Okay so you’ve been showing up consistently. You have a routine, you’re not dreading the gym anymore, and you’re past the part where just getting there was the whole victory. That’s genuinely huge and I am so fucking proud of you for it.

But now that you’re here, we need to talk about what actually moves the needle from this point forward. Because the things that got you consistent are not the same things that are going to get you stronger. The game changes a little. And I know you might not like this bit but…here we go anyways.

These things are the most important to pay attention to.

*You need to work hard in your workouts*

I say this with all of my love: if every session feels totally comfortable and manageable, you’re probably not pushing hard enough anymore. Progressive overload, which is the practice of gradually increasing the demand you put on your body over time, is how you actually get stronger. That means the weights need to go up sometimes. The reps need to feel challenging by the end of a set. You should finish a workout feeling like you did something, not like you just went through the motions.

Comfortable is fine for a warm up. It’s not a training strategy.

This isn’t to say that there won’t be days where we need to take it easy, but if all of our days are taking it easy, we need to figure things out.

*You need to eat enough food*

This is the one people don’t want to hear, but I’m going to say it anyway. If you’re training consistently and not seeing progress, there is a very real chance you’re not eating enough to support the work you’re doing. 

Your body needs fuel to build muscle and recover, and if you’re under-eating, it doesn’t have the raw materials to do either of those things. Enough protein, enough carbs, enough overall food. I know that food feelings can be tricky,  but this should not be considered optional.

*You need to sleep enough*

You knew this was coming because I talk about sleep constantly and I’m not going to stop. Sleep is when your body actually does the repair work from your training. Seven to nine hours. Consistently. 

If you’re training hard and eating well and still feel like you’re spinning your wheels, look at your sleep before you change anything else.

Once you’ve got consistency down, the next level isn’t about finding some secret program or perfect supplement. It’s about doing the basics really well. Work hard, eat enough, sleep enough. That’s most of it.

You’ve done the hard part of building the habit. Now let’s actually make it work for you.

Need help getting consistent? We’ve got you