It’s February the month of Love! If you are reading this and are still on an exercise regiment that you started for the New Year then CONGRATS!

You’ve made it passed your first 30 days!

If you are are reading this in defeat it’s ok as you can still get back in the game!

When anyone starts striving for a more healthy lifestyle it can be a little intimidating since now you are entering a world you have no idea where to begin, what to do, or who to ask. Allow me to list 7 Things Gym Newbies Need to Know in order to succeed in their fitness goals.

1. Yes, it’s suppose to be hard.

   Nothing worth it ever comes easy. It doesn’t matter if you think you deserve it now or not. If you don’t pay your dues and don’t put in work you’ll never see your end goal. When something is a challenge to attain it starts changing you because you need to adapt in order to move forward. That is the very essence of how our species has survived for so long! Adapt and change! Staying in your comfort zone will lead to average. If you want to make a change you need to strive for above and beyond.

2. No, you don’t need supplements.

   You don’t. Stop. Stop it. Nooooo. When you start working out your body needs proper nutrition from real food. When you fix your diet you’ll already see a huge difference.

   Fuck those ads or your friend’s friend who is a “sponsored” IBFFBFBFPRO with 100K+ Instagram followers telling you you need to take THIS ORGANIC GLUTEN FREE FARM RAISED SUGAR FREE PROTEIN CREATINE PRE-WORKOUT POWDER MIX that comes in three flavors. This is a money pit for powders and pills that are primarily bullshit and pixie dust. You’re better off drinking unicorn piss. Seriously, I heard that shit makes you fly or something.

3. Yes, warming up is important.

   Why? Cause you need to get blood flowing to all the muscle you are about to move. You need to get your joints ready for movement. Your body is like silly putty, starts off all rigid but once you start using it it becomes more moldable. Don’t just hop on a cardio machine and go for 10 minutes. Do some bodyweight movements that will actually emulate your workout. If you’re going to do squats, do bodyweight squats first. Prime your body for the challenge to come.

4. Yes, intensity matters.

   Your workouts need to be challenging. None of this steady state BS. If you keep complaining that you’re not seeing change even though you workout 5 days a week, it’s cause you’re staying in your comfort zone. This goes back to #1. It’s suppose to be hard. Shorten your rest periods, increase your weight, change up your movements, do whatever it takes to make it harder for you.

5. It’s OK to LIFT HEAVY

   You want that “toned” look? BULK UP! Yeah, that’s right. GAIN MUSCLE. LIFT HEAVY ASS WEIGHT. Stimulate your body to develop muscle while watching your diet so you can drop your fat levels. That is how you achieve that “toning” effect. Stop doing the high rep low weight BS. Unless you’re rehabbing an injury you don’t need to be doing any of that shit.

6. Yes, eating healthy is 80% of the success.

   This is definitely a tough one but it’s true. Your body is so efficient at what it does that if you don’t watch the quality of foods you’re eating and by how much you will gain fat very fast.

   You’re not alone, coaches struggle with that shit too. You ask any fitness or strength coach, we’ll know ALL the good places to eat. California Burritos, Carne Asada Fries, Animal Style Burgers!? We watch our diets as much as we can but being human we’ll have cravings here and there so of course we will indulge.

   That’s the thing though. Because we strive to eat healthy we appreciate the awesome, flavorful foods that much more! If you keep eating junk and high fat high sugar foods your body is going to go to shit and you won’t appreciate that art of cooking!

7. Yes, it’s better when you bring a friend.

   Bring a buddy! It has been proven that people who take on a goal with a friend are more likely to succeed! Your training partner is there to keep you accountable as you are to them. Work together through the hard times! Don’t let each other down. Find your ride or die buddy and get going.