Shownotes
Real change starts with your mindset.
In this episode, Matt and Courtney share 10 signs you have a Short-Term Mindset.
This episode will help you break free from the quick-fix trap and step into the long-term journey of true transformation.
Everything is in the mind.
It’s time to stop restarting, trust the process, and build the body and lifestyle you deserve.
How we can help you -
• Calories Not Included – 87 fast, flexible and family-friendly recipes for people who are sick of weighing their lettuce.
These recipes have been hand-picked by us out of our coaching program for busy people who want to look, feel and function better...without living by a set of rules and without the diet drama.
You receive the book via instant digital download/email, and the book itself is ready to be printed for those who prefer their copies physical!
• The Weight Loss Podcast Classroom – Our structured, affordable 12-week introductory education and support program proven to help busy people like you know exactly where to start, how to get on track and stay on track.
Get started on a proven step-by-step path to taking control over your emotional eating, building healthy and sustainable habits that give you energy every day, improve your strength, fitness, body shape and confidence — without counting calories, following some silly unsustainable diet, dodgy supplements, expensive medications or feeling like you have to exercise for 300 hours per week.
You will learn more in 12 weeks than you have the past 5-10 years when it comes to exercise, nutrition, habits and real, sustainable healthy change. That's our promise to you. This program is perfect for absolute beginners and/or people on a super tight budget. Please note it is not a coaching program.
• The Weight Loss Podcast Academy – If you need personalised support as well as accountability, education, structure and direction from Matt and Courtney themselves, then get all the details on The Weight Loss Podcast Academy here.
This is our coaching program where we teach you everything you need to know and we do it right there with you via coaching, accountability, support and guidance from us personally. We accept clients via application only and work with people for a minimum of 12+ months (most stay for 2-3 years).
NOTE - we accept roughly 4% of applications we receive. What we do isn't for everyone and we are very selective as to who we invest our own time, energy and expertise into. Results guaranteed if you are accepted. This is best-in-industry education, coaching and accountability. It is not cheap.
Transcripts
Welcome to the Weight Loss podcast where we offer solutions to the obstacles you face when it comes to achieving your health and fitness goals.
Speaker A:As a married couple who has lost a combined weight of 100kg and 11 clothes sizes, our raw, real and relatable stories will show you the path you must walk to achieve and more importantly, maintain the results you know you can reach.
Speaker A:Because we know it works.
Speaker A:So get ready to share the success and show the results with your hosts, Matt and Courtney.
Speaker B:That's us.
Speaker B:I'm Courtney.
Speaker C:I'm Matt.
Speaker C:Coming in hot.
Speaker B:Coming in hot.
Speaker B:So 10 signs you have a short term mindset.
Speaker B:Number one unrealistic goal setting problem is.
Speaker C:That short term mindsets usually will lead to short term results or no results or yes or no results at all.
Speaker C:The unfortunate and boring but still unfortunate truth is that if, if you're in this for what you might say is the right reasons or what are the right reasons.
Speaker C:This is a never ending journey.
Speaker C:And it brings up a particular phrase that resonates a lot with me, which is it's about the journey, not the destination.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Because the longer you do this and the longer you apply yourself, you actually over time can realize like, ah, this.
Speaker C:We said this before, Courtney.
Speaker C:There's no finish line.
Speaker C:No, with this, it just, it's rolling.
Speaker C:It just goes on.
Speaker C:What's, what's the next thing?
Speaker C:Or if it's not what's the next thing, it's how can I maintain what I've done?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So we talk about goal setting all the time, Matt.
Speaker C:Everything we do is based around goal setting.
Speaker B:Everything we do is based around goal setting.
Speaker B:So if you have unrealistic expectations on the time frame around your goal setting, then that's a big problem.
Speaker B:I think it's probably not just time frame, though.
Speaker B:We're talking about, like, if you have just generally unrealistic goals.
Speaker C:Goals and expectations.
Speaker C:Yeah, I think.
Speaker B:But put into this, I think it happens.
Speaker B:We see it a lot with time frame.
Speaker C:Mostly there's a lot of denial around time frame.
Speaker C:So I've been doing diets for the last 15, 20 years and summer is three months away.
Speaker C:I want to get into a bikini, you know, within that three months.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:It's about the journey, not the destination.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Because the longer you do this and the longer you apply yourself, you actually over time can realize like, oh, this, we said this before, Courtney.
Speaker C:There's no finish line.
Speaker C:No, with this, it just, it's rolling.
Speaker C:It just goes on.
Speaker C:What's.
Speaker C:What's the next thing?
Speaker C:Or if it's not what's the next thing.
Speaker C:It's how can I maintain what I've done?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Throughout the years, Even within the 10 years, I'd say that I've fallen into that trap.
Speaker B:Especially early days.
Speaker B:I think really early on it was really easy to fall into that because you get, you get caught up in the, in the hype of, you know, especially if you get results quickly, which is what I did.
Speaker B:It's really easy to get caught up in that and to start feeling yourself a little bit and get complacent.
Speaker B:When you're waiting, you're standing there waiting for the kettle to boil.
Speaker B:It seems to take longer than if you just walked away and came back.
Speaker B:So it will feel like it's going even slower.
Speaker B:So you need something along the way to help remind your brain and your emotions that you are achieving something.
Speaker C:Or some things.
Speaker B:Or some things.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:There are steps being taken, there are improvements being made, there are wins being had.
Speaker B:Like we need to remind ourselves of these because if it doesn't show up in photos, if it doesn't show when you put on your clothes, we automatically will tell ourselves that nothing has changed.
Speaker B:You know, it's really easy to lose track of what your end goal was because you start hitting these, these milestone goals, people start noticing things and it's really easy to start thinking that you've achieved what you wanted to when you haven't.
Speaker C:Yeah, it can fuck with your head.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Big time.
Speaker C:I'm sure you would agree, Courtney, but I'm here to be corrected if need be.
Speaker C:That not only can it fuck with your head, it can be kind of what sets you on the path to giving up.
Speaker C:Because you think to yourself and you tell yourself, well, I'm not making any progress, like, oh, well, my photos look the same.
Speaker C:So everything else, like, oh, well, I'm failing.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Or I'm not where I want to be and I've been doing this for what I think is long enough.
Speaker C:So this doesn't work.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And I think for me, those small wins have also got me back on track.
Speaker B:When I've let bad habits come, you know, creep back into my life, which, you know, has happened multiple times over my 10 year journey and will continue.
Speaker B:It's still happening, it's normal.
Speaker B:And I really don't see a time in which it will never happen for me and anybody else, really.
Speaker B:I mean, there's always going to be bad habits that want to creep back in.
Speaker B:It's just to what degree those bad habits do come back in.
Speaker C:I think that's human Nature.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:But I think for me, what I lean on are these small wins in those times.
Speaker B:So I'll lean on looking back and reflecting.
Speaker B:And it allows me to remind myself that, oh no, it's not all bad.
Speaker B:Well, it's also what I've got.
Speaker C:Well, not, I think not just necessarily looking back at, you know, oh, well, I've got this or I've done that.
Speaker C:But what, what are you still doing?
Speaker C:Well right now?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because the thing is, a lot of us tend to throw the baby out with the bath water, so.
Speaker C:Oh, well, my photos aren't that different, so.
Speaker C:Oh, the whole thing's, it's like.
Speaker C:Well, I mean, are you building consistency in certain areas?
Speaker C:Are you, you know, like as we'll go through with our own small wins, are you not missing gym sessions?
Speaker C:Yeah, like that that counts.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Are you not skipping breakfast anymore?
Speaker B:You know that that's something I did, you know, pre 10 years ago, I would skip breakfast or same, you know, skip lunch and just binge eat in the afternoon.
Speaker B:Skip like that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think all those examples are really important too.
Speaker C:Inconsistent application of your skills and habits.
Speaker C:We told clients this, hey, you're between your programs right now having what we call a deload.
Speaker C:We don't work with people for less than minimum of 12 months.
Speaker C:We do break up the 12 months into structured 12 week blocks.
Speaker C:Why?
Speaker C:Because the body is organic and it needs a break from intense training, sometimes to heal, restore, and then go again and progress further.
Speaker C:Keep your habits up.
Speaker C:Maintain what you've been doing to this point because it'll generate further momentum to carry you into your next program and to propel you beyond where you've been already.
Speaker C:Unfortunately, more often than not, it seems to go in one ear and out the other.
Speaker C:Oh, well, I'm at the end of my 12 weeks.
Speaker C:I can just, you know, just take it easy and just relax.
Speaker C:And then all of a sudden you find you're in a funk to start your next program.
Speaker C:It's like, shit, this is way harder than when I finished it.
Speaker C:I would use the phrase on, off, on, off, on, off.
Speaker C:So I'm on for my program because my trainers are watching and I've got to be good.
Speaker C:But then I'm off between programs.
Speaker C:While they're not watching, I can just do whatever the fuck I want.
Speaker C:No one will know.
Speaker C:Like, we'll always know.
Speaker C:Photos don't lie.
Speaker B:Yep, absolutely.
Speaker B:Three is you never think beyond your initial goals because you have no plan as to how to maintain what you've done or what to Aim for next, you will go backwards.
Speaker C:I would go as far as to say that you will come across problems as you go through this process.
Speaker C:The thing is, even as you get more advanced, getting more advanced comes with challenges that only more advanced people will face.
Speaker C:It's what I call a good problem, but a problem nonetheless.
Speaker C:The thing is, how well a person goes with their.
Speaker C:With their weight loss will not be determined by how they operate.
Speaker C:When things are good or calm or in control or smooth or easy, forget that shit.
Speaker C:Anyone can kick ass during those times.
Speaker C:That's not a measure of a person.
Speaker C:The actual measure of a person is when the chips are down and the universe finds a way of asking you, how much do you really want this?
Speaker C:And that's when you find out for some people, they're as soft as a packet of wet tissues.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:And the moment things get just a little bit hard.
Speaker C:Oh, can't do it like, mate, that's fine.
Speaker C:Y.
Speaker C:Make the choice, you live with the consequence.
Speaker C:Resilience is not built on good times.
Speaker C:It's built on testing times, on emotionally draining times.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:It's built through those times where you think to yourself, I. I'm having such a mother f of a day, the last thing I want to do tonight's go to the gym.
Speaker C:Well, guess what?
Speaker C:Those who succeed will get it done no matter what.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:To me, a big part of resilience with this is the ability to do what needs to be done even when you don't feel like doing it.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:That's what will set those who succeed apart from those who do not.
Speaker C:It's the ability to turn up regardless of the circumstance.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So number one for me, resilience easily.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Just following that.
Speaker C:Number two is consistency.
Speaker C:Now, that's a word that gets a lot of lip service.
Speaker C:I personally don't think many people know what true consistency actually is.
Speaker C:No, true consistency is.
Speaker C:It's not what you do all the time because that involves this thing called perfection.
Speaker C:And, yeah, good luck with that.
Speaker C:To me, consistency involves what you do most of the time.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:So you, you'll have these people where, you know, they, they might do well for a couple of weeks and then go missing for a couple of weeks.
Speaker C:That's not going to get it done.
Speaker C:Sorry.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:Hate to be the bearer of bad news or sorry, not sorry, shockingly.
Speaker C:But it's not gonna.
Speaker C:It's not gonna get the job done.
Speaker C:Consistency is that person that more often than not will do, do what's necessary.
Speaker C:And very simply put, if you show me someone who is inconsistent.
Speaker C:I will in turn show you someone who's going to be very upset and frustrated by a lack of results in the long term.
Speaker C:It's just, it just doesn't work.
Speaker C:Sorry is what it is.
Speaker C:I don't make the rules, I just follow them.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So we're cool with that.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:The next one is accountability.
Speaker C:Now, accountability can be accountability towards your trainers, your coach, your family, your friends, but also accountability towards oneself, which is another way of me, for me, saying personal leadership.
Speaker C:And it sort of builds off of resilience and consistency where you've got that, that personal leadership and accountability, where it's like, no, this is what I'm about, this is why I'm about it and I'm going to do what has to happen to facilitate whatever my outcome going to be.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So the thing is, when you're an adult, like, you can kind of do whatever you want in life, but there's, there's a level of personal leadership and accountability required where if you want to achieve certain things, there's certain things you need to do to make that happen, which, which may involve like, hey, I've got to take control of my schedule in my life and I've got to make certain things non negotiables and if I want to achieve these goals, whatever they might be.
Speaker C:Well, you know, there might be gym required, there might be meal prep required for some people.
Speaker C:Like there might be homework or various tasks if you're working with, in a program or with trainers or whatever these things are needed.
Speaker C:But you have to have the personal leadership to put aside the time and put aside the energy to commit to these things.
Speaker C:So accountability is a big one.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:With that.
Speaker C:The next one that I've got, Courtney, is honesty.
Speaker C:Honesty is a tough one for a lot of people because it's very easy to pay lip service to words like honesty.
Speaker C:Because it's very easy to say to someone like, like myself or Courtney, oh, you know, I struggle with emotional eating and I struggle with my stress response and I struggle with this, this and this.
Speaker C:That's all well and good, but then I've seen people that will say this at one side of the coin, then on the other side, when it comes time to actually own up to what they're doing, for example, send through meal records that are completely perfect and better than mine, like, mate, you are not being fucking honest.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:Red flag number one.
Speaker C:When a client sends through a meal record better than my own, like, stop, stop, stop.
Speaker C:Honesty with this, more often than not, it's honesty about when you're struggling or things that you might be confused about, things you might need clarity on, or things you might feel that you feel you lost.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:It's on us as individuals to say to our support network, whoever that might be, like, hey, I'm struggling with xyz.
Speaker C:Okay, cool.
Speaker C:No problem at all.
Speaker C:We know there's an issue here.
Speaker C:Now, what can we do to address this?
Speaker C:An issue I see with a lot of people is they're willing to talk only when things are going well.
Speaker C:So I call them Good Time Johnny's or Good Time Janes.
Speaker B:Yeah, Yeah.
Speaker B:I think we all like to think ourselves.
Speaker B:If you ask most 99.99% of people, are you an honest person?
Speaker B:They would.
Speaker B:Everyone would say, yes, of course, I'm an honest person.
Speaker B:We all think of ourselves as honest people.
Speaker B:It's when things aren't going so well that that is tested.
Speaker C:Maybe, maybe the phrase we're looking for is selectively honest.
Speaker C:Like, yeah, sure.
Speaker C:Like, yeah, I'm being honest.
Speaker C:Like, I hit on my workouts this week and I, I did all my meal prep.
Speaker C:Like, fucking high five to me.
Speaker C:Like, great.
Speaker C:How honest are you going to be when you don't have those weeks?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:How honest are you on the weeks where you go missing?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:When we don't hear from you for weeks on end.
Speaker C:What happens during those times is what tells us more about what you're doing and how you're going versus what you're willing to show us.
Speaker C:And that's actually a good way to phrase it.
Speaker C:Like, I know for me, just from my perspective as a coach, I'm more interested in the things a person is not willing to tell us than what they are willing to tell us.
Speaker C:Because as I said, easy to say the things you're doing.
Speaker C:Well, anyone can toot their own horn.
Speaker C:Not hard.
Speaker C:Tell me the things you don't do well.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Tell me the times that you struggle with the most.
Speaker C:Tell me what happens when you have a bad day.
Speaker C:Yes, you have a bad day at work or a bad day at school, argument with a friend or your partner, whatever.
Speaker C:I want to know what your response is to those situations.
Speaker C:Don't tell me how good you go when things are nice and easy.
Speaker C:Be honest and tell me how you go when things are real hard.
Speaker C:Honesty is a big one and it's a hard one as well because it is in a lot of cases, very confronting because you've got to then face up to weaknesses.
Speaker C:As a word other people use the phrase lesser strengths is a more positive way to look at that.
Speaker C:But hey, positive way, you got to face up to your weaknesses.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:And it can be a blow to the ego, but hey, it's necessary.
Speaker C:Number four, you're not focused on cementing your habits, routines and skills over a long term period of time.
Speaker C:So you might sign up for a program like, hey, I've seen this with people that have come to us.
Speaker C:You work with people like Matt and Courtney for 12 months and either you finish it or you drop off and go missing.
Speaker C:But then you just go back to what you used to do before you started.
Speaker C:And now I'm just gonna go back to what I did before the 12 weeks.
Speaker B:Why?
Speaker C:This is actually an iterative evolutionary process.
Speaker C:It's not just a case of, oh, well, I'm gonna, I'm gonna lose this amount of dress sizes and then solve all my problems forever.
Speaker C:Like, no, you're gonna continue to reinvent yourself.
Speaker C:If you're in this for the long term, you will continually reinvent yourself along the way.
Speaker C:We have.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:It wasn't that long ago we were a pair of chump pts in the gym.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Now we're on doing this podcast stuff.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Effective weight training, Safe weight training is absolutely a skill.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And like all skills, it is learned through what, repetition.
Speaker B:And that's the way I sort of look at it, especially now looking back on it, where, you know, you wouldn't teach them if you were trying to teach somebody any new skill.
Speaker B:You know, cooking, I don't know anything.
Speaker B:Tennis, you know, you're trying to teach somebody a new skill of playing tennis, you're not gonna, not practice tennis every week.
Speaker B:Like, if you want to teach someone how to cook, you're not going to teach someone how to cook by not cooking.
Speaker B:And to me, that's the way I look back on it now and I always think about it where, you know, you've gotta, you've, it's just learning a new skill.
Speaker B:And like any skill, there are going to be times where you're going to get bored and over it and frustrated and you know, any, like all the feels.
Speaker C:That's kind of how it works, isn't it?
Speaker B:But you always, the idea is to always see progress.
Speaker B:And if you're seeing progress, it means you're getting better.
Speaker B:And if you're getting better at weight training and strength training, then it means that your body composition is going to be improving.
Speaker C:Okay, so with the weight training you've done since we first met, in what ways have you progressed at the skill of weight training?
Speaker B:Well, my range of Movement in general across my body.
Speaker B:So when I first started weight training, I was doing like body weight squats.
Speaker B:I couldn't even stand the bar on my back.
Speaker C:I didn't start you on the bar.
Speaker C:No, it was body weight and split squats too.
Speaker B:Body weight.
Speaker B:And I couldn't even get down very far.
Speaker B:So my range of movement through my hips and my.
Speaker B:And my Emmys hamstrings was just like.
Speaker B:Not ankles, good at all.
Speaker B:Ankle.
Speaker B:Yeah, that sort of thing, I think.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Split squats were a big problem for me.
Speaker B:I feel like I picked up coordination fairly quickly.
Speaker B:I played, I played a lot of sport growing up, so I feel like the coordination I could pick up relatively quickly and I could understand what you wanted me to do, but it was just getting my body to actually do it and learning the feeling of what that felt like.
Speaker B:But definitely building up from there.
Speaker B:I remember bench press building up from that.
Speaker C:In what way?
Speaker B:Just in terms of weight.
Speaker B:The weight that I could get stronger.
Speaker B:Getting stronger.
Speaker B:Yep, yep.
Speaker B:I think for most things that I did, if I look at my progression, it was in.
Speaker B:Definitely in the weight.
Speaker B:I started off as an absolute beginner.
Speaker B:I had never done weightlifting before ever.
Speaker B:So it was learning.
Speaker B:Like I even learned what a lot of the exercises were even called.
Speaker B:Like I knew what that you were doing, but I didn't know it had name.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm still learning what exercises are called actually.
Speaker B:And you know, so it's not only that it was the correct posture, it was the correct technique.
Speaker B:Also just learning to understand what muscles I have and how they move and how they're supposed to feel.
Speaker B:Yeah, I was, I was not in tune with my body at all.
Speaker B:So that having.
Speaker B:Trying to build that mind to muscle connection.
Speaker B:Yeah, that was a big challenge for me and it took me a long time.
Speaker B:I mean, it's still.
Speaker B:I'm still pratt like getting used to that.
Speaker B:And there's certain movements that I feel like I still have to improve on in terms of that.
Speaker B:And then obviously just the obvious one which is improving in terms of lifting more weight.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:Number five, you're obsessed with how fast you are or aren't changing and how much weight you are losing on the scales in the short term.
Speaker C:We've all got these people in our social media.
Speaker C:We've all fucking got them.
Speaker C:Oh, I've lost 15 kilos in a month.
Speaker C:In two months.
Speaker C:Oh, fuck, I feel so good.
Speaker C:I'm the best.
Speaker C:Honestly.
Speaker C:The first thing I think of is, okay, what's next?
Speaker C:Yeah, do you go from here?
Speaker C:But also other Question I ask, okay, you've had this tremendous short term success.
Speaker C:Can you sustain what you did to get it?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because if the answer is no, we know what's next.
Speaker C:So you might think to yourself, I've had enough, it's time for a change.
Speaker C:I'm back in the gym on Monday.
Speaker C:I'm gonna, you know, get rid of the junk food on Monday.
Speaker C:I'm going to start eating good food on Monday.
Speaker C:And you might go hard for a week or two, but you can't quite keep it up.
Speaker C:And then you just go off the rails for another week.
Speaker C:And then the week after that or a couple of weeks after that, you might be saying, you know, 50, 50, like, oh, yeah, I made a couple of my training sessions and oh yeah, I, I ate breakfast on a couple of days and don't ask about the others.
Speaker C:And then the week after that might be another 100 week.
Speaker C:Oh, I've nailed everything.
Speaker C:And then another drop off after that.
Speaker C:I mean.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:That is a classic sort of a general example of an inconsistent approach with this.
Speaker C:It's normal, unfortunately.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Not a healthy, good normal, but it is normal.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:It's not quite all or nothing.
Speaker C:It's hodgepodge, it's all over the shop.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know, it's just, I think the technical term is clusterfuck.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And lack of focus, you know, all, all of those.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:So the three basic fundamentals when we are working with clients are all about establishing consistency with three things.
Speaker C:Training, otherwise known as exercise, Meal prepping, otherwise known as cooking.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And accountability, otherwise known as a chore that is essential to progress.
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker B:Reasonable, reasonable.
Speaker C:So let's start with, with training, Courtney.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:In terms of looking to spot, you know what, how can you see inconsistencies?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:With this.
Speaker C:So let's say you, you might go to the gym and do what three, in theory, three weight sessions a week.
Speaker C:So on one week, you know, I might, I've done legs on Monday, I've done my, my push session to like, you know, bench press, shoulder press, that sort of stuff on Thursday and then on Saturday I've done the pool session, you know, rowing, lap pull downs, bicep curls.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Then the week after though.
Speaker C:Oh, well, you know, I really don't feel like it on Monday doing legs, I might just do it on Wednesday instead.
Speaker C:And rather than doing my push session on the Thursday, oh, you know, I'm just too busy, I'm too tired.
Speaker C:I'll just go on Saturday and then see if I can squeeze the last one.
Speaker C:In there on Sunday, but then potentially the week after that, you know, might be doing things on different days again and maybe even miss a session or two.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Easy to lose track.
Speaker C:That is, you know, classic inconsistency in that regard.
Speaker C:Now, the thing is not going to sit here and say, oh, like, you know, this won't work unless you can rigidly stick to a routine 100%.
Speaker C:That's not realistic either because sometimes in life things can get in the way.
Speaker C:And sometimes in life shit happens.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:And that's okay.
Speaker C:That's, that's how it is.
Speaker C:But, but these things tend to happen from time to time.
Speaker C:If it's like an inconsistency where someone is all over the shop week to week to week to week.
Speaker C:Now that's called a pattern.
Speaker C:That is definitely called a pattern.
Speaker C:And it becomes easy to spot because.
Speaker C:Well, if you, if you're keeping track of what you're doing and keeping track of, say, your, your training sessions, you know, when you're going, etc.
Speaker C:And you start to look at things over a, a longer term period of time, like even over the course of like three, four, five, six weeks, you can spot this a mile away.
Speaker C:Like, you can just see it.
Speaker C:So we have, with our, with what we do with our clients, Courtney has accountability charts.
Speaker C:They fill out each week that shows, you know, like, you know, on, on Monday I did weights or I did cardio or I went, you know, went for a walk or whatever, Tuesday, this, Wednesday, this, et cetera, all through the week.
Speaker C:You look at those over a longer period of time and you can spot the inconsistency because like on this week, they've done this, this week, the next week's totally different.
Speaker C:The week after, that's totally different.
Speaker C:And there's no established pattern that you can see that is classic training inconsistency.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:What about meal prepping inconsistency?
Speaker C:How do you, how do you spot it with this?
Speaker B:Because I think, I think one of the big ones with meal prepping inconsistency is not just when you get to the meal prepping.
Speaker B:So it's not just the cooking part, as you say, Matt, it's also the.
Speaker B:You've actually got to go and buy the food.
Speaker C:Planning.
Speaker C:So it's the planning part.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Then shopping, then preparing.
Speaker B:So there's stages to it.
Speaker B:So if you're inconsistent with your shopping, then you're not going to be able to meal plan prep.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker C:Well, is that part of it too, isn't it?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So if you're inconsistent with your.
Speaker B:Even your planning stage.
Speaker B:So you're inconsistent with what days you're going to do your food shopping or when you're going to get that in, or.
Speaker B:Or how many days a week you think you might have to do it.
Speaker B:What are you going to cook?
Speaker B:Like, what recipes do you want to make?
Speaker B:If you're inconsistent with that planning, then everything is going to flow downhill from there because you're not going to shop on the right days.
Speaker B:You might not realize you've run out of food until it's too late and then you just don't want to do it.
Speaker B:And then you get takeaway.
Speaker B:There's a massive flow on effect.
Speaker C:You're on the back foot straight away.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:With that.
Speaker B:So that's one of the big meal prepping consistencies, I think when people, you can tell that people aren't planning what they're doing.
Speaker C:Oh, you can spot when they're not planned.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Like it's.
Speaker C:You do this long enough and it's.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's not hard to see.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:But, you know.
Speaker C:So Court has given an example of meal prepping inconsistency of poor planning.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:That is the first sign someone's just winging it.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:You know, so, okay, you've got that.
Speaker C:How does that look as an example?
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Well, you might have it where.
Speaker C:Okay, well, last week I planned and shopped and prepared thoroughly and it got me through the entire week.
Speaker C:Hey, high five.
Speaker C:Well done.
Speaker C:Our advice would be go do that again.
Speaker C:Just repeat that.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:However, what happens is the following week.
Speaker C:Oh, well, I only prepped up to three days for that week and then the remaining four days I just sort of grazed as I went along.
Speaker B:Winged it.
Speaker C:Winged it.
Speaker C:That's correct.
Speaker C:But then the, the following week after that.
Speaker C:Well, I only.
Speaker C:Only prepped for the first three meals of the day and then once I got through the afternoon and dinner, it's just whatever.
Speaker C:Whatever was close at hand, AKA rule of proximity.
Speaker C:But then the week after that, though I was 100%.
Speaker C:I was 100%.
Speaker C:And then.
Speaker C:Don't ask about the week after that.
Speaker C:No, I'd rather.
Speaker C:I don't want to talk about the bad things.
Speaker C:Yeah, but the week I did.
Speaker C:100%.
Speaker C:I was so proud of myself.
Speaker C:I'm going to show you everything that I did for that week.
Speaker C:How good am I am the week, the week after?
Speaker C:You know, we don't talk about.
Speaker C:We don't talk about the bad things.
Speaker C:So again, there's inconsistency here.
Speaker C:Yeah, it's not an established pattern from week to week to week to week.
Speaker C:It's not a routine.
Speaker C:Yeah, because consistency is a routine ultimately.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:What about accountability?
Speaker C:Now, before I get too much into this, I'll be the first person to say accountability is not fun.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:For some people, the meal prep side of things can be fun.
Speaker C:Some people love being in the kitchen.
Speaker C:I'm not one of them.
Speaker C:I fucking hate it.
Speaker C:Still gets done, but it doesn't mean I enjoy it.
Speaker C:For most people, the training and the exercise is fun because we're conditioned to think that's all, that's all we need.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:We do this and we'll change.
Speaker C:Obviously there's more to it.
Speaker C:Maybe not.
Speaker C:Obviously there's more to it than that.
Speaker C:Generally you'll find people will gravitate towards being more consistent with the things they enjoy doing.
Speaker B:Right.
Speaker C:So anyway, point I'm getting towards is accountability.
Speaker C:I don't think I've worked with, with many clients ever that have said, oh, I love filling out these meal records.
Speaker C:I love tracking all this stuff.
Speaker C:No, it fucking sucks.
Speaker C:This is the thing, it's not an instant gratification.
Speaker C:You don't get an immediate reward from doing that.
Speaker C:Like if you, you go to a training session, it's immediate feedback.
Speaker C:Like, I'm sweating buckets, feel good and I'm sore, but gee, I just feel a sense of accomplishment and wow.
Speaker C:So there's that immediate feedback.
Speaker C:You even can get that.
Speaker C:And even I get that despite the fact I don't like cooking.
Speaker C:I get immediate feedback because like, well, hey, I got a bench full of pre prepared meals here going into the fridge.
Speaker C:I'm fucking done.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:See you in like three days, four days, five days for the next round.
Speaker C:Like you beauty.
Speaker C:Accountability, there is no immediate reward.
Speaker C:It's just like I recorded this stuff, I sent it through, it's so tedious.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So I just want to say, like, hey, it isn't exactly the glamorous part, but it is.
Speaker C:However, secretly, or maybe not so secretly, accountability is the most important part of the entire coaching process.
Speaker C:Number six, a continuation of the point Courtney just made is that you give up quickly because in your mind you aren't changing fast enough.
Speaker C:So it mustn't be working.
Speaker B:And I think that this short term mindset trait also comes in where you're not appreciating the small wins.
Speaker B:So what you just spoke about, Matt, was perfect.
Speaker B:You know, you're not, you're not appreciating the fact you're more outgoing, you're happier within yourself, you're you're stepping out of your comfort zone and starting a new weight training routine.
Speaker B:You're learning a new skill of lifting weights.
Speaker B:You know, you're, you're doing your own shopping and cooking.
Speaker B:That's what it was like for me when I first started.
Speaker B:I didn't cook my own food then I did.
Speaker B:So I was learning new recipes.
Speaker B:I stepped out my side, my comfort zone, and actually entered the weight area of the gym.
Speaker B:So when I first started weight training, I was doing like body weight squats.
Speaker B:I couldn't even stand the bar on my back.
Speaker C:I didn't start you on the bar.
Speaker C:No, it was body weight and the.
Speaker B:Split squats, body weight.
Speaker B:And I couldn't even get down very far.
Speaker B:So my range of movement through my hips and my, and my Emmys hamstrings was just like not ankles good at all.
Speaker B:Ankle.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Um, that sort of thing, I think.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Split squats were a big problem for me.
Speaker B:Um, I feel like I picked up coordination fairly quickly.
Speaker B:Um, I played, I played a lot of sport growing up, so I feel like the coordination I could pick up relatively quickly and I could understand what you wanted me to do, but it was just getting my body to actually do it and learning the feel of what that felt like, but definitely building up from there.
Speaker B:I remember bench press building up from that.
Speaker C:In what way?
Speaker B:Just in terms of weight.
Speaker B:The weight that I could push.
Speaker B:Getting stronger, Getting stronger.
Speaker B:Yep, yep.
Speaker B:I think for most things that I did, if I look at my progression, it was in definitely in the weight.
Speaker B:I started off as an absolute beginner.
Speaker B:I had never done weightlifting before ever.
Speaker B:So it was learning.
Speaker B:Like I even learned what a lot of the exercises were even called.
Speaker B:Like I knew what that you were doing, but I didn't know it had name.
Speaker B:Yeah, I'm still learning what exercises are called actually.
Speaker B:And you know, so it's not only that it was the correct posture, it was the correct technique.
Speaker B:Also just learning to understand what muscles I have and how they move and how they're supposed to feel.
Speaker B:Yeah, I was, I was not in tune with my body at all.
Speaker B:So that having.
Speaker B:Trying to build that mind to muscle connection.
Speaker B:Yeah, that was a big challenge for me and it took me a long time.
Speaker B:I mean it's still, I'm still pray like getting used to that and there's certain movements that I feel like I still have to improve on in terms of that.
Speaker B:And then obviously just the obvious one which is improving in terms of lifting more weight.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Another area that you may, you may a Lot of people will undersell this.
Speaker C:That you've improved in with the skill of weightlifting is knowing when to inhale and when to exhale breathing.
Speaker C:Because there's a real, there's a real art to knowing when to, when to inhale, exhale.
Speaker C:Because it can literally improve or decrease performance on certain exercises.
Speaker C:Because it's not all the same, is it?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:So you learn that.
Speaker C:That was a big improvement.
Speaker B:You're right.
Speaker B:The other non obvious one that you learn is how to spot someone.
Speaker B:Oh.
Speaker B:Even.
Speaker B:Even like me when I used to just work out with you, Matt, and I was the client and you were my trainer, you still taught me how to spot.
Speaker C:Of course.
Speaker B:So even though I wasn't spotting anyone because you weren't working out, it was just me at the time.
Speaker B:You'll still explain to me where you were going to stand and why you were going to stand there.
Speaker C:And how did that help?
Speaker B:I think it just helped because it helped me understand what you were doing and why.
Speaker B:So the expectation was set.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:It helped me from a client point of view understand that I was safe as a client and lifting weights.
Speaker B:Because obviously in the early days it was still very scary.
Speaker C:Oh, am I going to drop this on my head?
Speaker C:Yeah, absolutely.
Speaker B:And then I think like it obviously also helped now that I feel comfortable working out alone.
Speaker B:I feel comfortable if I was to work out with somebody else spotting them and, and then also explaining that to them how to spot me.
Speaker C:See, I love that.
Speaker C:That.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:That just really appeals to me personally with what, you know, the way I like to work is empower people.
Speaker C:That's from day one.
Speaker C:It's like, you know, if I teach you how to spot well, that means you're less reliant on me for starters.
Speaker C:Which is a win.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So it's long term skills you're developing.
Speaker C:Also I think another way it would help you maybe sort of like another invisible improvement is that you can critique yourself.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Now as well.
Speaker B:Oh yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Like you don't need me to tell you where to improve in a movement.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:You know yourself.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:Because.
Speaker C:Not just because you've been taught though, because you've practiced.
Speaker C:The hell that.
Speaker B:And I think sometimes you used to just record what I was doing so you could show me.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:And that was also really helpful.
Speaker C:Oh, getting.
Speaker C:I'm glad you brought that up.
Speaker C:We, we probably missed it.
Speaker C:Not putting in the notes here.
Speaker C:But the, the improvements that come from being willing to record what you're doing in the gym, get yourself on video performing certain movements is like it's monumental how much you can improve.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:It's actually a real big thing that we do with our own clients now because, like Courtney and I, we haven't trained clients face to face for years.
Speaker C:Like, we stopped doing that years ago.
Speaker C:We're purely online and remote.
Speaker C:So we've got clients literally in all corners of the globe and we're still teaching them how to become their own pts.
Speaker C:Because if you.
Speaker C:If a client of ours and we tell them this, like, if you are willing to get a bit uncomfortable and are willing to record what you're doing in the gym, you are going to improve in leaps and bounds because you're going to learn how to see what we see.
Speaker C:And if you learn how to see what we see, you then don't become reliant on having someone there to spot you or to watch you or a trainer there with you every single time, because that's not really sustainable.
Speaker C:So that's another sort of improvement.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That, you know, you can make as well.
Speaker C:So I'm glad you brought that up.
Speaker C:As I said before, mixing it up with.
Speaker C:With the weights prevents you from getting stronger and it defeats the purpose of strength training to begin with.
Speaker C:And the thing is, as well, one of the big key fundamental errors that people.
Speaker C:That creeps up and we sort of mix it up with our weights is you start running out of things to do.
Speaker C:Because the thing is, when it comes to exercise or weight exercises, they're not all created equal.
Speaker C:Sorry.
Speaker C:Some are just better than others.
Speaker C:What do I mean by better than others?
Speaker C:Well, they require more muscle activation through greater parts of your body.
Speaker C:They require more neurological coordination, your nervous system adapting to complex movements.
Speaker C:So I'll give an example of a relatively easy movement versus a relatively complex movement.
Speaker C:Let's talk about, say, barbell bicep curl versus a barbell deadlift.
Speaker C:So a barbell bicep curl, the only thing that should be moving is your elbow in terms of joints, because this is, you know, flexion extension through there and voila.
Speaker C:I'm, you know, I'm bicep curl, I'm curling, mate.
Speaker C:Check me out.
Speaker C:Barbell deadlift.
Speaker C:You're using ankles, knees, hips, your core, back, back, all through your back.
Speaker C:Because you also got to have that retraction through your shoulder blades.
Speaker C:Keep your posture nice.
Speaker C:The muscle activation on a deadlift is just out of control.
Speaker B:That's literally everything.
Speaker B:Literally everything.
Speaker C:Everything except your chest, basically.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, even your shoulders, you know, you're still holding that.
Speaker C:You've got to retract them, hold them.
Speaker B:Back you still gotta as well, you're still lifting weight in front of you.
Speaker C:Point is, not all exercises are created equal.
Speaker C:Some are simply just more effective than others at promoting strength improvements, coordination improvements and long term what we're, you know, why are we doing this?
Speaker C:Body composition improvements.
Speaker C:And that's one of the risks with mixing it up, is it, will you start running out of exercises?
Speaker C:Because if you go like, oh, I'm sick of the deadlifts, I'm sick of the bench press, I'm sick of the shoulder press, like what are you down to like calf raises and wrist curls, like where running out of booty bands.
Speaker C:We're running out of options here.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So when we talk about not all exercise being created equal, things like the deadlifts, the squats, the leg press, the bench press, the lat pull down, shoulder press dips, these exercises that require you to use multiple joints in your body simply are going to work you harder.
Speaker C:Which means we don't really want to get away from them too much more.
Speaker C:We want to stick with them and have them sort of featured as part of a successful training program.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:So I've been doing, for example me, I've been doing deadlifts now for decades.
Speaker C:But not all the same.
Speaker C:The variation or the mixing it up has come in.
Speaker C:Well, I may, this, this six month period or nine month period or twelve month period.
Speaker C:In some cases I may just go with the barbell or I may change it and spend three to six months with the hex bar or I might go back to the barbell and do a sumo style deadlift or a sumo style deadlift where you also have the, the weights elevated on the floor.
Speaker C:Or as I currently am doing, as I said earlier, I'm now doing the variation of a one legged deadlift, which is a nightmare exercise.
Speaker C:Let's just repeat that it is hard as fuck.
Speaker B:Yes, it is.
Speaker C:So the thing is, not all exercises are equal.
Speaker C:So we have what we call our pinnacle exercises, our big compound multi joint exercises that we want to be featuring pretty much in a person's program in perpetuity.
Speaker C:But there's variations.
Speaker C:And this is, this is where we can sort of, I'll use the phrase mix things up but change things to people over time or in some cases evolve.
Speaker C:Is that all these different exercises have different variations.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So we have let's say as I said before with a deadlift, a standard barbell deadlift.
Speaker C:Great.
Speaker C:Well, I'm now doing a variation being a barbell, one legged deadlift.
Speaker C:Another variation could be, you know, you might spend, say, three months or six months getting stronger at the standard 45° two legged leg press.
Speaker C:Okay, let's give you a bit of a new, a bit of a new test and you know, testing out.
Speaker C:Let's go to a 45 degree single leg press.
Speaker C:So only one leg's moving at a time.
Speaker C:Same with a bench press, Courtney.
Speaker C:You might go from like a, a dumbbell bench press to a one armed dumbbell bench press.
Speaker C:Which means any one arm's moving at a time.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Rather than both.
Speaker B:Or even just generally going from barbell.
Speaker C:To dumbbells, you know, barbells to dumbbells or changes or even kettlebells.
Speaker B:It changes because you haven't got the same stability.
Speaker B:It changes the way, you know, your body and your mind have to sort of work hard for the movement can.
Speaker C:Also change when the tensions on the muscle.
Speaker C:So a good example that you remember, Courtney, is say a barbell or bicep curl to then going to doing bicep curls with the cables.
Speaker C:Yes, the cables.
Speaker C:There is tension all the way through because it's pulling gravity of the cables pulling your arm down.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Where with, as you know, with the barbell bicep curl, there's certain points where you can kind of cheat and your muscles kind of switch off.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:Where the variation of the cables, like there's no cheating, mate.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:You feel it from, from top to bottom and bottom to top.
Speaker C:So the variation can come in what we call unilateral exercises.
Speaker C:So rather than using both legs or both arms, you might use one leg or one arm at a time.
Speaker C:Way harder from a coordination perspective.
Speaker C:But that's, that's an evolution for some people.
Speaker C:The variation could come in, as Courtney said, barbells versus dumbbells versus kettlebells versus cables.
Speaker C:I've trained using metal chains in the past, you know, or for some people, things like resistance bands.
Speaker C:A tremendous sort of variation.
Speaker C:Another variation could be, say with the bench press.
Speaker C:When we do a bench press, the bench doesn't need to be flat for the rest of your life.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:If you take a flat bench press and change the bench by even a 10 degree angle up or down, you've got a exercise.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Because the movement pattern changes, the recruitment pattern changes and the coordination requirements change.
Speaker C:So I'll often for myself and say with Courtney and our clients as well, when, when it's appropriate and when we feel that it logically makes sense, we might go, you know, right, o.
Speaker C:Let's get you going from a flat barbell bench press to an incline dumbbell bench press.
Speaker C:It's still a bench press, but gee, it's different to what you're used to.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And so it's a new test for someone, but if you make that change, you might stick with that for six months to practice the shit out of it.
Speaker C:Because when you go to a new exercise, the first like two to three months is just like, how do I get this movement down pat?
Speaker C:Then once we've got the movement down pat, well, let's now get stronger at the movement.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think that's the difference between mixing it up and looking at variations.
Speaker B:The difference is often when people want to mix things up, it's a workout to work out week to week.
Speaker C:Absolutely.
Speaker B:Thing.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Whereas when we're talking about variations, we're talking about programming them in, deliberately planning ahead and saying for the next X amount of time.
Speaker B:This is now my program and it's not going to change for X amount of time.
Speaker B:So I think that's the difference between looking at variations and looking at willy nilly winging it.
Speaker B:I think the other thing that you pointed out, Matt, just to clarify, which is, I think when we talk about willy nilly winging often involves small movements.
Speaker B:So you might, you know, people might have a couple of big complex movements in there, but then they often want to play around with little movements or as well, you, you often see people, they fall into the trap of doing a variation of the same movement.
Speaker B:So, you know, they might just do five different movements that all work the glutes and that's their leg day, but they've forgotten about, there's a whole lot of other muscles in the legs.
Speaker B:So that's the other part of winging it where you're not planning ahead and you're not stopping to think about, am I utilizing all the muscle groups that I want to?
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Whereas when you talk about variations and actually planning ahead, you're planning it deliberately so you're active.
Speaker B:Like you're deliberately working out what you want to do on each day and making sure that all your muscle groups are targeted.
Speaker C:I think the key word you're looking for, Courtney, is structured.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:The variations.
Speaker C:And here's a key word, the progressions.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Are structured.
Speaker C:And this is the thing when it comes to.
Speaker C:The thing is we're sitting here saying we've done the same exercises for this long.
Speaker C:We actually have had plenty of variation in what we do.
Speaker C:The variation and the variety in a person's strength training doesn't always have to come from a different movement.
Speaker C:It can Actually come from manipulating the rep ranges.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:So I, for example, I'll do the same exercises minimum for three months, minimum.
Speaker C:Usually longer.
Speaker C:But as a bare ass minimum, I'm doing the same movements for at least 12 weeks.
Speaker C:At least.
Speaker C:Yeah, right.
Speaker C:But the variation within those 12 week blocks comes from.
Speaker C:Because what we do is all about.
Speaker C:The word we're looking for here is progressive.
Speaker C:A progressive program.
Speaker C:So a progressive program should be one that is building you up.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:So in most cases when it comes to weight training, it's building you up by gradually asking you to pick up the intensity of what you're doing.
Speaker C:Now the best intensity with weight training can come in different ways.
Speaker C:For some people it can come in, I'm just going to do more reps. We don't do that because it's actually a slower path to the outcome.
Speaker C:The real pickup in intensity should come from.
Speaker C:You should look to gradually lift heavier weights.
Speaker C:So what we do is we program in manipulations of the rep ranges.
Speaker C:So as, as our program start.
Speaker C:And this has been the same way for us, Courtney, since like you and I first met and since before you and I first met.
Speaker C:Like, this is, this is one thing that hasn't changed.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:If you recall, you've been having manipulations in rep ranges since from day one.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Up to today in the gym together.
Speaker C:So a person's program might start at a certain rep range of higher reps. Like it might be 8 reps, 10 reps, 12 reps, 14 reps. Sucks to be with 14 reps. That's not fun.
Speaker B:I've only ever gone up to 12.
Speaker B:Highest I've personally ever started.
Speaker C:But the thing is, so the highest you started is 12 reps. Do you finish the 12 weeks at 12 reps?
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:Okay, so what has changed?
Speaker B:So the rep range goes down.
Speaker B:So not every week.
Speaker B:We have to spread it out obviously over 12 weeks, which is how we would, what we would constitute one program.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker B:Over 12 weeks.
Speaker C:That's a pretty safe bet for a training block for most people that give or take a few weeks.
Speaker B:For some people, how many weeks you spend on each rep range, I mean, that can vary.
Speaker C:So I've done two weeks, three weeks, four weeks.
Speaker B:I think when I first started, just to give an example, when I first started I was every four weeks.
Speaker B:So I had three changes throughout my, you know, program, one program, two throughout the year.
Speaker B:So I started, I think back then I was starting 10 for the first month.
Speaker C:Yes, you did.
Speaker B:Then I went down to eight and then I finished for the last month at Six reps.
Speaker C:Okay, so what did that allow for?
Speaker B:So basically the idea is that each week I would try still to go up in weight.
Speaker B:So if, you know, you hit your markers that we've spoken about before, you hit your form markers and you hit your rep range, then ideally we want to try to go up in weight the week after.
Speaker B:Now, that might be literally as small of an increase as half a kilo.
Speaker C:Or half a kilo or one pound.
Speaker B:Like, literally could be a tiny increase if you need it to be, but it's something.
Speaker B:You're still increasing that low.
Speaker C:It's still progress, isn't it?
Speaker B:Still progress.
Speaker B:Now, usually though, when you're staying on the same rep range, it is hard sometimes to make progress.
Speaker B:You can hit a wall, especially some of those smaller compound movements.
Speaker B:You know, I'm not going to make as big, big a gains, as I would say, on deadlifts, on bicep curls.
Speaker B:So it depends on the movement.
Speaker B:But yeah, you are going to hit a wall when you're constantly at the same time working range, what's they hit?
Speaker C:A plateau.
Speaker C:That's if you.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's if you stay at the same rep range for the entire program.
Speaker C:And I've heard this, I've had this conversation with a lot of friends and people in the past.
Speaker C:It's like I just can't seem to get stronger.
Speaker C:And you look at their training programs like you're doing the same reps for six months.
Speaker C:Like, of course you're not going to get stronger.
Speaker C:You will hit the wall.
Speaker C:Because I would, I would hit the wall too.
Speaker B:I think it also then opens up potential for injury because you're going to try to push harder and your form might.
Speaker B:Might then slip.
Speaker B:Slip.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:So what, what the drop in rep range means is that it's a forced increase because you're not going to then do the same weight at 8 reps as you did for 10 reps because you're going to smash it.
Speaker C:Not to being honest.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So it is an absolute forced increase and you can usually go up a bit higher.
Speaker B:Now, how much you go up for that first week that you're dropping reps, it might be a bit of trial.
Speaker C:And error, not a bit of trial and error.
Speaker C:It's guaranteed to be trial and error because it'll be different based on the person with their, with their conditioning, their experience or their training age.
Speaker C:It'll also, as you know, Courtney, it'll.
Speaker C:It'll differ depending on the exercise.
Speaker B:Yes, absolutely.
Speaker B:So that's where those compound movements.
Speaker B:So just that example alone of deadlift versus bicep curl.
Speaker C:Well, yeah.
Speaker C:So any exercise that uses more of your muscles.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Will probably get a bigger increase.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So you're going to sort of have a bit of a play around, but then obviously you've got a baseline for the next week and then the next week.
Speaker B:So right now I think I've got.
Speaker B:I've changed my current program, so I, I change it up every three weeks.
Speaker B:So I've got three in four increases.
Speaker B:So I'm 12, 10, 8, 6.
Speaker B:We've always worked in twos.
Speaker B:Is that deliberate?
Speaker B:I don't know if I've ever asked.
Speaker C:You, Matt, what do you mean in twos?
Speaker B:So 12, 10, 8, 6.
Speaker B:So we're not going.
Speaker B:We're even numbers and we're going.
Speaker B:Dropping by two reps. We have.
Speaker C:That's correct, yes.
Speaker C:Do you know why?
Speaker B:No, I was about to say I don't think I've ever asked you why.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Time to.
Speaker C:Time to teach my wife something new.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because when you have a, a smaller reduction in reps like that, it allows for a more gentle increase in weights.
Speaker C:And like, if you think of the thing with this way, this week you're going from 12 reps to 6 reps. Oh, too much.
Speaker B:But what I mean is, it's not one.
Speaker B:So you're not going from 12 to 11.
Speaker C:Well, the thing is, 12 to 11 may not be big enough.
Speaker C:It may not be an appreciable difference.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:To two reps.
Speaker C:It feels and works like a nice change where you're guaranteed to go up in weight.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:An appreciable difference in many, many exercises.
Speaker C:But it's also a good drop in volume.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Because the thing is, with training, you've got.
Speaker C:You're going to have either volume or you're going to have intensity.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:You might think you can have both.
Speaker C:You won't for long.
Speaker C:You're only human.
Speaker C:We're all organic.
Speaker C:There's only so much juice in the orange.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:So the thing is, with the manipulation of the rep ranges, as the reps gradually go down, the weight can gradually go up.
Speaker C:That's actually how we can say to our clients and we can say with our own.
Speaker C:Courtney.
Speaker C:There's no strength plateaus when you train the way we train and the way we teach, because sooner or later that weight's going up.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:The longest week, the longest I can be stuck lifting the same weight is four weeks.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:The longest you could be stuck could be three weeks because of the way you.
Speaker C:Like.
Speaker C:I'm just 10, 8, 6 at the moment.
Speaker C:But the thing is, I know if I'm struggling on an exercise, which does happen, we've all got our strengths and weaknesses with different exercises.
Speaker C:If I'm, if I'm say stuck on the same weight for four weeks, I @ least know the next week after that this shit's going up.
Speaker B:Yeah, there's a change coming.
Speaker C:And the thing is as well just that that being where the variety is could trigger a big strength gain after that.
Speaker C:Like, I've had it before where I've been stuck, for example, on the same weight of a given exercise for 10 reps for a month.
Speaker C:But then once the reps dropped down to eight and the weight went up, it then went up for the next two months, you know, because just, just that little, in that little increase and asking your body to lift a little bit more can trigger some pretty good improvements from there.
Speaker C:But point I'm making is at the very least we can say with this type of strength training, you're not going to hit a plateau.
Speaker C:Yeah, there's always an improvement coming, which is a good feeling, by the way, because you know, then, well, regardless of how this goes, I'm going to be progressing.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker B:Seven, cutting out specific foods.
Speaker B:This is another one to speed things up.
Speaker C:I'm cutting our sugar this month.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:No carbs.
Speaker C:You know, not just cutting out specific foods, but cutting out certain nutrition sources or in some cases, well, I'm just gonna, I'm gonna cut my calories for a couple of months.
Speaker C:I might skip a few meals a day just to, you know, speed the process up.
Speaker C:Never works, does it?
Speaker B:No, it doesn't work.
Speaker C:If there was a way to speed things up, especially with our clients, because the thing is, with what we do for a living, our business lives and dies on people getting great outcomes and improving themselves.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Do you think we wanted to go any fucking slower than it has to?
Speaker B:No, no, it's not in anyone's interest.
Speaker C:To do that because we, we want the testimonials.
Speaker C:We want you feeling better about yourself.
Speaker C:We want you having a better life.
Speaker C:Why the would we deliberately take the slow route?
Speaker B:Are you not, Are you not skipping breakfast anymore?
Speaker B:Which I didn't have on my list, which I probably could have had.
Speaker B:You know, that, that's not something I did, you know, pre.
Speaker B:10 years ago, I would skip breakfast or same, you know, skip lunch and just binge eat in the afternoon like that.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker B:So I think all those examples are really important.
Speaker B:Number eight is we've written same as above Just switch out food for adding more random exercise sessions.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:So, and I'll repeat this.
Speaker C:If you are working with a professional and they know what the fuck they are doing, if there were ways to speed this up that had no side effects, they'd be doing it already.
Speaker B:I think that's the biggest disclaimer to put on that if there was a way with no side effects where you could keep long term results by doing it faster, we would do it.
Speaker C:The thing is, I don't consider it success if we work with someone and they get a great result in 12 months and they're back to where they started, if not worse, 12 months later.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Let's actually give some practical tips.
Speaker C:Could I please start by giving the first tip when it comes to successful training programs?
Speaker C:If your PT asks you what would you like to work out today?
Speaker C:Get a new pt.
Speaker C:That's tip number one.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:We also have to touch on what we, you know, we've mentioned a couple of times, which is think about your programming in terms of structure and progression, not winging it.
Speaker B:What do I feel like?
Speaker C:Also you can even simplify that, Courtney, and just say mixing it up.
Speaker C:Cardio good.
Speaker C:Mixing it up.
Speaker C:Weights bad.
Speaker B:Bad, Good.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Another tip I want to give is record.
Speaker C:Write your numbers down.
Speaker C: week of training with me from: Speaker C:Every single one since then has been recorded from both of us.
Speaker C:Yes, every single one.
Speaker C: for bench press in September: Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And tell you where I'm at, what, what the date was, how many reps I did, what the weight was, what rep range I was in.
Speaker C:I could tell you if I was using a barbell, Dumbbells, chains.
Speaker B:I think as well.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:It's essential during your program because you can't get better at an exercise if you've forgotten what you did last week.
Speaker C:I'll tell you what, that is a million dollar point.
Speaker B:So even beyond, if you don't want to keep your workout programs for 10 years, and that's fine.
Speaker B:But even beyond that, you should, though.
Speaker B:You should.
Speaker B:But even if you don't, you cannot progress.
Speaker B:We're talking about structured, progressive workouts.
Speaker B:You can't progress unless you remember what you did last week.
Speaker B:And I guarantee you, I promise you, you can have the best memory.
Speaker B:You won't remember what you did last week.
Speaker C:I can give a great example of this.
Speaker C:I've done this for a living for a long time.
Speaker C:If you asked me what weights I did last week, I couldn't tell you.
Speaker B:I couldn't even tell you what we did this morning, really.
Speaker C:Now I'll tell you what I would actually.
Speaker C:I can remember my shoulder press was my first exercise.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And I remember my dips because that was body weight.
Speaker C:But everything else, I need to go and review my numbers.
Speaker B:I'll probably tell you roughly, but I have to actually look it up to really remember it.
Speaker C:But that's only like, you know, eight hours later.
Speaker C:The thing is, you aren't going to remember what you did last week in high detail.
Speaker C:Sorry, it's not how it works.
Speaker C:I do this for a living and I don't remember.
Speaker C:No, it's just not how it works.
Speaker C:This is why a little.
Speaker C:Little rule I've got with this.
Speaker C:The more you record, the less you need to remember.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And everything.
Speaker B:Everything down to if it's a particular machine that you want to remember to use each time or the settings on the machine.
Speaker B:Settings on the machine.
Speaker B:How far back that you put the.
Speaker B:The seat or the leg press.
Speaker B:Yeah, Things like that.
Speaker C:How high is the bench press?
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:The.
Speaker C:You know, where the barbell is being held?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think as well, this is just to underscore the point of, you know, my story from earlier of the trainer saying, what do you want to work out?
Speaker B:Or let's just do glutes.
Speaker B:The problem with that, beyond the obvious problem with that, is if she's potentially not done glutes last week with her client, she has no baseline information and potentially she's not doing glutes in the next workout either, or next week.
Speaker B:She is going to change it up.
Speaker B:Whatever the client wants to work out at the time.
Speaker B:So.
Speaker B:And I've watched a lot of pts in my gym, so it's not just this particular one.
Speaker B:They don't write anything down.
Speaker B:So they don't carry around a clipboard or an iPad to actually record what the client is lifting on what machine.
Speaker B:So by the time that client comes in next week, if she was hap.
Speaker B:Like, did happen to say to that P.T.
Speaker B:again, oh, let's do legs again.
Speaker B:Potentially they're doing completely different exercises or they're going to do the same exercises and she.
Speaker B:She won't remember what weight she did.
Speaker C:The thing is, it's especially egregious when PTs don't record for their clients because the thing is, like, we've been PTs.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You can see as a PT, you could see upwards of 50 different people a week.
Speaker C:Do you think you're going to remember their numbers?
Speaker B:Absolutely not.
Speaker C:I can't remember my own numbers.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker B:So you can't then have a progressive program if you don't remember what you did last week.
Speaker C:And that's the key thing as well with, with recording your numbers is you can then walk in next week and go, cool, last week I did XYZ on these exercises.
Speaker C:Cool.
Speaker C:I put in like Israel.
Speaker C:I actually do this.
Speaker C:I'll put a note in there, increase next week.
Speaker C:Keep the same next week.
Speaker B:Or don't increase next week.
Speaker C:Increase next week.
Speaker C:Don't increase next week.
Speaker C:So I walk in knowing, okay, I did that last week.
Speaker C:And for my first set I've got to keep it the same.
Speaker C:Then assess for the second set.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:After that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Where's the guesswork there?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:There is none.
Speaker C:It's a plan.
Speaker C:It's what this is the thing.
Speaker C:Not many people can say this.
Speaker C:You walk into the door of the gym, I know what I'm doing.
Speaker C:I know what I did last week.
Speaker C:I know I'm going for this week.
Speaker C:Let's go, let's get to work.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think the next thing I just want to bring up and underscore, Matt, was I think you touched on it earlier, but I know there's going to be, you know, people listening to this saying, well, when do I change it then?
Speaker B:Ah, so you, you did touch on it earlier, but maybe if you could just give a recap of when do I change my program and when do I change my rep range?
Speaker C:Well, rep ranges can change.
Speaker C:I mean, anywhere from like every three to four weeks.
Speaker B:They're scheduled in at the start of your program.
Speaker B:So you know when they're happening.
Speaker C:Absolutely, they are.
Speaker B:Again, it's not a willy nilly.
Speaker B:I think I'll change my rep range.
Speaker C:No, no, no.
Speaker C:If my, like, if my 12 week program.
Speaker C:I have my calendar here on my, on my computer.
Speaker C:If my, if my 12 week program started on.
Speaker C:Let's, let's start with next month.
Speaker C:May.
Speaker C:Yeah, let's say my 12 week program started on the 2nd of May.
Speaker C:I can tell you right now my first drop in rep ranges will occur on the 30th of May.
Speaker C:1, 2, 3, 4.
Speaker C:My second drop and my final drop will occur on the 4th of June.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:I just picked that out there because looking at the calendar, because I know how I structure my own programs.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:So for me they're occurring every, you know, every month, every Four.
Speaker C:Four.
Speaker C:Every four to five weeks.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:And again, they're planned ahead of time.
Speaker C:What was the other part you asked about changing the exercises?
Speaker B:When, when, when should you change your variation?
Speaker C:Well, I'll tell you what, as I said before, minimum three months.
Speaker C:Minimum.
Speaker C:But the thing is this will depend on the person.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So if you've got someone who is a beginner at structured strength training, progressive strength training by a beginner, I'm talking like honestly 12 months or less.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Okay.
Speaker C:I would be keeping with the same exercises for honestly at least six months.
Speaker C:At least.
Speaker C:Because the first, as I said before, the first three months of an exercise is learning like how the.
Speaker C:Do I move this without killing myself?
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:That's before we talk about putting weight on the bar or anything like that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And for some people it could be 12 weeks.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Three months of just working on the quality of the movement.
Speaker C:And so if you've got someone, right, a beginner, and on their first three month training block, they can perform a barbell squat without weight on the bar.
Speaker C:Just the bar, a naked bar by itself, but they can perform at full range, like one high five.
Speaker C:Because it took me fucking way longer than that one high five.
Speaker C:Secondly.
Speaker C:Cool.
Speaker C:Your next 12 week training program is just now to replicate the quality of that movement and gradually increase the weight.
Speaker C:Then maybe after that you might just assess and go, cool, okay, you've gotten stronger and you've gotten better at the quality of the movement with the squat on your next program, I'm going to ruin your life and make you start with pistol squats.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:Or split squats and be a real jackass with that.
Speaker C:Or for someone who's a beginner as well, we might start them on an assisted movement.
Speaker C:So leg day for a complete rookie might actually start with leg press because they can at least then through a supported movement, learn the skill of a progressive training program.
Speaker C:So they might spend three months or six months on the leg press, just getting better at that.
Speaker C:Then it's like, okay, they understand how the progressions work, they understand how the rep ranges work.
Speaker C:Cool.
Speaker C:Let's get you out of the leg press and let's see how you got on the squat rack.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because at least you understand the fundamentals of strength training.
Speaker C:You can now take those skills and apply them to a more complex movement.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:So long story short, minimum three months, I'd be recommending at least six for someone who's been strength training for 12 months or less.
Speaker C:Honestly, you probably can't spend too long on a given Movement.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:I have spent years on certain movements.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I was.
Speaker B:I was just about to say.
Speaker B:I think.
Speaker B:I think they'll sort of follow up to that answer is just literally don't be afraid to.
Speaker B:To continue doing it.
Speaker B:Especially if you look at that exercise and you truly don't think you've mastered it yet, don't feel the need to change it.
Speaker C:I'll tell you what, another thing you could do is record yourself.
Speaker C:Get yourself recorded, or record yourself doing certain movements in the gym.
Speaker C:And if you've got someone, like, say you've got your own PT or your own coach, we've got a friend who's got far more experience with you with this.
Speaker C:Review it with them.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because it might be like, oh, you know what?
Speaker C:We might get you to spend another three months doing this squat.
Speaker C:Just you can iron out your range of motion.
Speaker C:You're pulling up short by, you know, three, four, five inches.
Speaker C:Let's just iron that kink out.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:For the next.
Speaker C:For the next 12 weeks, and then we'll reassess then.
Speaker B:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker C:I would usually err on the side of spending longer than you think, because if the worst thing to come out of a structured strength program is that you're bored, well, you're doing pretty good, because it means you're probably getting stronger, your body's changing as well, which is a win.
Speaker C:So if the con is, oh, I'm bored, but the pro is I'm looking.
Speaker B:Better, like, yeah, we'll take that.
Speaker C:I think.
Speaker C:I think we can live with that.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Number nine, not accepting that you're a beginner and it's okay to be in a beginner each week, you might feel, ah, you know, I wish I was doing more.
Speaker B:I think I could do more.
Speaker B:But the reason you're not is because be able to sustain something and to build new habits, build new routines, learn new skills.
Speaker B:You need to be a beginner, you need to pull back, you need to focus on less and really focus on doing it well.
Speaker C:Other sort of.
Speaker C:Another tip we're saying here, Courtney, is about impatience.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Be patient.
Speaker C:Be patient with this.
Speaker C:It can honestly take for some people years.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Literally years to get really good at exercises.
Speaker C:Because there'll be some exercises we gravitate to.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Like with you, Courtney, what would you say when you first started with me, what would you say were your best exercises that you noticed?
Speaker C:Like, oh, shit, I'm pretty good at this.
Speaker B:A lot of upper body stuff, actually.
Speaker B:I think for me, I've always been, like, weirdly strong.
Speaker B:With my upper body.
Speaker C:I would agree with that.
Speaker C:You do have freakish upper body strength for a female.
Speaker B:So I think a lot of the pressing movements.
Speaker B:So a lot of the shoulder presses and the, the bench presses, for me, they were a really easy movement.
Speaker B:I say easy loosely because it's just my personal experience.
Speaker C:You picked up the coordination.
Speaker B:The coordination of the bench pressing and the pressing movements was easy for me to get.
Speaker B:And I was.
Speaker B:Already had a baseline strength there that I could leverage off.
Speaker B:I think the, the hardest ones for me were the things that involved the complex movements like your deadlifts and your squats.
Speaker B:Anything involving the hips.
Speaker B:The hips.
Speaker B:So like if I, I had a good muscle in my legs, but it was those complex movements that I struggled with.
Speaker B:So if I jumped on the leg press, I could smash it.
Speaker B:But trying to get me to do a squat, that range of motion and, and the posture, I really struggled.
Speaker C:Unsupported compound movements that used your hips.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:Split squats then too.
Speaker B:Yeah, Yep.
Speaker B:So that, that was where I really struggled and it took me a really long time to build those up.
Speaker B:I mean, to this day, deadlifts, I'm still working on variations of deadlifts that I can do because it's still.
Speaker B:I, I wouldn't say that I've mastered that exercise.
Speaker C:And squats too.
Speaker B:And squats.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:When I, when I bring squats back into my program, I would leave them in for at least six months because.
Speaker B:Because for me, I would use that first three months just to get back into the movement.
Speaker B:Because even to this, at this point, I've been lifting weights for 10 years almost.
Speaker B:It's, for me, that's still a really challenging exercise.
Speaker B:So there just is some.
Speaker B:Whereas I could take six months off bench press and get back into it in one session.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:We all have our pet exercises.
Speaker C:I know for me, like my pet exercises are things like leg press.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:Deadlifts.
Speaker C:I can just walk in just cold and just rip it out.
Speaker C:No dramas where conversely, lap, pull down and chin ups have been a bugbear of mine, like literally since day one.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:And I've written a good example of this in terms of the, the, the need for patience when it comes to, to weight training is there's an exercise out there and our clients listening will know this because we get them all to do it.
Speaker C:I still do it.
Speaker C:It's called a stiff legged deadlift.
Speaker C:It's a variation of a barbell deadlift that works more through your hamstrings.
Speaker B:It's really called a Romanian deadlift Yeah.
Speaker C:Very good for development of the hamstrings and the.
Speaker C:And the glutes.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C: I first did this exercise in: Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:And I've been doing it consistently and variations thereof.
Speaker C:Like, I've done it with dumbbells and kettlebells.
Speaker C:One legged, two legged.
Speaker C: forms of this movement since: Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C: Not until: Speaker C:Finally, I've got this.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Full range, full posture.
Speaker C:No bending through my back.
Speaker C:No dropping through my shoulders.
Speaker C:Full retraction there, top to bottom.
Speaker C:I've ironed it out.
Speaker C:It only took me whatever that period of time was.
Speaker C:What, 15 years?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:But the thing is, to understand, a lot of progress occurred in those 15 years.
Speaker C:My whole life changed in that period of time while I was still just being patient, going back to it, working on it week in, week out, month in, year out.
Speaker C:But there's no.
Speaker C:There's no shame, no, in being patient with this and just sticking with this.
Speaker C:Like, in my case, I've been doing the same exercises and variations of the same exercises now for, like, 16, 17, 18 years, and I'm still improving at them.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Still getting better, still getting stronger, still improving my posture.
Speaker C:This goes back to what you said earlier, Courtney.
Speaker C:This is a skill.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:There's a reason it's an Olympic sport.
Speaker B:Yes, yes.
Speaker C:You know, so there's one more tip down the bottom there, Courtney.
Speaker C:You want to.
Speaker C:You want to give this one.
Speaker B:So like we spoke about earlier in the podcast, you know, the whole.
Speaker B:Oh, but on Instagram, these influencers, they do work out of the week or, you know, they.
Speaker B:They seem to change things up every time they go to the G or they do something different.
Speaker B:Block that out.
Speaker B:You have to block that out.
Speaker B:Or block out the people that say, why are you doing the same thing every time you go to the gym?
Speaker B:These are the sort of people that you just can't focus on.
Speaker B:If they want to do something different every time they go to the gym, be my guest.
Speaker B:Do whatever you want.
Speaker C:Oh, crack on, mate.
Speaker C:Like, yeah, I'm not doing it, but yeah, go for your life.
Speaker B:But just don't get sucked into thinking that you're doing the wrong thing.
Speaker C:You have to be really careful and selective of who you listen to, who you let in, who you take advice from.
Speaker C:I mean, this is almost like a life tip in general is just be careful who you listen to.
Speaker B:Yeah, yeah.
Speaker C:And another thing I would also add, if you see some fucking influencer online who's in great shape and they're doing this, you know, work out of the week bullshit.
Speaker C:That's not what they did to get in that shape.
Speaker C:I can assure you.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:I can assure you as someone who's trained these people, that's not what they do to get there.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:Because the actual truth is the shit we do is boring and it's full of repetition.
Speaker C:But it works.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I mean, it's not going to get the more followers.
Speaker B:So that's why they put up things that are different.
Speaker C:But if I was, if I posted, if I jumped on my own Instagram or our weight loss podcast Instagram feed and posted my workouts every week, you think this guy's just posting the same fucking videos?
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:And as I said, the only thing that changes might be my singlet or my pants.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:What I do won't change.
Speaker C:I'm doing the same shit.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Or variations of the same shit.
Speaker C:Just getting better at it.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:It's also as well, just before we sign off, Courtney, for me at least I know what you think with this.
Speaker C:It helps me mentally to know that, like, you know, I don't need to stress about what am I doing this workout?
Speaker C:What am I doing this week?
Speaker C:Like, what should I do today?
Speaker C:Like, no, I know what I'm doing.
Speaker C:I can just go in there, here's my plan.
Speaker C:Get it done.
Speaker C:I know how to progress it.
Speaker C:I know how to execute it.
Speaker C:I know how to work through this and push myself.
Speaker C:Get in, get out.
Speaker C:There's no stress.
Speaker B:No.
Speaker C:With that, does that help you with, like, for me, at least it frees up mental energy.
Speaker B:It's definitely a time saver.
Speaker B:I've noticed it before where I might be, say, in between programs or, you know, I don't know, something's happened.
Speaker B:Very rarely it happens.
Speaker B:But something might happen where I'm not going in for a structured weight training session.
Speaker B:I'm going in just to maybe do some compound movements, some machine movements, just.
Speaker C:Do some high reps. You mean like on a dayload week?
Speaker B:Yeah, just.
Speaker C:I call those shits and giggle sessions.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Or you've got like a weird half week between maybe like a holiday and your program finishing.
Speaker B:So you just do a couple of things and restart later, sort of keep active.
Speaker B:So whenever I have those sort of workouts, man, they take forever a.
Speaker B:Because you're trying to think about, oh, what am I going to do next?
Speaker B:You know, I know, I know 100 workout like exercises that I could do.
Speaker B:But for some Reason, because it's not written down and structured and you haven't thought about it ahead of time.
Speaker B:You still get there and you think, I don't know what to do.
Speaker B:Like, it's just weird thing.
Speaker B:And you feel under pressure and then if you get to the gym and it's peak time and then it's.
Speaker B:There's people everywhere and oh, no, I hate it.
Speaker C:What's available?
Speaker C:What's being used.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Now I hate it.
Speaker B:I hate it.
Speaker B:I remember every time that happens why.
Speaker C:I don't do that thing is what I really appreciate is that I know when I go into the gym to do these training sessions, like, all I have to focus on is like, I'm going in there to go hard at this.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That's where my energy goes, is go in there, do my absolute best.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:And then get the hell out.
Speaker B:It's also good, I. I find for time management because I know exactly how my, how long my workout's going to take.
Speaker C:That's also the perks of experience too, isn't it?
Speaker C:Like, you know, like, yeah, my program looks like this, this session should take roughly this long.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That's the thing as well.
Speaker C:With experience, like, you and I know how much rest we need for every single exercise we do.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:And that comes with time as well.
Speaker B:But once you have the time invested into building this skill, those are the sort of benefits you also gain from it.
Speaker B:So it's easier to plan your week, it's easier to plan your workouts.
Speaker C:It's to.
Speaker C:Easier.
Speaker B:Easier to say, oh, no, I can get Jim in.
Speaker B:Because I know that this session, if I don't fuck around, I can get this done in 40 minutes.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:This.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Not all sessions are the same.
Speaker C:Like, leg day will take longer than for us, say, our shoulders day.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So leg day for me generally would take me just over an hour.
Speaker C:Yes.
Speaker C:Really?
Speaker B:If I pushed, it could get it down to an hour.
Speaker B:But generally it takes me a bit over an hour because often I need a bit more rest in between each exercise.
Speaker C:Your leg day is pretty damn hard.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Number 10, you think you can lose weight or you think you can get into great shape without having to address your terrible, awful, negative, toxic mindsets and habits and behavior patterns and the way you talk and treat to yourself that have held you back over the years.
Speaker C:I got news for you.
Speaker C:Wrong.
Speaker C:Yeah, wrong.
Speaker C:Everyone's looking for secrets when it comes to effective weight loss.
Speaker C:Has nothing to do with exercise.
Speaker C:Has nothing to do with good nutrition.
Speaker C:Oh, I know how to exercise.
Speaker C:My problem Is my food your problem?
Speaker C:Sport is never your fucking food.
Speaker C:No, it's always your terrible habits and your terrible mindset and how you've abused yourself for years and years and years and now you think you can get in the ripping shape without addressing those things.
Speaker C:I've got two bridges to sell you if you think you can do that.
Speaker C:That is absolutely a colossal sign of a short term mindset where you think weight loss is simple, it's just about exercising more and eating less.
Speaker C:Just get into a calorie deficit.
Speaker C:Okay, tell me how that works for you over the long term period of time.
Speaker C:I know the answer.
Speaker C:You're going to find out the hard way.
Speaker C:So for me, simple example when I was younger was once I decided that exercise was the cure to all my problems.
Speaker C:If I just exercised, everything else would, would change.
Speaker C:I would exercise three hours a day, but then use that as an excuse and a trade off to then go home and rather than, you know, refuel for the next day and you know, give my body what it needed, it'd be like, oh well, I can go home and eat whatever I want and drink whatever I want.
Speaker C:So it would be burgers, potato chips, ice cream, soft drinks, coke, etc alcohol.
Speaker C:Because hey, I, I've earned this.
Speaker C:I've earned this.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Hey, I'm developing a consistency with exercise.
Speaker C:Is three hours a day necessary?
Speaker B:But yes, it's.
Speaker B:You're still exercising.
Speaker C:Put it this way, there is the foundation.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Of a quality habit there.
Speaker B:Yes, I agree.
Speaker C:But then immediately I then go home and just the best way I can phrase this is piss it up the wall by just bulk eating.
Speaker C:Because hey, I've earned this.
Speaker C:I've already burnt this off.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And it probably should come as no surprise, this approach, I tried this approach for four years.
Speaker C:What do you think changed in four years?
Speaker C:I got four years older.
Speaker B:It's not what I thought you were gonna say, but that's actually quite funny.
Speaker C:That's.
Speaker C:That's what changed in four years.
Speaker B:Good job, bub.
Speaker C:I'll take that.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker C:A rare compliment.
Speaker B:I like that.
Speaker C:A rare compliment from my wife at four years older.
Speaker B:That's good.
Speaker B:I think for me came from the opposite of you where I just wouldn't go to the gym.
Speaker B:I mean, it was a struggle for me to get there and I would very rarely go.
Speaker C:Was it a struggle or were you just lazy?
Speaker B:Oh, that's what I meant by struggle.
Speaker C:Okay, just making sure we're clear on that.
Speaker B:I was struggling to get myself there because I didn't want to go, basically, I think for me, in that scenario would be the fact that I did go.
Speaker B:I got into.
Speaker B:Then I finally managed to get myself into a consistent habit of going.
Speaker B:But then I would go and I would just walk on the treadmill.
Speaker C:Now, with how.
Speaker C:How far along you've come now because you've.
Speaker C:You've been a gym chick for a while now.
Speaker C:Will that cut the mustard?
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker B:So that was where I would struggle to get there at all.
Speaker B:But then, you know, as you said with your example, I started to build, like, this very, very, very baseline habit of going.
Speaker B:However, it was just.
Speaker B:I think for me, it was just so I could say that I had gone, but what I did when I got there didn't really matter so much.
Speaker C:What would you do, though?
Speaker B:Literally, I was always had this big fear.
Speaker B:Never go in the weights room.
Speaker B:It was only cardio.
Speaker B:I had this fear of ever using machine that I didn't know how it worked.
Speaker B:So I would just stick to the things that I knew how to use.
Speaker B:So, like cross trainer, treadmill, and then I usually would go by myself and I would get bored.
Speaker B:So I would just walk on the treadmill and call somebody and have a chat.
Speaker C:See, what you're saying is you could have done that just by walking around the block.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:How hard did you push yourself, though, at all?
Speaker B:Rarely.
Speaker B:Yeah, sometimes I would if I was.
Speaker B:I don't know, maybe I was in the mood or maybe my, you know, sister or someone came with me.
Speaker B:So then I would try a bit harder.
Speaker B:And nothing structured.
Speaker B:Nothing really.
Speaker B:Very rarely intense and definitely not structured.
Speaker B:So that meant that, yeah, I had this great peak of going consistently to the gym, but it was never going to get me to where I wanted to be.
Speaker C:You know, the old cloud has the silver lining.
Speaker B:And I met you.
Speaker C:I mean, you know, not every story has a happy ending, unfortunately.
Speaker C:But I'm glad you brought that up with the exercise because even though I use an example of exercising three hours a day, that's not where it started for me.
Speaker C:Where it started for me was kind of very similar to what Courtney spoke about, where.
Speaker C:I'm not going to say I struggled to go to the gym.
Speaker C:I'll just say I was a lazy sack of shit and I would use any excuse not to go because, honestly, I didn't want to change enough.
Speaker C:If I'm going to be real honest with the language, like, I was just lazy.
Speaker B:So when I say struggle, I meant mentally struggle.
Speaker C:I understand.
Speaker C:That's fine.
Speaker C:Just, yeah, the language I use, I'll use On myself.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:You know, so I was just obviously lazy.
Speaker C:But I would go from time to time.
Speaker C:So it might be like, oh, you know, it's Monday because, you know, Monday is gym day.
Speaker C:I'll go to the gym on Monday.
Speaker C:But then I may not be back for another week or two because I would then be like, well, I'm just too tired.
Speaker C:I'm just too stressed usually sort of bullshit we tell ourselves.
Speaker C:But then like Courtney, when I actually did go to the gym, I, for me, I tended to exercise my mouth more than my body because I just talk to people in the gym and just gas bag with the owner or one of the trainers and just kind of do nothing and then go home.
Speaker C:But hey, I've been to the gym.
Speaker C:Yes, I've been to the gym.
Speaker C:So anyway, what I'm getting at is it didn't start at three hours a day.
Speaker C:It's just like eventually it's like, oh, what if I did more of this and see how this goes?
Speaker C:And you know, part of the mentality is more must be better.
Speaker C:So you build up to there.
Speaker C:But yeah, great example.
Speaker C:I think we'll also now let's give some, some other sort of common examples that we see working with other people.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:I will kick off with is the all or nothing approach.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And the all or nothing mentality.
Speaker C:So you're either 100% in it for whatever period of time.
Speaker C:It might be days, weeks, maybe months if you're really good.
Speaker C:But then eventually, like, you know, let's say you burn out or something happens in life and yeah, shit happens in life and then you just go missing for weeks or months on end.
Speaker C:It's.
Speaker C:You're either all on it or you're all off it.
Speaker B:No, there's no balance.
Speaker C:No, not none.
Speaker C:It's just one.
Speaker C:It's one or the other.
Speaker C:So that's, that's a real common example.
Speaker C:Another one, Courtney, if you want to elaborate on this can be the difference with someone between their weekdays and weekends.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Well, this is a part time, all or nothing person.
Speaker B:So it's.
Speaker B:You're, you're all, you're all of one thing Monday to Thursday and then you're a completely different person on Friday, Saturday, Sunday.
Speaker C:So you're saying it's all or nothing on a different schedule.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:It's a part time.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:Part time, all or nothing.
Speaker B:So this one is.
Speaker B:We see a lot and I think we've all probably experienced this in our time.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Where you know, Monday to Thursday or Monday to Friday, we'll have like this really good structure that we set for ourselves.
Speaker B:Really good exercise structure, really good nutrition structure.
Speaker C:A routine in place.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:And then Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or just Saturday, Sunday.
Speaker B:That's where the reins come off, wheels come off, wheels come off.
Speaker B:And I think you've said it perfectly, Matt before where you know, you'll look at a, a seven day meal record or a meal accountability and it's like two different people have written them that.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's, that's a good example to give with, with this one in particular where part of, part of what we do working with clients is ultimately with accountability.
Speaker C:You have to look at what someone does.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:At a micro and macro level or micro macro levels.
Speaker C:Just to see the first step is like, okay, what does this person do week to week?
Speaker C:What are their routines look like?
Speaker C:And so what I would consider a disastrous drop off.
Speaker C:It's like, well, I can tell this is still this person.
Speaker C:They might just be out with their significant other for a date or a holiday or like a weekend away.
Speaker C:Like go for your life.
Speaker C:Beautiful.
Speaker C:Yet you might have then someone else when you're studying their meal record and it literally reads like, okay, this one person recorded from Monday to Friday and then someone else came in on Saturday to Sunday.
Speaker C:Because the difference is literally two different people.
Speaker C:What the fuck is going on here?
Speaker C:Yeah, colossal difference between.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Another way though, for some people it may not just be difference between weekdays and weekends.
Speaker C:It could be what they're doing at work versus being at home or school holidays for the parents.
Speaker C:You live obviously with kids around, but you might be living, it looks like you're living a different life.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:You know, so there's, there's different ways this can look, but from our perspective we're just looking to identify like where, where's this person Valleys.
Speaker C:Because over time as you impre improve or increase or raise a person's valleys, that's going to dictate how far they go with this.
Speaker C:So I've said this before on a countless number of episodes.
Speaker C:Anyone can do good when things are easy and anyone can show off when they think they're killing it.
Speaker C:Yeah, that's not the hard part.
Speaker C:The hard part and the things that from my perspective interest me the most, especially working with clients, I want to see what happens when you're not at your best.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:I want to see when, when someone says to me in vague terms, I went off the rails last weekend, like, what the fuck does that mean?
Speaker C:Off the rails to me might be different to off the rails to You?
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:The thing is, not many people want to give you the specifics on what that means.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So for me, for example, Matt going off the rails might be Matt has an extra couple of date nights with Courtney in a week or we have a, like it's a social time of the year, Courtney and Matt have a date night and then, oh, Matt's gone out with his mates.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Once or twice a week.
Speaker C:To me, that's going off the rails.
Speaker C:Where for the next person going off the rails could be a packet of Oreos, a bottle of wine and then a drive through to McDonald's for a family sized meal.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker C:Different standards there.
Speaker C:So anyway, the, the vagueness doesn't tell you anything you want to know.
Speaker C:Well, what, what do you mean?
Speaker C:Unfortunately, that's the information that people aren't very comfortable sharing because obviously no one likes to look back bad and they think, well, I'm going to be judged like, nah.
Speaker C:Because as I said earlier, people's peaks are more than good enough for most people.
Speaker C:Once I get to a certain standard like you don't need to put much more effort or mental energy into improving your peaks.
Speaker C:It's a case of just keep doing what you're doing.
Speaker C:Let's now address these disastrous valleys.
Speaker B:Yes, I agree.
Speaker C:So I think what, what we can do here, Courtney, let's give some examples, personal examples of how our values have improved over time.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because there's work involved with this.
Speaker C:It's not just the case of, oh well, I heard these two dickheads talk about on the podcast.
Speaker C:Now it's just gonna work for me, like, nah, mate, you gotta fucking earn this.
Speaker C:So would you like to go first or shall I?
Speaker B:You go first.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:I think for me, the number one valley that I've improved over a long time now has been regarding what you may have heard this mentioned before over time, fake away foods.
Speaker C:So we talk about takeaway foods and junk foods, etc.
Speaker C:I'm just going to be, I'm going to lay this right out.
Speaker C:Right.
Speaker C:Holy shit, do I love ice cream.
Speaker C:Chocolate, pizza, hamburgers, many different types of foreign foods.
Speaker C:Like just load me up and just airlift it into my mouth.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:All at once, please.
Speaker C:Thanks very much.
Speaker C:I'll come back for more later on.
Speaker C:The thing is, my love for these foods has not changed over the years.
Speaker C: I love ice cream now in: Speaker C:The love hasn't changed.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:What has changed though is where I source and how I, how I get what I love and what I want without depriving myself.
Speaker C:Which is where the term fake away comes in as a way to replace take away.
Speaker C:So I personally can say I haven't cut out ice cream, I haven't cut out hamburgers, I haven't cut out pizza or delicious things.
Speaker C:Like, I love Mexican food.
Speaker C:Like, take my money, none of this stuff's been cut out.
Speaker C:But what I've done is I've worked hard over a long time.
Speaker C:And to be fair, also in recent years, with a lot of help from Courtney, because Courtney's very.
Speaker C:I love you for this.
Speaker C:I love you for many things.
Speaker C:I love you for this.
Speaker C:You're very.
Speaker C:When we get some ideas like, okay, let's go try a new version of this.
Speaker C:You're like, okay, let's go fucking do it.
Speaker C:You know?
Speaker C:So, for example, Courtney and I worked hard to come up with our own homemade hamburgers.
Speaker C:And we refined them to the, to the stage.
Speaker C:Courtney, as you'll say, where we could have a hamburger or a wrap, but I'd rather have Matt and Courtney's hamburger.
Speaker C:Like our turkey hamburger or chicken or whatever.
Speaker C:Hamburger or wrap over anything I can get from a takeaway store.
Speaker C:Yeah, but we had to work on that.
Speaker C:It wasn't just like we hit it straight off the bat.
Speaker C:No, we had to work on, you know, in the case of burgers, the type of buns we were using, what sat well, what tasted well, the actual meat itself, the fillings, the salads that will go in there, even the condiments took work to hit on things.
Speaker C:Point I'm getting at is there was a lot of work put in over a long time to replace the bulk of the eating and the consumption I was having with these junk foods with quality fake away options that don't and still don't.
Speaker C:Now I don't feel deprived because I'm getting what I love, but I'm getting it in a more nutritious way.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:The easy phrase to use here is I get to have my cake and eat it too.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Because a lot of us, people, people like myself, Courtney, you listening?
Speaker C:Will tell ourselves, I will.
Speaker C:I want to get in good shape and lose weight.
Speaker C:I've got to, oh, I can't eat this anymore and I've got to cut that.
Speaker C:Like that's.
Speaker C:That is a one way ticket to resenting what you're doing and feeling deprived eventually.
Speaker C:Which leads to binge eating.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker C:Fake away and replacing.
Speaker C:As we always say, Courtney, we replace rather than cut.
Speaker C:So the Biggest one for me is replacing these foods that I still love even now, but now I have them in a way that works for me and is aligned with what I want to achieve and aligns with the way I want to live my lifestyle.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:For me, that is the biggest win of all.
Speaker C:The second valley that I've really worked on over time and improved relates to exercise.
Speaker C:So I mentioned earlier in the episode about three hours a day of exercise.
Speaker C:I built myself up to which definition of unsustainable, unless you're a professional athlete, which I'm not.
Speaker C:Rather than try and cram in as much exercise as possible now and just end up burning myself out.
Speaker C:Very simply put, I stick to a schedule that I know I can sustain, that I know I can recover adequately from.
Speaker C:Because my performance improves.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Because something I want to illustrate before passing this over to you for your examples, Courtney, is when it comes to exercise, when it comes to, you know, if you're following a meal plan.
Speaker C:Well, don't.
Speaker C:If you're.
Speaker C:Mate.
Speaker C:If you're following a meal plan you made for yourself, the best program is the one you can stick to, Courtney.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think my examples were pretty similar in that the fake away thing that especially the ice cream.
Speaker B:Ice cream for me or sweets in general were a big valley for me.
Speaker C:Can you share a bit more about what your.
Speaker C:Your sort of consumption used to look like?
Speaker B:I mean, I was a bit more sporadic, but I mean, there wouldn't be uncommon for me just randomly one day to have a liter of ice cream in one sitting.
Speaker C:Delicious, isn't it?
Speaker B:Yeah, unbelievable.
Speaker B:But I wouldn't necessarily have that on a pattern.
Speaker B:It would just be pretty.
Speaker B:As I said, it was a bit sporadic.
Speaker B:I might do it three times in one week and then the next week not do it at all and then the next week after that, do it twice and then.
Speaker B:Yeah, so it was definitely sporadic.
Speaker B:Anything sweet, chocolate cookies, cakes, lollies, slices.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker B:Anything like that, I would over consume, definitely.
Speaker B:And there was.
Speaker B:Didn't really seem to be any sort of limit to it.
Speaker B:I sort of had a bottomless stomach when it came to sweets.
Speaker C:I hear that.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:So in terms of that, like for me, making a switch to making more of my own.
Speaker B:So making smoothie bowls for myself and making them really thick, you know, putting extra ice in them like moose.
Speaker B:So it becomes a bit more like an ice cream texture.
Speaker C:The consistency.
Speaker B:Yeah, a bit more of a gelati sort of texture.
Speaker C:How good is gelati?
Speaker B:Oh, gelati.
Speaker B:So good.
Speaker B:So that's been a big one.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Different recipes that are sweets, and then even just, like, in terms of muffins or slices.
Speaker B:Like, if I.
Speaker B:If I want to make something, like, if I want something like that, I'd make it myself.
Speaker C:That is a.
Speaker C:That's a really key point, isn't it?
Speaker C:If you want something like that, you'll make it yourself.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think it's good for two things.
Speaker B:One, you know, you really want it if you can spend the time actually making it rather than just buying it.
Speaker B:Also, I mean, I just.
Speaker B:I quite like to bake, so it also works for me as a bit of a mind clearer, a bit of a relaxer.
Speaker B:But the important thing for me with that, though, is if I make it, I don't keep them here, here at home.
Speaker B:So if I make things like that, they have to just, like, I'll have what I want, and then I have to give them to my family or.
Speaker C:Something else to consider.
Speaker C:You make them yourself, Whatever the food is, you make for yourself, you know what's going in.
Speaker B:Absolutely.
Speaker C:There's no guesswork.
Speaker B:No, no.
Speaker B:And I think that that's good for everything in terms of, like, you know, how much, you know, sugar.
Speaker B:Or you can just make alternatives as well, which is great.
Speaker B:I mean, it's fantastic for me being gluten and dairy intolerant, so, I mean, I can make things that I know that I'm not gonna flare up from being allergic to.
Speaker C:Everything has its drawbacks, doesn't it?
Speaker B:So that's a big one for me.
Speaker B:The other one, I think the biggest improvement I would see is of, like, I'd go back to my exercise example from earlier.
Speaker B:So, yeah, I had.
Speaker B:I was able to develop that baseline, very baseline of going to the gym fairly consistently but then going and not really doing anything worthwhile.
Speaker B:Back then, I had a very baseline.
Speaker B:Like, if something popped up, I wouldn't exactly move it to a different day.
Speaker B:My workout, you know what I mean?
Speaker C:Just miss it.
Speaker B:Just miss it.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker C:Okay.
Speaker B:Whereas now, you know, you.
Speaker B:I'm extra cautious of making sure I get my workouts in adaptable, adaptable.
Speaker B:Make sure I get them in.
Speaker B:But then also, I'm structured.
Speaker B:I have a structured program, so I know what I'm doing when I get there and everything is, you know, recorded.
Speaker B:I'm doing a structured training program in terms of weight training and cardio training and, you know, pushing harder than I ever would have back then.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:I think the first tip is being prepared to set your own standard.
Speaker B:You have to set your own standard, which is based off what you want to achieve or what you're prepared to settle for.
Speaker B:So to me, when, you know, Matt and I were talking about this episode and I was really getting a good understanding of, it's basically a personal standard that you have to decide for yourself what you're willing to accept.
Speaker B:And for me, that has to then be based on what you're wanting to achieve.
Speaker B:Because obviously, like any hard decisions that we make for ourselves, it's always easier to make them if you know what you're aiming for.
Speaker B:But I also want to add in that you, you also then have to be prepared to.
Speaker B:For what you're willing to settle for.
Speaker B:Because if you're not willing to have a bar of a standard that you're willing to accept from yourself and push it forward so it doesn't stay the same.
Speaker B:So back when I first started, let's just say, for example, my, my bar at the time, I would have wanted to push that up.
Speaker B:So rather than just having a somewhat baseline gym experience, but going and just doing whatever when I got there, nothing hard at my, you know, pushing that bar up would have just been not go from that to what I'm doing now.
Speaker B:It would have been just push it up so it's a bit higher and then I would have pushed it up again X amount of time after that.
Speaker B:So the better I got at exercising, food prep, you know, living a more healthy, balanced lifestyle, the more my standards had to raise with me there.
Speaker C:I think you made a good point that when you talk about raising your standards and raising that bottom line, it.
Speaker C:I'm not just going to say it doesn't need to be, probably shouldn't be a colossal increase at once because that falls into overwhelm and unsustainable.
Speaker C:I think the point you've made there, Courtney, is incremental.
Speaker C:It's very much an incremental process.
Speaker C:It's just little bits that get chipped away at over time.
Speaker B:I think as well you don't know what you don't know.
Speaker B:So it's really easy in hindsight for me to sit here.
Speaker B:It's really easy in hindsight for me to sit here and say, oh well, I wouldn't have jumped from there to where I am now back then.
Speaker B:I wouldn't have even dreamed of what I do now.
Speaker B:So it wouldn't have even been in my thought process, let alone a bar I would have set for myself.
Speaker B:So you only setting your bar to what you know you can do.
Speaker B:But I think the main point is to remember to always keep pushing it forward.
Speaker B:The more you learn, the better you get, the more you, you want to achieve.
Speaker B:You have to bring that standard with you otherwise you're going to slip backwards.
Speaker C:It is, it is.
Speaker C:That's another, another solid point as well.
Speaker C:Identifying and recognizing, understanding that what, what you can do and get away with as a beginner will not get the job done as you become more advanced.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So raising that bottom line, as Courtney said, where.
Speaker C:So you use the example, Courtney, of, you know, you set a good standard by at least you went to the gym or that's there's something you can, you can work with there.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Long term, that wouldn't hold up.
Speaker C:If that's all you did for the last 10 years.
Speaker C:You're the same person, unfortunately, you just go to the gym more.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:And you're 10 years older, you know, so that, that has incrementally improved over time.
Speaker C:So good on you.
Speaker B:Thank you.
Speaker C:I'll give a tip that you have to also be prepared to create awareness.
Speaker C:So how do you create awareness of these things?
Speaker C:Well, the key component with all the clients we work with is good old fashioned accountability.
Speaker C:That's what our clients are paying for with us.
Speaker C:We can then look at what they're doing and identify their peaks and valleys and work with them on improving them.
Speaker C:That's the whole purpose of accountability and the whole purpose of coaching.
Speaker C:As I've said previously, without that, you're just paying people like us, like for expensive spreadsheets and PDF files.
Speaker C:Other way you can create awareness if you're doing it yourself, is through just data collection, AKA recording what you're doing.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Keeping a training diary, keeping a meal diary, and then going back at, maybe at the end of a week and just objectively looking and analyzing at what's going on here.
Speaker C:And that's the key word, objectively.
Speaker C:Easier said than done, given that we're emotional creatures and especially when we're not happy with ourselves, we're very much victims of our emotions.
Speaker C:But also use the word objectively, look back and analyze what might be letting you down.
Speaker C:Because the thing is, without the data collection, in the case of our clients, without the accountability, you're just guessing.
Speaker C:You're trying to go by memory.
Speaker C:And as we've said plenty of times in the past, the brain does this wonderful job of clouding over mistakes and negative experiences and forgetting things that it wants to forget.
Speaker C:Selective memory.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:So record what you're doing for a set period of time.
Speaker C:Might be a week, might be two weeks, might be a month, might be three months.
Speaker C:Whatever it is record thoroughly, by the way.
Speaker C:Thoroughly recorded.
Speaker C:And go back and look and look for where they're.
Speaker C:Okay, there's a gap here.
Speaker C:Oh, shit.
Speaker C:Wow.
Speaker C:My weekends really drop off or.
Speaker C:Oh, okay.
Speaker C:I consistently miss breakfast, but I consistently miss breakfast because I'm up late at night watching Netflix or playing video games and I don't get to bed till 1am and I sleep in and by the time I wake up I'm just going straight to work.
Speaker C:Yeah, but again, that example I just gave is a real common example.
Speaker C:But you don't see, you can't pinpoint that with someone until you've got the information to go, oh, okay, this is what they're doing.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:It's kind of like gradually putting together the pieces of a puzzle.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:Next tip.
Speaker B:Yeah, I think we sort of touched on it before.
Speaker B:But just making sure that when you are looking at this and, and when you've just gone through the process that you just described, Matt, that when you're looking at working on your valleys because as you said earlier, your peaks are generally going to be good enough.
Speaker B:You know, you're always achieving more.
Speaker B:It's really easy to strive for, for your, your peaks.
Speaker B:It's hard to strive for better valleys could be confronting.
Speaker B:It can be confronting.
Speaker B:But I think when that happens and you've gone through that process to really analyze what it all looks like, just really remember that you don't need to change everything at one time and probably shouldn't, you shouldn't do it.
Speaker B:And also, you know, really when you're looking at it, pick the lowest hanging fruit.
Speaker B:So it's like what we mentioned when we've always spoken about habits and changing habits, similar concept.
Speaker B:So there's always going to be something to work on.
Speaker B:Don't overwhelm yourself.
Speaker B:Just pick the thing that you are sure that you can make a change straight away.
Speaker C:The most achievable thing right now over that one thing might be.
Speaker B:And work on that.
Speaker C:Couldn't agree more.
Speaker C:And then once you've done that, well, then you might move on to what's the next bit of lowest hanging fruit.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:That you feel is.
Speaker C:I mean, I use the word easiest loosely, but maybe you use the phrase again most achievable.
Speaker C:What's the next most achievable thing that you think you can work on and raise the bar, improve the valley for that.
Speaker C:Because what you're going to find is over time, if, if you raise enough of your valleys and put more mental energy and focus and time and I use the word investment with These things into your valleys, if you raise enough of them, you're going to start to change.
Speaker C:You're going to feel it.
Speaker C:Yeah, you might.
Speaker C:You might feel it in the gym.
Speaker C:Oh, I'm getting stronger.
Speaker C:Or you might.
Speaker C:You might find that you're getting a bit.
Speaker C:With your.
Speaker C:Say you do your cardio sessions, you might be getting faster.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Might be recovering faster.
Speaker C:Like, you just, you know, you feel your performance overall improving, your energy levels might be going up in general, like, oh, I just.
Speaker C:I just feel better.
Speaker C:Fantastic.
Speaker C:Your clothes start to fit differently.
Speaker C:Well done.
Speaker C:I've gone down a couple of belt notches or dress sizes, whatever it might be.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:And over time, the more you are prepared to bring these valleys up and really close the gap between your best and your worst, you are going to change a lot over a sustained period of time.
Speaker C:And just speaking personally, I can definitely say for me, where I'm at now is not the result of me at my best, it's how it's.
Speaker C:It's honestly how much I've.
Speaker C:I've improved my worst.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:To narrow that gap.
Speaker C:So I know that me, Matt, my minimum standard is still going to be more than good enough to get the job done.
Speaker C:There will be some times where I'll vastly exceed that and I'll hit my peaks and it's like, holy shit, I'm just having one of those days, one of those weeks.
Speaker C:Great.
Speaker C:But that doesn't.
Speaker C:That's not always how it happens.
Speaker C:So when I have those times where, you know, I might be feeling flat or for whatever reason, it's just.
Speaker C:It's just not.
Speaker C:Doesn't feel like it's all there, you know, I'm not going to go off the cliff here with the car.
Speaker B:Yeah, I agree.
Speaker C:You know, so that's that.
Speaker C:Anything else you'd like to add there, dear?
Speaker B:No, I think we'll cover most of that.
Speaker C:All right, cool.
Speaker C:Well, hopefully this makes sense to me, to me personally, this is a very.
Speaker C:A very important, if not critical topic, just because of how much it will dictate a person's trajectory.
Speaker C:With this, as I said earlier, it's not about how good they'll go at their best.
Speaker C:I don't pay attention to that because I can tell you now.
Speaker C:You listening?
Speaker C:Your best is good enough.
Speaker C:Without even knowing what you're doing, I can tell you your best is good enough.
Speaker C:It'll be your valleys.
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker C:Always is.
Speaker B:Always.
Speaker C:Always is.
Speaker C:So we'll wrap it up, Courtney.
Speaker C:We've withered on long enough.
Speaker B:We have.
Speaker C:Would you like to give a mention to our Facebook group.
Speaker B:Yes, our Facebook group is, funnily enough, just the weight loss podcast on Facebook.
Speaker C:Indeed.
Speaker B:So if you are not following us, please do.
Speaker C:And or even, even more than that, if you're not hanging out with us in the group.
Speaker C:Yeah.
Speaker B:Yep.
Speaker B:Please do.
Speaker C:And other fans of the show because holy shit, we are awesome.
Speaker B:Yes, our email address is podcast at.
Speaker C:The weight loss podcast.com questions, feedback, anything, Abuse.
Speaker B:Yes.
Speaker C:And come at me, bro.
Speaker B:That's a wrap for another week.
Speaker C:Cool.
Speaker C:Yep.
Speaker C:I'll put the links to the Facebook group, etc in the description of the episode in your podcast app.
Speaker C:Hopefully this has made sense.
Speaker C:Feel free, actually, if you're still here.
Speaker C:Thank you.
Speaker C:Podcast the weight losspodcast.com once you've actually done this exercise with identifying your peaks and valleys, send us an email.
Speaker C:What are yours?
Speaker C:Yeah, what are yours?
Speaker C:And what are you going to do about it?
Speaker B:Yeah.
Speaker B:Nice.
Speaker B:I love that.
Speaker C:All right, that's a wrap.
Speaker C:Hope this has helped.
Speaker C:See you next week.
Speaker B:Bye.
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