Issue #31

1) The 4 shoulder positions.
2) 9 rules for an Olympian physique.
3) My all-time advice for gym beginners.
4) Workouts alone won’t make you fit.

Read time: 4.5 minutes

Hey Enso students,

I got a question from Mark who raised a concern that I’m sure many of you have.

“I have been going to the gym for a few years and I think I’m in pretty good shape but I find it hard to do some abs exercises while others can. My wife can hold a plank longer than me and she doesn’t even work out. What do you recommend?” 

I’ll start with the bad news.
If you don’t feel any pain and have no mobility restriction, the reason why you can’t do an exercise is very likely that you’re just not strong enough.

And yes, your wife probably has a stronger core than you even if she doesn’t go the gym, just accept it. 😅

Now the good news is you can fix this faster than you think.
The key is to train at your own level and work your way up step by step.

If you can’t do leg raises, do knee tucks. And if you can’t hold a plank for 30 seconds, do it with your knees on the floor. That’s ok!

The only way to progress is to find the exercise you are able to do at the moment and practice it.
On the contrary, trying to take on more than you can handle is the best way to stall.

My advice in a nutshell is to accept that you might be very advanced somewhere but you might also be a beginner somewhere else, and practice accordingly.

I hope it helps!

If you need any help with your training, please let me know by replying to this email and I’ll share my answer with everyone.

Now let’s start! 💪

1. The 4 shoulder positions.

Proper form and shoulder mobility are crucial when you exercise, and even more so if you’re training for health and wellness.

Learning the 4 basic shoulder positions and their names will help you save time and get the proper form of many exercises faster.

These positions are:

• Protraction: shoulders are pushed forward in front of the chest, forcing the upper body to round.

• Retraction: shoulders are pulled backward, squeezing the shoulder blades together.

• Elevation: shoulders are pushed up, or more exactly towards the ears. In an upside down position, shoulder elevation means the shoulders are pushed towards the floor.

• Depression: shoulders are pulled down, or more exactly towards the hips. In an upside down position, this means the shoulders are pulled towards the ceiling.

Follow the videos and practice these movements until they become easy and comfortable, and you’ll improve in most upper body exercises and activities.

Click these links for the full YouTube videos and instructions:
Protraction/Retraction
Elevation/Depression

2. My top 9 rules for an Olympian physique.

This is my 9-ingredient recipe for strength and a lean physique.

I’m 37 and I’m still getting stronger every year.
Don’t let anyone tell you we peak in high school.
When it comes to strength, it is simply not the case.
As long as you think long term, go step-by-step, prioritize recovery and understand a few principles, you’ll safely get stronger each year too.

So here’s what I do:
1) I eat at calorie maintenance.
2) I train 4 times a week.
3) I do compound exercises and split my workouts in a pull-push-legs routine.
4) I always challenge myself, but never exhaust myself.
5) I do the same for cardio.
6) I do 3 or 4 exercises per workout. 1 or 2 for strength: 3x5reps, 2 for strength endurance: 3x15 reps.
7) I take a lot of rest between sets, I only sweat during cardio.
8) I don’t mix cardio and resistance training (no HIIT for me).
9) I sleep a lot.

Everything I do is to improve performance, whether it’s lifting heavier, unlocking new moves, or running longer, faster.

That’s how my metabolism always gets challenged and keeps going full blast.

That’s how I become stronger and keep a lean and athletic physique without ever having to think about how an exercise will make me look.

3. My all-time advice for gym beginners.

My advice for someone who is completely new to the gym would be this one.

Pick one thing you like doing (or at least don’t hate) and train to become great at it.

It could be calisthenics, weightlifting, rowing, or whatever trains your whole body.

Once you find it, don’t go to the gym to lose fat or become sexy.
Instead, go there with the aim to progress and excel at that one thing.
Eat, sleep, and study to improve and get better at it.

Soon enough, you’ll find that you must improve other aspects of your life if you want to get better at your new passion.

Before you know it, you’ll have a new healthy lifestyle that revolves around your sport, and you’ll train, eat, and sleep like an athlete. You’ll be unrecognizable.

By doing something you like and focusing on making the process enjoyable, you’ll have bypassed the monotony of most beginner programs, and you’ll be on your way to reach your original goal and go far beyond.

4. Your thoughts are as important as your workouts.

You can’t get fit with workouts alone.

You need to build a way of thinking too, you must follow a philosophy of training, and do your best to stick to it in good and hard times.

This is something nobody can take from you; no one can steal your thoughts or mindset.
And sometimes this will be the only thing you can rely on.
It’s the only thing you’ll be able to cling to and that will keep you going when times are tough.

This is why it’s very important to train your mind.
To do that, you need rules and principles.
But you also need to constantly challenge yourself.

When everything’s smooth and your motivation’s high, you must find whatever way to make it harder.

So that when things become difficult, you have a trained mind and a philosophy to cling to, and you find the strength to keep moving forward.

I hope you found some useful tips and motivation in today's edition.

Please share your feedback and help me improve my content for everyone!

A great way to do this is by replying to this email with a personal question you have about fitness.

Thanks for reading and see you next week!

- Nico

Share with friends, get prizes!