By Michael Krueger
A simple fact of life is that you can’t choose your parents. If your Dad is short and squat, odds are you aren’t going to be a basketball star. That doesn’t mean you won’t be, but your genetics aren’t going to help you. So, what can you do to increase your odds of success even if you don’t have the genetics to easily become a world champion?
Of course as always the answer is hard work, dedication and persistence; you don’t need talent to practice. It starts with deciding how far you want to go and ends with what you are willing to do to get there.
First Things First
Forget about what you don’t have the genes for, you can’t change that. Don’t use any perceived lack as an excuse; excuses will get you nowhere. Instead, focus on what you do have, and what you can have an effect on. Then attack them with all you’ve got.
The biggest item within your control is your nutrition. More than any other factor, what you eat will determine whether or not you’ll have better than average success. A person with great genes can eat just about anything so long as they get enough calories. Even with a substandard diet they will perform to a higher standard than everyone else. Those of us who have average genes need to eat far better than that to even have a chance to compete.
The simplest way to control your diet is to prepare your own food. Preparing your own meals ensures that you know what and how much you’re eating. Regulating the total grams of protein, carbs and fat in each meal will go a long way to ensuring that you are properly fueled. When you do eat out, it’s possible to make good choices, but it isn’t easy. There are so many temptations on the menu and it’s difficult to stick with the “healthier” choices when everyone around you is up to their elbows in Nachos.
Taking control of the food you eat will make all the difference in how far you can go in muscle building and fat loss. If you’re really serious about getting superior results then it’s definitely worth the added effort.
Another part of your diet is hydration. No, you don’t need to sip from a water bottle all day long if you don’t want to. I find that twenty ounces in the morning, another twenty with lunch and the same later in the day keeps me right where I like to be. This amount, added to the various other liquids I drink and in the food that I consume, ensure that I never run dry.
Many people live in a constant state of dehydration; they don’t even know what if feels like to be completely hydrated. As a firefighter, you can’t afford to be in that group. Make a conscious effort to drink more water and see how you feel. You may be spending additional time in the restroom at first, but give it some time and see what happens.
Eating and drinking is what you do to stay alive. Performance nutrition and adequate hydration is what you do to excel.
Training Consistency
Along with good nutrition, consistency in your training will make a big contribution to your success. Having a plan and sticking to it week after week will build strength and add muscle even if your program is a little off. Obviously you would want the best program you can create, but even if you can only get in a single hard set for every major muscle group once per week you will make progress… IF you do it every week.
Here comes the log book thing again; get one and maintain it honestly. You may think that you’re staying on track, but if it isn’t in black and white you really don’t know for certain. Think about it; you’re sure that you know exactly how and when you trained and what you ate yesterday, but do you really? You recall that you went to the gym last week and the week before… or did you? Oh yeah, you went but got sidetracked and never actually worked out. Or how about that food journal? You know, the one in your truck, under the seat, mixed in with fast food wrappers…yep, that one.
Keeping a journal keeps you honest. No one likes to see blank pages where there were supposed to be muscle building workouts recorded. It’s tough to write down that you ate 24 hot wings and a double cheese pizza with the guys last week while watching football… and how much beer did you swill down?
Once you make journaling a habit it becomes much easier. You will improve your compliance on workouts and food consumption more than you can imagine. You’ll have written proof that you made all your training sessions. You’ll also see where you’re making progress and where you’re lagging. Not only that, but you’ll see that you can stick to a clean diet too. So, when you’re tempted to miss a session or eat like a pig, you can gain some resolve by looking back and seeing that you’ve beaten back those demons before.
Then on those rare occasions when the demons do win, at least you’ll know for a fact that it isn’t going to derail your training. You can see that it was an anomaly and that you’ll be back on track tomorrow.
By staying consistent in training and nutrition, you give yourself an edge against those who only have genetics on their side, but no discipline.
Doing What You Need to Do
When you hit the weights or do your cardio make sure you’re giving it your best effort. Don’t slack, don’t lie, don’t cheat… take it seriously because it’s serious business. If you’re going to invest the time and effort be sure you’re getting your money’s worth.
If you train alone, but find it difficult to keep on track then hire a good trainer. Be honest and say that you have problems adhering to a schedule. They will help you understand why and then teach you how to become more accountable to yourself. Often times, working out with a friend creates more problems than it solves. Too much chatter, trash talk and cutting corners and not enough work. If you are lucky enough to have someone you can train with who is a help rather than a hindrance, be thankful, and train with them.
Set your goals high and create a program that will get you there. Too many people state amorphous goals, with a fuzzy timetable and then train haphazardly. If you just train the way the other people in the gym train, without any thought to whether or not their routine will get you closer to you goals, you’re just wasting your time.
Target your workouts to match your goals rather than just following the crowd. If you need to add muscle then create a nutrition and lifting program to do just that. If you need to lose some fat, then an exercise and nutrition program designed for fat loss is the way to go. If your endurance is less than stellar, then a solid interval program along with a lifting program emphasizing endurance will make the difference.
You don’t have to spend hours and hours in the gym working out either. When you’re training, focus on the task at hand, be efficient and work hard; then get on with your life.
Recovery
Speaking of getting on with your life, recovery is just as big of a factor in training success as lifting and cardio. You don’t build muscle in the gym, you build it while you sleep. You set the stage for muscle growth in the gym, but it’s while you sleep that the healing and adaptations take place.
You can aid in your recovery through stretching, yoga, massage and chiropractic therapy, even meditation can play a huge role in recovery. Don’t discount the natural and holistic, you may be surprised. Going for a few massage sessions will cost you some cash, but you may find that it also makes you feel better so you can train harder. A few minutes of meditation before bed may help you fall asleep faster and sleep deeper. Another couple minutes in the morning may focus your mind so that you think more clearly and have more energy.
Of course food is also part of recovery, but eating for recovery is almost exactly like eating for performance. Stay away from trash, focus on fresh and all will be good.
Attitude
Finally, how’s your head? Are you an upbeat, positive person or are you one of those toxic folks who are always finding fault with everyone and everything? The way you think will determine your success in and out of the gym. Everything you do should be focused on making you better. Whether you are eating, working or training, live in the moment and remember why you’re doing it.
Training hard and eating well can be difficult, but anything good always requires some effort. When it comes to fitness, it’s important to cultivate a positive attitude and little things can make a big difference. When you write today’s workout, smile and say out loud how you are going to crush it! Look at your food and think about not only how good it will taste, but how it will make you strong and healthy too.
Always keep in mind that everything you do, everything you eat and every thought you have contributes to the quality of your final product; which is you.
Genetics?
So what do you think? Which is more important, genetics or how you train, eat and your live your life?
I’m sticking with doing the best I can with what I’ve got to work with
…after all, do I really have any choice?!
Michael Krueger is an NSCA-certified personal trainer. He got his start in fitness training while serving in the United States Coast Guard. He works with firefighters and others in and around Madison, Wisconsin. He is available to fire departments, civic organizations, and athletic teams for training, consulting, and speaking engagements. He has published numerous articles on fitness, health, and the mind-body connection and was a featured speaker at the IAFC’s FRI 2009 Health Day in Dallas, Texas. E-mail him at MKPTLLC@gmail.
