What holds people back so much of the time is that they let the perfect become the enemy of the good. Perfect conditions rarely show up. If you wait for things to be perfect, you’ll always be waiting.
Imperfect, consistent action trumps perfect every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
The people who let perfect stop them, the ones who I care most about, are the ones who think that because they aren’t 22, they have kids and adult responsibilities, that they don’t look like the fitness models in all the magazines, that too many things have gone wrong, so they think that there’s no point in trying.
Those are the ones I care about.
Because you get them to make a few changes to their diet (mainly reducing sugar while increasing protein, fruits, and vegetables), and to put in a couple of good workouts per week, and they see change happen.
They go to their twenty year high school reunion and their friends comment that they don’t have back fat or bingo wings.
And they do this on two to three workouts per week for 45 minutes a session.
That’s not the script they expect. It’s not five hours a day torture sessions like they see on the weight loss reality shows. It’s not the Gwyneth/Beyonce, cost prohibitive, juice cleansed, all possible variables weirdly controlled story.
It’s easy to come up with reasons (perfect always has lots of them) to not workout, or to change your diet, or to change up your habits to be healthier, but that’s playing not to lose, that’s playing defense, and it’s not a way to win.
Because I want you guys to win.
You don’t need a gym full of fancy equipment or two hours a day to train, or to pay someone to count reps for you while looking at their smart phone (trust me, I see trainers do this and it makes me mad).
All you need is 20 – 30 minutes to focus on getting stronger. Do this three times per week, show up consistently and put in a legit effort (you don’t have to swing for the fence, but don’t just go through the motions either) and good things will happen.
This is a beginner friendly workout that you can do just about anywhere.
How much weight should you use? Most of my clients swing and squat with 17, 25, or 35 pound kettlebells. If they’re really strong, then they’ll double up on the 25’s. Most of the women I train start with the 17’s and quickly work up to the 25’s and 35’s.
What about those super light kettlebells from celebrity trainers?
They want to sell you on the idea that the strongest muscles in your body doing the most powerful movements you can perform will be challenged by five or eight pounds which is a flat out lie.
They’re getting those things made for pennies in China, selling you on the idea that you need their dinky little weights, and killing it on the mark up.
Don’t fall for that.
Here’s the workout. Three to five rounds of:
- Deadlift or Swing x 20 – 25
- Push Ups (knees or straight legs) x 10 – 15
- Goblet Squat x 10 – 15
- Side Plank + Rotation x 10 – 15 per side
- Dragon Flags x 10 – 15
Keep it simple.
Seriously. If you showed up and put in 20 – 30 minutes of work and focused on getting stronger three days per week like this, you’d be amazed at how much better you look and feel.
There will always be reasons not to.
Don’t let that stop you.
Go on the offensive.
Play to win.
Like what you just read? Then please like and share on social media. It helps get the word out and lets more people see posts like this.
