Lessons from My Early Training Days
Looking back at my early years in the gym, I realize I’ve always been disciplined. Once I set my mind on something, I dove in completely. I showed up, I worked hard, and I pushed myself. Lifting heavy wasn’t scary, and I wasn’t afraid of effort. The results came. I made progress. But I know now that I could have gotten stronger faster and smarter if I had done a few things differently.
Here are the top five things I would have done differently in those early years:
1. Follow a Plan
I knew structure mattered. I read about it, watched videos, and tried to pull pieces together from what I was learning. But I didn’t know how to actually put a plan together for myself. I didn’t know what sets or reps to do, which exercises to prioritize, or how to build a weekly split that made sense. I trained hard, but I trained randomly.
2. Stop Comparing Myself to Others
I spent too much time watching other people in the gym, trying to figure out what worked for them. That comparison pulled my focus away from my own progress and made me second-guess everything I was doing.
3. Be Intentional About the Information I Consumed
I consumed everything: blogs, YouTube videos, tips from anyone who seemed like they knew what they were doing. I learned a lot, but it also left me overwhelmed and unsure how to actually put it into practice. I now know that having a clear, simple framework beats trying to piece together advice from everywhere.
4. Take Rest Days Seriously
I loved training so much that I thought every day should be filled with training. I rarely took rest days. There’s absolutely a place for intentional movement every day, but a good training plan balances hard days and easy days, hard weeks and easy weeks, full rest days and active rest days. Progress isn’t just about showing up and pushing. It’s about knowing when to push, when to pull back, and trusting that intentional rest is just as important as the work itself.
5. Think Long-Term
I trained in bursts, changed plans on the fly, and didn’t track progress consistently. I now understand the importance of building a framework that guides weekly, monthly, and yearly goals. That kind of long-term thinking turns consistent effort into lasting results.
The thing is, hard work can absolutely get you somewhere. I truly believe that consistency, done over time, compounds into great things. I’m incredibly thankful that my own journey started at a young age and has been an intentional part of my life for going on 15 years. This kind of progress takes time, and I would encourage anyone, whether you’re ready for structure and clarity or not yet, to simply start. Don’t overcomplicate it and just start with something. Work hard, and keep showing up. It will compound into something and you will learn so much along the way.
The catch with consistency, though, is that you want to be compounding the right things. Let’s say you’re consistently going in and lifting five pounds for bicep curls every day. Yes, that’s consistent, and yes, that builds a great habit. But to actually make progress, there has to be intention. There has to be challenge. There has to be a change in stimulus and more intense effort. That’s where structure and clarity come into play.
Consistency and hard work will get you far, but when you combine them with intention, structure, and smart effort, that’s when progress becomes real and lasting.
