Lesson 3-Consistency

You Have to Show Up to Muscle Up! by Scott Jameson

I have often said the single most important step in getting a good workout is to simply, SHOW UP. I know there are bazillion reasons and distractions that will annihilate a workout, but that is NO EXCUSE.

IF YOU WILL JUST SHOW UP YOU WILL WORK OUT. Is that too tough?

In other words, be consistent and regular in attending the gym. Be so consistent that if you did miss a workout for a legitimate reason (and I can’t think of too many) your bodybuilding buddies ask “where were you?” You should be a fixture in the gym; you are always there on your scheduled days.

Okay so how do you do it?

Go straight to the Gym after Work- Do not go by the grocery, the bank or your house. If I go home for even a few minutes after work I am tempted do a few things, eat a quick snack and before long a few minutes turn into hours and then it too late to hit the gym. I am better off to drive directly from work to the gym every workout day. Make this a habit.

Schedule Your Gym Time- Just like work; you have certain hours you need to be at wok and this is same for the gym. If you have standard 8 hour work day, it is pretty easy to maintain a consistent arrival time. If your hours vary, then lay out your schedule accordingly.

Let Your Others Know Your Schedule- Tell your wife, friends or parents this is your scheduled gym time. If someone wants you do something or be somewhere during these hours, they know it is like asking you to take off work. Tell them you need advance notice of any such event. If there is a mandatory event that smacks your workout, plan ahead and make schedule rearrangement. But don't miss a workout.

Feelings don’t count! –I’m sorry but they don’t. There are days I too feel tired and just don’t fell like going to the gym. Well my fellow bodybuilders, it is not about how you or I feel. It is everything about getting your butt to the gym. I remember reading that Arnold said one time when he didn’t feel like hitting it hard in gym he just went through the motions finally left the gym mad at himself. The next day he used that disappointment to motivate himself back to his peak. But notice AT LEAST ARNOLD SHOWED UP.

Plan Ahead to Find a Gym-If I am out of town, my gym bag is packed with me so I can go the gym while I am away and right after my plane hits the tarmac. Hunt down the local gyms in new cities. Before the days of the internet, I would get to the hotel, whip out the Yellow Pages or ask the concierge for the local gym choices. Nowadays, you search the internet for gyms in your traveled city prior to arrival. I know this sounds fanatical but it can be fun seeing how the rest of world trains and at the same time getting a workout. You might even learn something.

Sometime circumstances don’t allow me enough time so I must hit the hotel gym. I don’t like working out those lousy hotel gyms (if you call them that) but psychologically I at least did my best under the circumstances. Surprisingly, workouts aren’t too bad because many times the equipment is so unfamiliar and cranky; it tends to work your muscles differently.

Show Up and Sweat will eventually harden to muscle!