10 mistakes you’ll do in January

1. You will train 6 days a week

Yes, the basic rule of training regularly stays. However, the problem is that if you can’t match your habits with the plan, you will fail. Which leads me to my next point.

2. You will eat 6 times a day

One of the first habit that you must understand is that if you are willing to train often, as much as 6 days a week, you’ll have to eat as if you do so. Training often needs some serious fuel and you will also have to recuperate harder than you train. However, the ability to eat often is not given to everyone since intestinal and digestion issues might come and rear it’s ugly head. If you ate twice a day, aim for 3 to 4 small easily digested meals a day. As with training, nutrition has to be taken with baby steps.

3. You will eat only two meals a day

This is where the shit hits the fan. Most people think that you have to hit a caloric deficit to lose fat. There are exceptions to this rule and it could get complicated since no one is the same. I’ve seen people lose weight by eating more and obviously, some by eating less, usually less crap. Yet again, the nutrition plan has to fit with the lifestyle and training plan. If you have never trained before, and ate on average 2 meals a day, starting with a plan that makes you train 6 days a week and makes you eat 6 times a day is beyond stupid. You can’t learn to run before you walk.

4. You will try crossfit

No matter who cool your friends make it sound, I would not suggest you try crossfit, especially if you never set foot in a gym before. Like any group class, the lack of individualization is the bigger problem. Actually I don’t have anything against crossfit as I use some of the principles for our own group classes, SOME of the principles. Not everyone is ready to do full squats or overhead press, loaded carry or tire flips. I see a lot of injuries and rehab a lot of them. The most common denominator of those injuries is bilateral discrepancies.

The first time you try your hand at lifting weights, do it right, not in a group setting. Don’t kill the messenger, it is what it is.

5. You will do cardio

Cardio has it’s place and time. However, thinking that it is the only solution to your weight loss problems comes from laziness. Yes, you read that right. IT’s way easier to step on a treadmill and walk for an hour than to make a training program, lift things up and put them down, heavier by the weeks, following progress or lack of and understanding why. Remember one thing, what makes your heart pump? Muscles. Gain muscles and you’ll be a walking fat burning machine.

Never forget this, weight loss as well as gaining lean muscles is systemic. It is a complex interaction between micro and macro nutrients intake, strength and conditioning, rest and different positive lifestyle choices one has to apply to his everyday life.

6. You will do it on your own

I am not trying to make it harder than it looks but for someone who is completely ignorant of these issues will easily believe that just the simple fact of doing cardio and burning more calories than they eat is the only thing they should do and basically, the main reason why they will fail. Hire a professional the first time and avoid many beginners’ mistakes.

7. You will do what your friends are doing

Read point 4 and 6 again. It applies to all training popular trends out there. There will never be a one size fits all training or diet plan.

8. You will join with a friend

We all need motivation until motivation gets late or just doesn’t show up. Finding the right training partner is gold. Hopefully it will last but often life gets in the way and when you lose your partner, your motivation goes down the drain as well. Motivation can also be a specific music playlist, youtube videos, etc. I learned to fan my flame by myself throughout the years and it never failed.

9. Your lifestyle is fine.

You have all the best intentions in the world. You go to the gym 5 times a week. You meal prep on Sunday and Wednesday nights. You get up at 5am 2-3 times a week to do intervals on the assault bike you bought for home.

Still, your social life takes a big place and you still go to bed at wee hours in the morning when you know you should have a regular and stable sleep pattern. You can’t say no to friends and eat out more than you would like when you obviously know that when you are eating out, you aren’t eating towards your goals. You like to sleep in when you know that on the days you do, you will miss maybe one or two meals.

Fitness, health or strength and conditioning, whichever path you may choose, going to the gym and eating ‘’well’’ is not enough. Sure, you might have great results at the beginning, like we all did, but if you fail to align your lifestyle with your goals, you’ll come down crashing sooner than later. Make every second count for lasting results.

10. You will give up after 8 weeks.

Actually, that’s where the magic happens. Don’t get me wrong, it is far from over. There will be good and bad weeks, probably more bad weeks than good ones. Those good few months (probably years) you just had eating whatever you wanted can’t be reversed in a few weeks.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Realize that you are not on a journey. Don’t make it look harder than it seems. Neil Armstrong was on a journey. You are just on a freakin diet and a training plan for a few weeks. Make them count so you’ll never have to start all over again.

Coach Eric