4 Training Principles To Help You Build Muscle And Lose Fat

If you’re feeling like your training doesnt bring any results, this article is for you.

Consistency is probably the most important aspect of success in the gym.

But apart from that it’s good to know some golden key rules of fitness and how you should design your workouts to see better results by focusing on the things that really matter.

Here’s 4 training principles that can change your life:

1.Exercise Quality

In a culture that glorifies busyness, it's tempting to believe that more is always better, especially when it comes to training. More time on the treadmill, more calories burnt during workouts, more repetitions completed, and more hours spent in the gym seem like the pathway to success.

However, the truth is that while volume in training can help your results, there comes a point of diminishing returns.

.Whether your goal is building muscle, losing fat, or enhancing endurance, mindlessly racking up miles or repetitions won't necessarily get you there.

Instead of fixating on quantity, focus on the quality of your training. Each repetition should be executed with precision and intensity. You can have the best exercise in the world but if you’re just going through the motions and don’t generate power and strength throughout the entire range of motion you won’t see much results. You also want to maintaining perfect technique with each repetition. It's time to shift your focus and ensure that every effort counts towards your fitness goals.

2.Train On Your Feet

While machine-based exercises have their place in a well-rounded training plan, make sure to spend the majority of your training time on your feet.

By focusing on movements that keep you upright and engaged, you ensure that you're training the muscles and movements that are most relevant to sports and daily activities. Compound exercises, properly loaded, not only allow you to lift heavier weights but also have a greater impact on your metabolism.

Additionally, they engage your core muscles, meaning you don't have to dedicate too much extra time to isolated core training.

Ground-based training recruits not only major muscle groups but also smaller muscles, tendons, and ligaments, providing a much higher stimulus for the body overall.

Think of your body as a complex machine rather than separated parts of muscle groups you'd like to build. Machines have their place in a well-rounded training program as well. Cable machines, especially, are great for targeting smaller muscle groups that may be otherwise difficult to target, and the same applies to lower body exercises like the hack squat, hamstring curls etc.

3.Focus on a Few Main Exercises

The biggest scam in the fitness industry is the idea that you need an endless amount of exercises and machines to build muscle and maximize your performance, especially in the age of social media where ten different influencers tell you different things.

Some amazing athletes have been getting great results from basics like squat, deadlift, and bench press.

This does not mean that you should only do these; it means that you should focus on mastering the basic compound movements first and then build your arsenal from there. Along with these three basic lifts, throw in some chin-ups/pull-ups, rows, dips, strict press, lunges, back extensions, bicep curls, calf raises, etc.

And you will hit every major muscle group in the body, creating great training stimulus that brings results—all without succumbing to the fear of missing out (FOMO) that plagues many gym-goers.

Doing fewer exercises means you can focus on quality and truly master the technique. Once you're able to perform correct technique, engaging the muscles as intended and exerting effort, it's a completely different experience. It enables you to stimulate a much greater amount of muscle and connective tissue with each repetition. Additionally, you minimize the risk of injury because you now understand basic mechanics and are aware of your limitations.

4.Count Tempo

When you're just going through the motions, tempo often gets overlooked. Tempo refers to the speed of lifting and lowering weights. Skilled trainees always pay attention to tempo because it affects both the neuromuscular and metabolic systems.

Many people don't even consider tempo, rushing through lifts with a 1-second up and 1-2-second down approach. But when boredom strikes, they may resort to sloppy lifting, using momentum and speeding up the tempo.

For beginners, a good starting tempo is 1 second up and 4 seconds down. This helps build strength and muscle effectively. As you progress, experiment with different tempos for specific goals. When your mind wanders during training, focus on tempo to ensure you're stimulating your muscles properly.

These principles will give you a great advantage in your training, but remember, consistency is your secret weapon. Whenever you don't feel like going and want to skip your workout, stay disciplined.

These days are the most important and help you create a positive habit, and each time it will become easier and easier to the point where you hit the gym because you want to, not because you think you should.