fast. Got hurt.
I was thinking “consistency is key” when it was asked at the beginning, then Jeff three it in as a bonus at the end. It really is the big one for me! As soon as diet goes off track, IBS kicks in, mood swings, training goes off. Ugh. F’n forties.
It’s all so quiet
Jeff is too wise for me. I must learn from him to avoid knowledge imbalances.
“Mind muscle connection” You taught me this and it made all the difference for me in the gym.
“You inspire me”. That’s what I’d say to me. I just turned 50. Left an abusive husband 3 years ago. Lost 140lbs with about 20 more to go. I train thru brutal pain many days due to ankylosing spondtlitis. And the gym is often a hard environment for me because of visual and auditory issues from head trauma. I generally keep to myself at the gym, but I imagine people might be surprised if they knew my story. I started lifting as a teenager and continued off and on over the years. I never feel more grounded, powerful and beautiful as I do in the gym heaving weights around. It is my happy place.
Well done. Congratulation. At 51, I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lost 22 lbs. Then over the past 4+ years while doing BJJ I added 20 lbs. of muscle. All through nutrition.
Brilliant, your amazing
Wow, nice!!
“Weights don’t matter.”
“Reps don’t matter.”
“Only quality matters.”
These are my top three. When I think back to my beginner days or when I train with friends who are just starting, these three are often overlooked or are not valued as highly as they should be.
that’s just wrong. rep quality matters most, yes. that doesn’t mean weights and rep counts don’t matter. you are gonna trip beginners throwing out that kind of jargon without proper education about the actual importance of rep count and progressive overload.
Reps don’t matter, weights don’t matter.. so isometrics= gainz? I don’t think so
I’d say “take this seriously” make sure I understand that when I go workout I’m doing the right things, doing my homework outside of the gym, compliment with a better diet, and stay disciplined. When I first started working out I just sort of did whatever but if I just spent some time on the front end educating myself I’d be in a way better position now.
I still remember when I started gyming. I had tiny legs. Small calves. My first leg press I struggled to do 40kgs. But after a couple months I was doing 220k. My squat went from 10kg to 60kgs. My calves grew 6cm. It was alot of work, but I felt like an Olympia. It was pure bliss. Taking steroids takes that satisfaction away from you, and imo, makes your hard work seem cheap. So it’s all natty for me. The progress and satisfaction when you see results after working hard in the gym is what got me addicted. I could never cheapen it with steroids.
“You vs you” is so important. Love the progression Jesse!
“Success will hurt.” That comment about how growing muscle over 35 can only be done with TRT is, in fact, BS. I’m turning 42 this week and can attest that consistency still remains king – no TRT.
A lot of people are just lazy and rather blast none stop like Gregg Doucetfe
Same here. At 51, I started Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu lost 22 lbs. Then over the past 4+ years while doing BJJ I added 20 lbs. of muscle. All through nuitrition.
“Record your progress” – that’s what I would say because it’s highly motivating to see how far you’ve come.
“Just do it”
Everyone who trains knows what they need to do to be successful, but they don’t do it (guilty)
Eating right, doing the workout, just do it
“Gotta start somewhere” I’m still a relatively skinny guy but learning more about how to optimize my workout and how to get me caloric intake up has helped a lot and I still see a lot of progress in my size and strength. It’s all a learning experience
“Glad you’re here!” I have no regrets or changes. I explored exercises, found quickly what works for me, and have so much enjoyment out of something I dreaded starting. The gym is not just something I enjoy for the results, I look forward to going and have fun there in the moment being in the zone and pushing myself.