"Strength training":
What's the first image these words bring to your mind?
If you're like most, it's either Arnold Schwarzenegger, a big Football player, or a guy flexing in the mirror.
Maybe you even think it's for narcissists, but this couldn't be further from the truth:
Big muscles are the least of a plethora of amazing benefits that strength training can give you.
Here are 5 ways strength training will transform your life, and a simple framework to get started (with barely any time invested).
Keep reading to transform your body (and your life) in 2024.
You’ll actually look trained and toned
Let’s be honest: You want to look good. And there’s nothing superficial about it! Who doesn't want to feel confident when looking into the mirror?
Here's the problem though: Many people focus solely on dieting and end up 'skinny fat.' They might be lighter but still lack tone and definition, often with stubborn belly fat.
The solution? Strength training. It's not just about losing weight - it's about reshaping and strengthening your body.
Let's take this client as an example:
In just 10 weeks, he not only shed the belly fat but also improved his tennis game and eased his neck pain.
Sustainable weight-loss
You can lose weight without strength training, but you shouldn’t. Here’s why:
When you reduce calories without exercise, your body loses muscle along with fat. This is like draining both water and fuel from your car; it won't run efficiently.
Less muscle means less calories burnt - you'll need to eat even less to lose weight and keep it off. It's like having to continually cut costs in a tight budget: Difficult and unsustainable.
95% of people regain the weight they've lost, and this is one of the reasons why it happens.
Think about muscle mass is like an investment account: Every calorie your muscles use is one you don’t need to compensate for through your diet.
It’s the antidote to sitting
Ever feel your back and neck aching after getting up from your office chair? I can relate: In my teens, I used to deal with back-pain - every single day. The main cause? Excessive sitting:
I’d spend half my day sitting in school, and the rest in front of my computer, indulging in video games. Things changed when my physiotherapist told me to include Squats within my program.
Strength training builds the same muscles that decay while sitting (a necessity, as we spend 50% of our wake-time sitting on average).
Take Jörg as example:
He noticed his colleagues becoming slower and more sluggish over time, especially after business trips. This inspired him to start strength training, and now he’s in the best shape of his life - in his 50s!
Tremendous health benefits
You’ve heard about the health benefits of cardio, right? Well, strength training has them too:
- Lower blood pressure
- Better metabolic health
- Stronger bones, and tendons
- Improved cardiovascular health
- Reducing risk of injuries and falls
Let’s take this picture as an example:
Here, we see the difference between a 70-year-old who doesn't exercise and one who does. The active one, a triathlete, has kept much more muscle, reducing his risk of falls.
Luckily, you don’t have to become a triathlete to prevent this from happening. You can do it through strength training within less than 2 hours per week!
But there’s more to it…
Confidence and mental health
Most people fear that exercise will increase their stress level even more, but that’s not true:
Strength training triggers a release of endorphins, which helps to release stress. Afterwards, you’ll feel calm and clear - which will help you think strategically.
But it doesn’t stop there: Each milestone you achieve in strength training is a confidence booster. This new confidence goes beyond the gym - it boosts your performance at work and in your personal life.
Let’s take Kathrin as an example:
Strength training gave her the confidence to take on new challenges at work, like holding presentations and seminars.
How to start (and actually follow through) in just 14 days
Now I know what you might be thinking: “This all sounds great! But there’s no way I’ll be able to fit this into my life!”
I get that the idea of joining a gym, going often, and working out long hours might daunt you. Maybe you’ve even tried it before and quit shortly after because you couldn't stick to it.
But that doesn’t have to be the case. Most people fail because they try too much at once. That’s why I’ll give you the simplest method to get going.
Why am I so confident that it’s going to work for you? It's because I got started using the exact same steps!
And you can start with less than 5 minutes per day - here's how:
1) Start with one pushup (or bodyweight squat)
“There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.” - Desmond Tutu
When I decided to get myself in shape, I didn’t go straight to the gym. Instead, I started - at home - by doing pushups and situps.
That let me form a workout habit, without the trouble of frequent gym visits and long sessions.
So if the thought of hitting the gym regularly dreads you, do what I did: Start with one pushup! If you can’t do that, do a bodyweight squat. This is something that takes less than a minute and you have zero excuses not to do.
2) Add one rep every day
You might be thinking that doing one push-up isn’t going to do anything - and you’re right. We start small so that you can actually be consistent and apply the key principle to success with strength training: Progressive Overload.
When I did my home workouts, I continued increasing the reps until I was able to do 100 pushups straight. This allowed me to get hyper consistent with my workout routine before I ever stepped foot into a gym.
You don’t have to take it that far, but I recommend doing this for at least 14 days. At this point, you’ll start to build the habit that you can leverage for the rest of your life.
3) Start your own program
When you’re ready, transition to a proper strength routine. I’d recommend you to get started by working out 2-3 times per week for 30-45 minutes. This will turn out to be about 2 hours per week out of the 168 hours available - less than 2% of your time!
Let’s take Sorina as an example:
She wanted to boost her energy, lower stress, and stay fit for her busy job as a manager. We designed a plan with short 30-minute home workouts she could do before work.
Conclusion
Strength training is much more than big muscles. It's a powerful habit that can transform your entire life within a few months.
Now it's up to you: You can overlook the amazing advantages strength training offers, or you can commit to it. If you want to embrace the life-changing benefits, I'm here to help you.
If you're a driven entrepreneur or creator and looking to:
- Efficiently manage stress for better health and productivity
- Drop up to 20lbs in 90 days, without the diet-hamster-wheel
- Reach your dream physique in just 2 hours per week
Click HERE for a free 30-minute strategy call where I'll show you exactly how it works.