Create Your Master Plan

It's tough to build a lot of strength or otherwise make progress without the incremental weights you find at a gym, but a few inexpensive home tools and specific movements can go a long way.

It is important to ensure that you prioritize compound movements that work muscle systems, not individual muscles. You'll get a lot more done in less time if you focus on bigger movements - squat, bench, deadlift, row, overhead press.

Goblet squats and squat jumps are great for your lower body when you only have dumbbells. You could also try lunge variations, split squats, step-ups, and deadlift variations.

For your upper body, you could do some chest presses, pushups, row variations, curls, tricep extensions or pullups (if you have a pullup bar installed in a doorway.)

Every day there is a particular workout prescribed that is completely scalable based on your skill. For example, if the workout calls for barbell squats with 135 pounds but you can only do squats with the bar (45 pounds), then that’s where you’ll start.

• Beginners to weight training: If you have never weight trained before, CrossFit is a great place for you to start, provided you have a great coach.
• People looking for support and community: Every CrossFit gym has a really tight-knit community feel to it.
• Fitness fanatics: The general protocol is 3 days on, 1 day off, but many CrossFitters end up at the gym more frequently. 
• Masochists: You’ll often be in situations where you use all your effort to finish a workout and continue to push yourself beyond.
• Former athletes: You get to compete with people in your class and go online to see how you did against the world’s elite CrossFit athletes.

As you’re determining the habits or resolutions you’re trying to set, make the habit part of a bigger cause that’s worth the struggle.

You’re not just going to the gym, you’re building a new body that you’re not ashamed of so you can start dating again.

There are 3 parts to a good or bad habit: Cue (what triggers the action), Routine (the action itself), Reward (the positive result because of the action).

Compare that to a cue (you see your running shoes), anticipate a reward (a runner’s high), and make the behavior automatic (go for a run!).

One can get stronger by increasing the size of the individual muscle fibers, and by recruiting more of the muscle fiber to work together when needed. 

A bulky body is also considered a negative in certain sports. Getting bulky is a specific, targeted training which includes high-volume exercises, calorie intake, and protein supplements, and cannot be attained by simply lifting heavier weights.

Scales are actually useful in providing you with information about your general progress and direction.

• Prevent it: Do what you can to minimize uncertainty by training like you want to race. 
• Manage it: Develop a mantra or automatic actions to fall back when uncertainty strikes. 
• Grow from it: View uncertainty as an opportunity to grow. Welcome it on the path to personal growth.

Pre-race nerves are common, even amongst professional athletes. 

Reframe nerves as excitement. When we do this, we harness heightened perception to raise ourselves up. 

Instead of telling yourself, “I’m anxious, I need to calm down,” tell yourself, “I am excited, my body is primed to perform.”

A particular gene known as ACSL1 seems to play a role in how a body metabolizes fats and subsequently affects exercise response.

The findings, though preliminary, do point towards exercise benefits being genetic. Still, exercise has a multitude of benefits and cannot be discarded by individuals who do not have a certain type of gene.

Small, incremental adjustments in difficulty are almost certain to push your level up. The downside with progressive habits is that they are harder to sustain.

• Physically set aside time in your schedule to be active. Pencil in workouts for three weeks so that fitness won't be "squeezed in" (or squeezed out). 

• Find fitness buddies. 

• Notice all of the benefits you get from working out. It will keep you coming back for more.

You are more likely to keep doing an activity that you enjoy.

It shouldn't be a daily fight against yourself. Being consistent needs doing what you like doing, not something that you find miserable. Avoid physical or mental burnout.

To change your mental state, you need to change your physical state. Your mood changes based on the action you are performing.

Action is the biggest motivation. Show up and get started, and the rest is easy.

• Regular Aerobic Exercise: Great for both your physical and mental health. Increases the production of dopamine and boosts creativity.
• Preparing Your Own Meals. It’ll take some getting used to, but it’s a habit that’ll boost your health, wealth and productivity. 

• Create a Household Budget: the best habit to help you save money. A household budget helps to encourage frugality and discourage impulse spending. You’ll feel more motivated to engage in other good financial habits once you’ve got this in place.
• Financial Audits. This involves frequent checks as to whether you’re spending your money as wisely as possible.