Your Foolproof New Year Plan

This is the plan to get in the gym and keep going back to the gym.

I’m sharing this because consistency in the gym is easily the best habit I’ve ever built.

My goal is to help you build that habit.

But rather than cover how to build this habit and ramble on about things like what lifts to do or how many reps to do, I want to discuss why this habit is worth building in the first place.

It’s easy. Looking like you work out levels up every aspect of your life.

People are nicer to you. People respect you more. You feel safer. You’re more capable. You’re more confident.

No bullshit.

Literally every aspect of your life gets better.

You’ve also done something everybody wishes they could do.

People set this goal for themselves every January.

Imagine yourself being in the group of people that actually did it.

You can do it.

So let’s talk about how to avoid the common pitfalls - the traps that make people quit before they fulfill their goals.

The Plan

None of this is new. In fact, you’ve probably heard it all before.

There’s a reason you’ve heard it before. It’s what works.

The steps to change are easy. Actually completing those steps is the hard part.

Here’s your foolproof plan:

1. Set realistic goals - short term and long term
2. Plan your routine
3. Make a commitment to stick to your routine for 4 weeks
4. Approach it with enthusiasm
5. Ease into your training
6. Trust the process

Goal Setting

You’re not going to look like you were picked off the set of the movie 300 overnight. Be realistic here.

If you’ve never done this before your short-term goal might be stick to your plan this week. Don’t worry about how many push-ups you can do or anything like that. You need to focus on the habit.

Focusing on the habit means…don’t go 0 to 100 overnight.

Day 1 shouldn’t be you working out at 110%. Ease into it so you don’t overload yourself, both physically and mentally.

Your long-term goal can be something more ambitious and measurable like lose 20 pounds.

But for now, focus on your short term goal to build that habit. Do that and you will reach your long term goal.

Routine

Write out what your perfect days look like.

When do you want to train and how often do you want to train? Like I mentioned earlier, ease into this.

Then design a routine that sticks to the basics and works for you. Full body workouts are a good option since you’ll recover quickly enough and it doesn’t overcomplicate things.

Pick a few exercises that cover pushing, pulling, and squatting. 3 to 4 sets with 8-12 reps with a few days rest in between.

Commitment

Confession! This is what I struggle with the most in other areas of my life.

But I’ve been able to do it with fitness. Fully commit to the process.

You’re going to have days where you wake up and think, “Nope. I don’t feel like it today.”

I had one of those days earlier this week. But I still showed up and put in the work.

It wasn’t my best day. Far from it. But I showed up.

If you commit to 4 weeks, make your schedule and tell yourself you are going to do it without fail.

Enthusiasm

Each workout is going to be different. You’ll be excited about some and dread others. Anything from work to sleep will influence it.

Bring as much enthusiasm as possible to the workout. Tell yourself whatever goofy shit you have to to do it.

• “This workout will make me a better person.”
• “Me 2 weeks ago said I will do this and I won’t betray that person.”
• “What else would I be doing right now? Watching Netflix? Well I can do that after I finish this workout right?”
• “If {cute girl at work} was here right now watching me, how much better would this workout be? I’m going to perform to that level”

It might sound weird but if it works, who cares?

The more enthusiasm you bring to the workout the better it will be. Your mindset and attitude will literally allow you to perform better.

Professional sports teams will literally choke in the middle of a game because of this. They’re still up by 14 but everyone can tell it’s over. They’re frantic and allowing themselves to lose rather than forcing the other team to win.

Bring positive energy to your workouts. That will always provide you the best physical and mental results.

Trust

Do not doubt your plan. Trust in the process.

Everyone who is successful will tell you there were many moments of self-doubt. You’re not seeing results quickly enough or you aren’t motivated.

Don’t let those bad days get the best of you. Accept that they happen every once in a while and move on.

I’m going through this process right now.

I’m bulking. I’m eating a surplus of calories to gain weight and build more muscle.

I’m worried I might get too fat. Why not just stay lean all the time? What if I can’t stop eating this much once I’m done bulking? Will people trust me if I’m not as lean as I was earlier this year?

Those thoughts are all there but I keep pushing them to the side. I’m trusting in the process and not giving up after a month of trying it out. I’m going to see this through until the end and evaluate after I’m finished.

Win or lose it will be valuable information for me going forward.

▶️ Are you looking for a simple, easy to follow workout plan for the new year? Subscribe to me on YouTube - I’ll be posting a video about this next week!

👉 If you want personalized 1-on-1 training to help you meet your lifestyle goals you can book a free call with me here to discuss your needs.