Performance is your guide

Let your performance be your guide: part 1:

In this first part, I will outline the general direction this blog is taking, then comes the second part where I will give you an insight into the training, rest and diet structure I have been following that have simply got me stronger, faster and leaner than ever before. Hope you enjoy the read and I'm sure it will help you in some way.

Now I know diet plays a huge role in performance and results but I won't be covering that here, that's a whole different blog.

Mens health, mens fitness, Women's fitness plus plenty of other glossy fitness mags and websites will forever be telling you the best way to get bigger, stronger, lose body fat and get bikini fit in weeks.........however, this is all well and good as advice is always appreciated. But here's the thing, how do they REALLY know what is best for you?

The answer is, they don't. They don't have a clue. Infact, the content in these magazines is very generic information and it has been derived from many different sources from around the world.

One week an 'expert' In America will tell you low weight and high reps is the best way to build your arms then a 'guru' from Australia will tell you the complete opposite. Confused right?

Now I am not saying that you should not read these magazines, however I am saying 'DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ'. Consider trial and error, monitor your performance and your bodies response.

The expert from Amercia may have trained 50 olympic gold medal athletes and the Guru from Australia may have 30 professional football players under his belt. BUT, do you think these coaches train each one of those athletes in exactly the same way? No.

Let's cut to the chase, YOUR PERFORMANCE IS YOUR GUIDE TO WHAT WORKS FOR YOU.

You want to bulk up, you have been following a workout plan and nutrition guide from a leading fitness mag. 6 weeks down the line you see no visible difference and your strength has increased ever so slightly. Did that program work for you? No.

You want to increase your 1 rep max on your deadlift. Your training 6 times a week as advised by some big fella at your local gym who uses up every available weight plate for his deadlift set, he must know what he is talking about surely? After a couple of weeks your energy levels are low, your poundages are decreasing. Did that structure work for you? No.

Your goal is to reduce abdominal fat whilst increasing you upper body strength. A few weeks in you have added kilos to your lifts, have high energy levels and are happy with the visible reduction in your body fat. Ah ha, I think your on to something.

My goal from the off as a skinny teenager was to get big, strong and fast. I spent years following advice in magazines, online info and tips from the big units at the gym. The only problem was, all the information was conflicting. However, I figured I had to do something and I guess work things out for myself.

I have done the whole lot when it comes to training routines. Body split, full body, intervals, endurance work, training everyday to training only 2 -3 times a week. All of which have given me a far greater indication of not only what works for me mentally but also what produced optimal performance, enjoyment and of course results.

I am 'THE ETERNAL STUDENT' and im always open to new training structures and protocols. Although whichever routine I am following, I will pay close attention to my performance. Is it improving? Am I getting better? Do I feel better? These are questions I am constantly asking myself (not out load, as folk would think I was mental).