There are many factors at play in achieving good results in the gym.
In food you have the type of diet you follow, the food you eat, when you eat them, quantities and much more.
In training too.
How often should you go to the gym, what type of training should you follow, how many repetitions should you do or What exercises should you use?. And not only that.
As if that weren't enough, the time and quality of your rest is also fundamental and there are also supplements.
It's hard not to get confused amidst so many factors.
But there is one more important than all the others and that will influence them too.
What factor is this and what rule are we talking about?
The most important factor in diet and training
What factor is that?
The most important factor in getting the results you want in the gym has a name.
It is also often relegated to the background. Sometimes it is not even considered.
It's called consistency.
The most important factor in the success of any diet, workout or plan you follow is consistency.
It seems simple, but is it really that simple?
Cristiano Ronaldo responds.
The consistency
Imagine Cristiano Ronaldo when he was a kid.
At first, he started playing football with his friends whenever he felt like it and without much rigor.
The time spent on this hobby began to increase, as did the strictness with entering football at club level.
Meanwhile, he was not only becoming an increasingly better player, but he was also moving to increasingly competitive and demanding clubs.
The training was increasingly disciplined and rigorous.
The competitive level also became more intense.
Eventually, diet also began to play a fundamental role in his daily life, beyond training and games.
Nowadays everything is extremely demanding and precisely measured in order to not only maintain your level but also improve it.
The entire process was done gradually and consistently.
Now imagine if this all started the other way around.
Imagine Cristiano Ronaldo at the beginning following everything he does now.
The intense training, the strict diet, the extremely competitive games.
Do you think I could?
Would it be consistent?
Although diet, training and routines have changed, what has always remained is consistency.
It seems to have produced results.
Consistency in the diet
You're not happy with your current physical shape, so you decide to follow the super plan of a professional athlete who has the body you want.
You found your plan online and are committed, even though it is a radical change from what you currently do.
Even though the number of meals doesn't fit well with your schedule, you've made up your mind.
You don't like half the foods this athlete uses, but you're willing to make the sacrifice.
You want drastic changes, so you need a diet to match.
The problem?
It won't work.
For a diet to work, it needs to fit into your schedule, it needs to match your preferences, and it needs to be viable in the long term.
Otherwise the chances of you giving up quickly are high. Very high.
And if you give up, there goes consistency.
Consistency in training
New Year New Life.
It's now in 2018 that you're going to get your dream body, right?
For that you need intense training.
Your current three-workout-a-week plan isn’t working. Or maybe you haven’t worked out in a few months.
It doesn't matter, you still know where the gym is.
Something like five weekly workouts with a lot of volume and intensity like your idol is the way to go.
Or maybe not.
Just like diet, training must be adapted to you.
If you know that it is very unlikely that you will be able to visit the gym five times week after week, is it a good idea?
If you know that you regularly have days when it is impossible for you to go to the gym, does it make sense to ignore this factor?
No.
What is the solution?
The solution is above all to be realistic.
The first thing you should consider when starting a diet and training is consistency.
In the long run, how often do you think you can consistently go to the gym?
It's easy in the first week to say every day.
But what about three months from now, can you say the same?
Won't it interfere with your professional life?
Or interfere with any other area of your life that you consider important.
If the answer is three workouts a week, build your plan around three workouts a week. Not five.
What about food?
What foods do you like and what foods do you hate?
Can you believe you can eat nothing but chicken and broccoli every day for months?
Or would it be more sustainable to diversify your diet a little and adapt gradually?
Or eat just four meals instead of seven if that's what fits better into your daily routine.
Attention
This does not mean that there should not be some sacrifices.
It doesn't mean that you just need to go to the gym once a week and eat only delicious foods.
Consistency without effort won't get you far.
But if there are to be sacrifices, they will be minor and necessary, and above all, implemented gradually and with a long-term view.
You can't get good results in the gym without effort.
In the same way that they cannot be achieved without consistency.
What you should do is find the balance between both for your specific situation.
Plan realistically so that you can stick to your plan in the long run. Create habits.
It is in the long term that results appear. Not in a week or a month.
There are a few more things that will help you get good results and the article The 7 habits for success in the gym tell you what they are.
