Issue #39

1) Road to Pull-up: Final Stage.
2) A lesson from Kung Fu movies.
3) What your goals should look like.
4) The truth about 10-minute workouts (it’s not what you think).

Read time: 3.7 minutes

Hello everyone,

We’ve all had childhood heroes, and I’m sure you remember who yours was.

But here’s a sad question:

When did you stop wishing to become like them?

Growing up makes us become so serious that one day we decide looking like our favorite athlete or superhero is silly, and not important.

That’s not true.
First of all, getting fit is one of the most important things you can do.
And secondly, these people were your role models for a reason. They were inspiring you to get better and it’s giving up on that that’s silly.

You don’t always have to choose between 2 things, you can have both a successful career and a strong health.

And you can decide to train to be like your role model today.
All you need is a plan.

Mine was Bruce Lee and I can tell you it influences a lot the way I train to this day.

Tell me, who was your childhood hero?

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. Road to Pull-up: Final Stage.

This is the final stage and it’s actually not going to be about doing your first pull-up.

Why?? 😱

Because if you’ve successfully completed Stage 5 and you can do 3 sets of 5 negative pull-ups of 15 seconds each… Then I know you can already do a pull-up.

Congrats!

This stage is a workout that’s going to help you reach 15 pull-ups in one go.

It might take a year (or 2) to get there, but this is the only workout you’ll need:

• 3 sets of max pull-ups (even if your max is 1 repetition)

• 3 sets of max chin-ups 

• 3 sets of 15-25 Australian pull-ups

• 3 max time dead hangs

You’ll see that the number of max pull-ups on your first set will keep increasing over the months.

When you can do a set of 15 pull-ups, that’s when we’ll need to change your training to help you progress even further.

See you then! 💪

PS: save this email in a special folder, so you can easily find any stage of the Road to Pull-up series whenever you need it. 👍

2. A lesson from Kung Fu movies.

In kung fu movies, the main character is usually a very enthusiastic but impatient young person who is forced to start with repetitive basic moves until they’re allowed to do more.

That’s how you should approach fitness training if you’re starting from zero.

Although starting is normally the hardest part in fitness, it’s not always the case for people who train with me.

Everything we do in my method comes from strength and movement.

So if you’re a very beginner, make sure you start slow and master the basics first.

Progress comes from challenge and difficulty, but you need to earn that part.

Before you do something fast, make sure you can do it slow.
Before you add weight, make sure you master the movement.

And that’s just one of many common points between martial arts and my training method.

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3. What your goals should look like.

Make your goals less about an end result (often subjective) and more about action (quantifiable).

Aim to do and you’ll reap the benefits.

But aim to earn and you’ll find it hard to put in the work.

If you always obsess over your body goals, they’ll remain a distant dream.
Because when you look at your current shape, you’ll see all the work you have to do.
You’ll be too discouraged when it’s time to train and eat well, and it will feel like a chore.

But if you focus on the next workout, if your goal is to do that many reps, or that distance on the treadmill, then your goal is very concrete.
And you can reach it today.

When you consistently use action as a goal, you find your flow and eventually reach your dream shape.

4. The truth about 10-minute workouts.

Only got 10 minutes today?

Great, so you do have 10 minutes.

Don’t cancel your session if you’re short on time.

A 10-minute workout is 100 times better than no workout, no joke.

Here’s why you should always train even when you feel like it’s too short to make a difference:

- It builds discipline and workout adherence as much as a long session.
- It’s enough to increase blood circulation.
- It boosts energy levels.
- It clears your mind like meditation.
- It reduces stress.
- 10 minutes of intense exercise is enough to boost your metabolism.
- 10 minutes of strength training is enough to maintain your gains.
- It can serve as active recovery and help you progress faster.

10 minutes to exercise is not an excuse to skip a workout, it’s an opportunity to get better.

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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

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