In partnership with

Issue #41

1) Do you even do leg compressions?
2) A step-by-step lazy day workout.
3) Look forward to your workout with micro-challenges.
4) Always be ready.

Read time: 4 minutes

This week’s issue is packed with practical advice to make you more consistent.
Not pep talk or philosophy, but real practical steps and tips you can try today.
Showing up is half the battle, so remember this:

Accept exercise as an obligation, not an option.
The sooner you do, the easier it will be.

I know how it is. You tell yourself all day you’re going to work out, you mean it and you’re really committed to act on your goals. But when the time comes to actually pack your bag and head to the gym, all the excitement suddenly turns into a huge weight on your shoulders, and you can’t find the strength to drag yourself there.

This resistance you feel inside comes from the impression that you have a choice and that exercising is up to you.
But it’s not, exercise is your duty.
Surrender to this fact and you’ll free yourself from your inconsistency, your doubt, and your laziness.

Choice is your goal’s worst enemy.
Luckily you don’t have any.
It’s not up to you.
You showed up to work, now show up to the gym.

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

Now let’s start! 💪

1. Do you even do leg compressions?

If your goal is to do an L-sit or simply build a bulletproof core, this exercise is for you.

Leg compressions are a star exercise of gymnastics training, along with the hollow body position.
As the name suggests, the goal is to build enough strength to compress the body and usually hold this compressed position.

This type of core training will carry over your daily life activities, contact sports, yoga, or gymnastics moves like L-sits, straddle sits, and all kinds of leg raises.

Here’s a little warning though, this is a pretty deceptive one and has to be in my top 3 exercises that are much harder than they look!
If this variation is too difficult for you, no problem, try it with one leg instead and alternate.

Click this link for the full YouTube video and instructions.

2. A step-by-step guide to a lazy day workout.

The smallest step method is one of the best ways to make sure you do your workout even on your laziest days.

Let me give you a step-by-step example of it.

If you don’t already know it, this method consists in doing the smallest thing possible to start working out, without any pressure to do a full session, but with the hope to create momentum and find the motivation to actually do it.

Here’s how it would go for a pull day:

- You start with 10 minutes on the treadmill, thinking if you stop there it’s ok, it’s still better than nothing.
- At this point, a few dynamic stretches won’t feel like much.
- These few stretches might turn into a light bodyweight warm-up.
- You then tell yourself a set of band pull-aparts or two with light resistance will be easy enough and you can call it a day.
- But you add 2 sets more with heavier resistance before going home.
- Now just yet. First, you try one set on the row machine, just to see how much you can lift.
- And you’re now in the mood for 3 sets of 15…

By now you get the point.
And it works every time!

Not feeling like training today?
Try 10 minutes on the treadmill… Who knows where you’ll stop!

3. Look forward to your workout with micro-challenges.

Making exercise fun is not an option, and that’s why my workouts are full of micro-challenges.

Training is hard and it will always be.
So if it’s boring on top of that, there’s no way you’ll stay consistent and reach your goals.

Here are 7 examples of micro-challenges I use to make sure monotony stays out of my workout vocabulary:

1) Holding a plank for the whole duration of a song.
2) Sprinting in the middle of a treadmill run to see how fast I can go.
3) Rowing until I see a bird outside the window. (It used to be a red car but it doesn’t work anymore on the 20th floor.)
4) Testing my max strength before doing my sets.
5) Learning a new move or trick.
6) Adding one set whenever I lose count of my reps.
7) Trying to beat my max rep record on a bodyweight exercise (see video below).

Does it make my training harder? Definitely.
Sorry I left that part out earlier but it’s for your own good!

If you’re going to work out later today, try and find your own micro-challenge.
Not only will it make time pass faster, it will make you progress faster too!

4. Always be ready.

Carry some small equipment or fitness gear with you at all times; keep it in your car trunk or your desk.
This is just in case you only have 15 minutes to work out or on the contrary, an unexpected 1h30 available.
In any case, you’ll be ready.

Doing this has 2 major benefits.

An obvious one: you’ll increase workout adherence and be more consistent.
A less obvious but even more powerful one: this will change your mindset and the way you see yourself.

Being someone who carries fitness tools around will make you much less likely to find excuses to skip working out.
You’ll probably even feel like you haven’t done your job if you don’t train.

This is a simple trick which over the weeks can really change you into a different person.
It all happens here 👉🏼🧠 first.

SPONSORED

Harlo Launches 3-in-1 Electrolyte Drink

Discover Harlo, the ultimate wellness drink taking the market by storm. This isn’t just any electrolyte mix. Harlo uniquely blends collagen for skin and joint health, creatine for boosted energy levels, and essential electrolytes for optimal hydration. Perfect for enhancing your daily health regimen, Harlo delivers comprehensive benefits with each scoop.

Experience the Harlo difference today!

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!