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I have to admit I love lists! I’m going to keep this short and sweet, no bullshit, straight keeping it real. What are 10 things you NEED to do to be at your best physically.
In order for something to make the list I had to assume it was something you may not already be doing. I wanted to give you 10 things that you could do that could really change your fitness. This is by no means an exclusive list but its a great starting point. If you are NOT getting the fitness results you want implementing these 10 things will get you on the right track!
1- Track Your Macros
Seeing that I am the “Flexible Dieting” guy it makes sense that I would have this number one on my list. The fact is I don’t really care what you eat. You can be flexible and eat pop tarts, ice cream, etc and meet your goals or you can eat straight bro foods and reach your goals as well. It does not matter to me, I really don’t have a dog in the fight. I am not partial either way.
The most important thing is that you have an accurate idea of how many calories and macronutrients you are taking in. Without tracking it becomes very difficult to make adjustments when progress stalls. Its hard to make changes to things that are not measurable. Be detailed and it makes everything easier.
For more information on Tracking Your Macros and “Flexible Dieting” check out my YouTube series: here
2- Front Squat
I have talked at length about the benefits of squatting. You SHOULD be squatting more than once a week, that can be either back squats, front squats or any combination of the two. So why did I put front squats on the list instead of back squats?
A few reasons:
– I expect that most of you are already back squatting. However, front squats are a rare exercise that you do not typically see done in your average gym. This is because there is nothing comfortable about a heavy front squat. But being comfortable is not something we should be interested in. Bottom line is they are tough but effective!
– Front Squats put more emphasis on Core Strength / Stability. Putting a loaded barbell across your shoulders changes the load distribution in a way which requires more core activation.
– More carry over to Olympic Lifts, specifically the clean. Are you shitty at cleans/power cleans? One of the best ways to improve that is by bringing your front squat numbers up!
Watch me fail and snap my shit up with a 405lbs Front Squat at the end lol
3- Avoid Bullshit
Alright this is kinda vague. To be more clear I’m talking about all kinddzz of bullshit.
4- Always do some form of Warm Up
This is more important that you might think. It can even be less then 10 minutes just make sure you do something and do it consistently!
If you have questions about what type of warm ups you should be doing check out Nick Smoot’s excellent breakdown on the perfect warm up: https://www.kylehuntfitness.com/warming-up-for-optimal-performance/
This is what I typically do:
– Jump Rope for about 5 minutes
– Foam Roll
– Body Part Specific mobility exercises
– Light warm up sets
5 – Sprint
If you are anything like me you probably HATE cardio! With this mindset we are constantly struggling with the desire to be lean and in good condition while doing the LEAST amount of cardio possible. The answer to this is simple…Sprint! Do regular sprints, hill sprints, sled sprints, etc. I dont care how you sprint just do work!
You can even “sprint” on an elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike, or air dyne. Really I’m talking about any form of high intensity cardio but my favorite way to do hiit is through sprinting. Call me old school but it works.
6- Quit Bein a lil Bish (Matt Ogus voice)
Being a coach and someone who travels to train in a bunch of different gyms, I hear every excuse in the book. This could actually be the most important tip in this article.
STOP ALL EXCUSES!
At the end of the day all that matters is if you made progress. People typically do not get held back physically, they get held back mentally. When you enter the gym you need to turn into a BEAST and develop “the eye of the tiger” and just get shit done!
Discipline is something that is becoming a rare trait in todays society. Challenge the norm.
8- Keep a Log Book
I find this to be very common with strong people. I have to admit I trained for a long time without ever keeping a log book but once I did the results showed.
Progressive overload is one of the more important training variables that need to be used to make progress. Using more weight and doing more reps is the best way to progress in your training.
Having a log book to reference makes it really easy to look up what you did last week and try to beat it. You can almost turn it into a competition to try and “beat the log book”
I just write down the weights I want to use in my book before I go to the gym and no matter what I will AT LEAST hit those numbers for the day.
A word of caution!! Don’t let the log book hold you back. If you put in the book to do 5 reps with 315lbs but you feel like you could do 8, do it! Some days are just better then others and that needs to be considered.
9- Be an Athlete
If you are serious about your fitness you need to start thinking of yourself as an athlete. If you want to be explosive, you need to train like an athlete and that mindset.
You want to be fast? Then you must learn to jump and explode.
For a typical gym goer, a simple way to do this is to incorporate some kind of explosive work in the beginning of your session before your main lifting. Remember that speed/explosive lifts should be trained first in a workout, when you’re fresh. Keep the volume low so it doesn’t effect your heavy work for the day.
Here is an example of how I would set it up.
Lower Body Day
A1 – Box jumps 5 sets of 1-3 reps @ 24-36in
A2 – Kettlebell Squat Jump 3 sets of 5 reps
B1 – Front Squat …
Boom! Its that easy.
10- Hire a Coach
Ok here comes the shameless Hunt Fitness plug. No but seriously everyone needs a coach. There is a reason even some of the best coaches in the industry hire other coaches to develop their training and nutrition programs. Dan John has an excellent quote on this…”when you train yourself you have an idiot for a client”.
The benefits of hiring a coach are endless.
Just having another educated opinion of what you should be doing can be extremely valuable. Also without knowing it most of us tend to get in a comfort zone and do the same exercises in the same rep ranges week after week.
If you have never hired a coach to design your training and/or nutrition you are doing yourself an extreme disservice.
Now take these 10 tips and implement them to become a BEAST.
In order for something to make the list I had to assume it was something you may not already be doing. I wanted to give you 10 things that you could do that could really change your fitness. This is by no means an exclusive list but its a great starting point. If you are NOT getting the fitness results you want implementing these 10 things will get you on the right track!
1- Track Your Macros
Seeing that I am the “Flexible Dieting” guy it makes sense that I would have this number one on my list. The fact is I don’t really care what you eat. You can be flexible and eat pop tarts, ice cream, etc and meet your goals or you can eat straight bro foods and reach your goals as well. It does not matter to me, I really don’t have a dog in the fight. I am not partial either way.
The most important thing is that you have an accurate idea of how many calories and macronutrients you are taking in. Without tracking it becomes very difficult to make adjustments when progress stalls. Its hard to make changes to things that are not measurable. Be detailed and it makes everything easier.
For more information on Tracking Your Macros and “Flexible Dieting” check out my YouTube series: here
2- Front Squat
I have talked at length about the benefits of squatting. You SHOULD be squatting more than once a week, that can be either back squats, front squats or any combination of the two. So why did I put front squats on the list instead of back squats?
A few reasons:
– I expect that most of you are already back squatting. However, front squats are a rare exercise that you do not typically see done in your average gym. This is because there is nothing comfortable about a heavy front squat. But being comfortable is not something we should be interested in. Bottom line is they are tough but effective!
– Front Squats put more emphasis on Core Strength / Stability. Putting a loaded barbell across your shoulders changes the load distribution in a way which requires more core activation.
– More carry over to Olympic Lifts, specifically the clean. Are you shitty at cleans/power cleans? One of the best ways to improve that is by bringing your front squat numbers up!
Watch me fail and snap my shit up with a 405lbs Front Squat at the end lol
3- Avoid Bullshit
Alright this is kinda vague. To be more clear I’m talking about all kinddzz of bullshit.
- Training Bullshit: Focus on the exercises that matter and limit the fluff. Spend the most amount of time doing squats, deadlifts, presses, rows, pull-ups, sprints, etc.
- Nutrition Bullshit: No need to follow any specific “diet”. Figure out where your macros need to be for your goal (or hire me) and track your food intake eating the foods you enjoy. Remember typically moderation is key with nutrition…and most things.
- Supplementation Bullshit: I love supplements and I am a BIG believer in the ones that work. However, you must realize that a majority of the products that come to the market are overpriced crap. Don’t fall victim to the marketing scams.
4- Always do some form of Warm Up
This is more important that you might think. It can even be less then 10 minutes just make sure you do something and do it consistently!
If you have questions about what type of warm ups you should be doing check out Nick Smoot’s excellent breakdown on the perfect warm up: https://www.kylehuntfitness.com/warming-up-for-optimal-performance/
This is what I typically do:
– Jump Rope for about 5 minutes
– Foam Roll
– Body Part Specific mobility exercises
– Light warm up sets
5 – Sprint
If you are anything like me you probably HATE cardio! With this mindset we are constantly struggling with the desire to be lean and in good condition while doing the LEAST amount of cardio possible. The answer to this is simple…Sprint! Do regular sprints, hill sprints, sled sprints, etc. I dont care how you sprint just do work!You can even “sprint” on an elliptical, treadmill, stationary bike, or air dyne. Really I’m talking about any form of high intensity cardio but my favorite way to do hiit is through sprinting. Call me old school but it works.
6- Quit Bein a lil Bish (Matt Ogus voice)
Being a coach and someone who travels to train in a bunch of different gyms, I hear every excuse in the book. This could actually be the most important tip in this article.
STOP ALL EXCUSES!
At the end of the day all that matters is if you made progress. People typically do not get held back physically, they get held back mentally. When you enter the gym you need to turn into a BEAST and develop “the eye of the tiger” and just get shit done!
Discipline is something that is becoming a rare trait in todays society. Challenge the norm.
8- Keep a Log Book
I find this to be very common with strong people. I have to admit I trained for a long time without ever keeping a log book but once I did the results showed.
Progressive overload is one of the more important training variables that need to be used to make progress. Using more weight and doing more reps is the best way to progress in your training.
Having a log book to reference makes it really easy to look up what you did last week and try to beat it. You can almost turn it into a competition to try and “beat the log book”
I just write down the weights I want to use in my book before I go to the gym and no matter what I will AT LEAST hit those numbers for the day.
A word of caution!! Don’t let the log book hold you back. If you put in the book to do 5 reps with 315lbs but you feel like you could do 8, do it! Some days are just better then others and that needs to be considered.
9- Be an Athlete
If you are serious about your fitness you need to start thinking of yourself as an athlete. If you want to be explosive, you need to train like an athlete and that mindset.
You want to be fast? Then you must learn to jump and explode.
For a typical gym goer, a simple way to do this is to incorporate some kind of explosive work in the beginning of your session before your main lifting. Remember that speed/explosive lifts should be trained first in a workout, when you’re fresh. Keep the volume low so it doesn’t effect your heavy work for the day.
Here is an example of how I would set it up.
Lower Body Day
A1 – Box jumps 5 sets of 1-3 reps @ 24-36in
A2 – Kettlebell Squat Jump 3 sets of 5 reps
B1 – Front Squat …
Boom! Its that easy.
10- Hire a Coach
Ok here comes the shameless Hunt Fitness plug. No but seriously everyone needs a coach. There is a reason even some of the best coaches in the industry hire other coaches to develop their training and nutrition programs. Dan John has an excellent quote on this…”when you train yourself you have an idiot for a client”.
The benefits of hiring a coach are endless.
Just having another educated opinion of what you should be doing can be extremely valuable. Also without knowing it most of us tend to get in a comfort zone and do the same exercises in the same rep ranges week after week.
If you have never hired a coach to design your training and/or nutrition you are doing yourself an extreme disservice.
Now take these 10 tips and implement them to become a BEAST.
