Consistency is a steadfast adherence to the same principles.
It essentially means that you can stick to a training routine.
Have you ever stuck to a training routine for at least 2 months without skipping any training sessions?
If you can’t answer yes to this question, you are inconsistent.
It doesn’t matter how good your training routine is, if you can’t stick to it.
In my experience, it takes months to see visible changes as a result of training hard, so you’re cheating yourself out of muscle gains by constantly switching up your plan.
In this article, I will explain how you can stay consistent by doing 2 things:
- Choose a simple training routine.
- Make a written commitment to that training routine.
#1 Choose A Simple Training Routine
A lot of skinny-fat guys are perfectionists.
I know this because I often get emails from beginners who want to know if one type of biceps curl is better than another.
What if I told you that it doesn’t really matter? If you focused on going from 0 to 20 chin ups instead of choosing the perfect biceps exercise, your biceps will grow much more, and so will your back.
Simplicity is crucial when you pick a training routine.
Unless you’re an advanced lifter, you want a simple training routine that you can visualise.
You want the training routine to have 3-5 exercises, and you want to get really good at those exercises.
Now, some of you may wonder why I do a lot of exercises in the training routine I posted recently.
The reason is that I have trained for many years. I need variation to keep adding muscle mass.
However, I didn’t have a lot of exercises in the first 2-3 years of my training.
My routines usually had 3-5 exercises, and I focused on getting really good at those.
Just imagine the follow 2 scenarios:
- A guy does 3 exercises and adds 20 reps to each.
- A guy does 12 exercises and adds 5 reps to each.
Which guy do you think will gain the most muscle mass? Clearly, the first guy who adds 20 reps to each exercise.
And most importantly, which guy do you think will stay consistent with his training? The guy who made the most progress.
Progress is key to stay motivated with your training, and a simple training routine allows you to progress much more than a complicated one.
Recommended beginner training routines:
#2 Written Commitment
It has been proven over and over again that committing to a plan through writing increases the level of adherence.
And even better: writing your commitment every single day is better than doing it just once.
Therefore, I want you to write your commitment every single day when you get out of bed, and before you go to bed.
Do this for the first 30 days, since it takes about 30 days to build a habit.
It takes no more than 5 minutes a day to do this simple thing, but those 5 minutes will pay dividends over the long term.
To be specific, the written commitment must consist of 4 things:
- A list of statements that explain WHY you want to train.
- Specific days and hours of the week where you will train.
- A statement saying: I will do my workout on those specific days and hours no matter what.
- Your signature.
Here’s an example of a written commitment:
I want to train to build muscle on my arms and back.
I want to train to be able to do a chin up.
I want to train to build confidence.
I will train on Monday-Tuesday-Thursday-Friday at 6 PM for the next 30 days.
I will do my workout on those specific days and hours no matter what.
– Oskar
You want to place the written commitment somewhere you can see it throughout most of the day.
Note: For more on committing to a plan and staying consistent with it, I recommend the book Think and Grow Rich.
Fitness is not a sprint. It’s a marathon.
Often, a skinny-fat guy emails me something along the lines of:
I’ve been training for a month and I’ve only lost 4lbs and added 2 reps to my chin up max. What should I do to get good results?
My answer: Continue doing what you’re doing.
Instead of thinking about getting fast results from training, you want to celebrate the small results you actually get.
Just imagine adding 2 reps to your chin up max while losing 4lbs a month. In 6 months you will lose 24lbs and add 12 reps to your chin up max!
You want to stay positive about your fitness journey, and keep doing what you’re doing as long as you see progress.
Milk each training routine for what it’s worth, and then move onto a new one.
Remember, there’s no time limit on transforming your skinny-fat body.
Even if it takes 5 years, it’s still worth it.
It’s worth it, because you build a strong mind by going through a lot of struggle.
Stop searching for the easy quick-fix, and embrace the hardship of your fitness journey.
The people who constantly look for the perfect training routine, are the same people who buy “Get Rich Quick Online Schemes”.
For those people, reading about new training programs is mental masturbation.
They spend more time reading about new exercises and changing up their training, than actually putting the work in to make a good training routine work.
You don’t want to be one of those people.
Be proud but stay hungry,
– Oskar Faarkrog
Other Articles You May Like:
- Optimal Protein Intake: You’re Probably Eating More Than You Need
- The Price You Pay To Get A 6-Pack If You’re Skinny-Fat
- Defining Aesthetics: What Exactly Is The Perfect Physique?
- 7 Fat Loss Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
- 50 Years Of Pull Ups: A Story About Mike Joplin
(For online personal training including coaching, customized training routines and diet plans go to my personal website OskarFaarkrog.com)
How To Get Your First Muscle Up
cool article oskar!
Every bit of this article is true. I know this because it takes the same exact plan to become a guitar player, something I spent years perfecting.
You cannot have the “quick-win” mindset. You have to live what you want to be…that’s the difference between greatness and mediocrity.
Ok.im sorry.i will ask this P.Enlargement forums
Hey Oskar — great article and I’m really glad I found your site. I built my body over two years doing 5 lifts. That’s it. Deads, squats, chin ups, bench, and press. My routine might not have been perfect, but I showed up 3x a week consistently and got it done. People’s priorities are all out of whack — not being consistent with a program or diet is going to be 100x more detrimental than not having the right supplement stack or whatever else trivial BS.
One thing I’ve found that really helps me stay motivated is organizing my progress around a specific goal: fat loss, muscle gain, whatever. I write down my lifts each day, and take a picture of myself each week. Sometimes I will look at my pics or #’s and remind myself that I am indeed making progress. Being organized also gives you the raw data you need to tweak and adjust things, or perhaps figure out what is causing you to stall if you’re not happy with your progress.
Your long term progress is very impressive. I’ve added you to my RSS feed list and look forward to hearing what you have to say in the future!
Thanks Pete!
“One thing I’ve found that really helps me stay motivated is organizing my progress around a specific goal: fat loss, muscle gain, whatever. I write down my lifts each day, and take a picture of myself each week. Sometimes I will look at my pics or #’s and remind myself that I am indeed making progress. Being organized also gives you the raw data you need to tweak and adjust things, or perhaps figure out what is causing you to stall if you’re not happy with your progress.”
Great insights here. Tracking progress is key for long term progress.
I’m glad you like the site!
Oskar,can u tell me ur dick size(no homo)(srs).my penis is small.5 inch erect.can you recomend some exercise.i want 7 inches.im serious.plz no foolish replies
Are you kidding me, why would someone share that on a fitness blog? On top of that, there is no exercise to make your penis bigger. I am starting to think you are just a prankster.
Little side note:
–I would recommend the book “The Law of Success in Sixteen Lessons” over “Think And Grow Rich”.
The latter is a short version (300? pages) of the former (1000+ pages).
Wow didn’t know that. 1000 pages is one long book!
Hi Oskar,
I while back I was so demotivated changing training plans within 3 weeks my mind was far away in the gym. In my mind I could not do it, I would never get any muscle would never be solid.
Then one day I got up said to myself your gonna do the next workout for 3 months, eat well, sleep well and focus on positive things.
Changed my diet to eating Protein / Fats in the morning (read the Man Diet)(5 eggs and bacon)
Lunch : Protein / Fats (Salad with spianch, broccoli, nuts, avocado and meat)
Train
Dinner: Carbs / Protein (oats, whey protein) or rice/pasta and meat
So I began to note down what I did in the gym everyday;
Pullups
Incline Barbell
Incline pushup
I started out with only 7 pull ups for 2 sets, but I noted everything down. It motivated me to get better. After 3 weeks Im doing 4 sets of 10 Pullups with extra weight in some sets, and some negatives.
Incline Bench from 10 kg on both sides to 17,5 kg on both sides with slow controlled movement
Incline pushups from 15 to 30/ 4sets in just 3 weeks.
Diamond pushups from 15 to 20 / 4 sets in just 3 weeks
Since this way of training and seeing my progress in my phone, everyday Im so pumped to beat that record of the day before. Even though I dont see new muscle yet, I see gains in strenght. I know that the muscle will come and that succes will follow. It’s a mind game that since just recently im winning.
For all people struggling out there read the man diet get back in the zone and be consistent.
Grtz,
Rody
Great to hear you’re getting back on track Rody, looking forward to hear about your progress.
Im sorry if u felt bad but the reason is im from india.i dont know proper english.im just asking why there are less jacked vegetarians than non vegetarians
It might be that being vegetarian is more common in some countries than in others, I myself only know one vegetarian personally and he was actually more fat than most of my friends. By sheer default there are less because there are less vegetarians than meat eaters. Also in my opinion it would be harder work to get the building blocks needed for muscle growth, obviously that is not to say that it isn’t possible to do, I would just assume it might be a bit harder to do.
Can u tell me a reason that why u havnt seen even a one jacked veg.i think vegetaraians who wanted to be jacked turn to non veg foods because they think meat egg beef steak pork etc is must if u want to build muscle.now let me recall what are the three factors are needed for muscle growth-weight training,enough calories,enough protein..first can be fulfilled by calisthenics,2nd by oats,rice,wheat,brown bread,fruits like bananas etc.now comes 3rd factor that is protein.about 75g of protein is required everyday which can be fulfilled by eating peanut,cheese,soybean and whey protein shakes…..then whats the reason why there are very less jacked vegetarians
Just so you know, the way you talk really comes across as abrasive and slightly rude. Oskar never said that it was impossible for a vegetarian to get jacked. The reason he does not know any is because he doesn’t know any.
Spot on. I don’t know any male vegetarians.
Prabh,
http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=bios_strength
Hey oskar,can a vegetarian get jacked like u.for protein i eat 100g roasted soybean.it gives about 50g protein..its complete protein with all amino acid.dont recomend peanut.just tell about soybean.is it fine
I personally never tried being a vegetarian, and I don’t know a single jacked vegetarian in real life. The only jacked vegetarian I know of is Frank Medrano. Look him up, and check out his diet. That will be more helpful for you.
I’m very very consistent , yet i have almost no progress to show for it. i do all my workouts from home , i can end up super sore , eat plenty, and rest enough, but no matter how hard i push myself, i just gain layers of fat all over my body and really bad lower back fat . aka “love handles” .. its getting so hard to stay motivated, in all honesty it feels when I started pushing harder , I saw the opposite effects , my muscles shrunk a bit and I gained more fat , maybe im over thinking it , or maybe im not getting enough calories, and thats the crappiest part. i dont know if im doing things right . and when i ask people for help online , most people tend not to care and dont answer… this fitness thing is not for me i guess.
Have you checked your testosterone levels?
No I haven’t , is it expensive where you live ? I’m sure my hormones are all out of whack due to my life style and girlfriend . But I’m fairly active all through out the week . At the very very least ill exercise 3 days a week. Mostly its.around 4-5
How long have you been working out? If you are just starting out and are in the beginning stages you aren’t going to see much progress in the mirror. There should be ‘some’ changes, but probably not as much as you expected.
Think of a dry sponge that will expand when you add water to it. The sponge needs to fill out before it actually expands when you add water. When you have close to zero muscle mass and are just starting out, your muscles are like that sponge. You need to fill out that tissue with muscle mass before it will expand to become aesthetically pleasing.
Couldn’t have said this better. My biggest changes came later in my training when I already had a solid base of muscle. Once I added just a tiny bit of muscle on that solid base, my physique started taking off.
to answer your question about how long ive worked out, its been about a year . but I spend a huge part of that time doimg random things, like mixing programs, doing lots of cardio , eating way too little. after I realized how skinny I got I begam eating more and following a lifting program, ive only been lifting for a few months now, but for a while I got scared lifting may have made me loose muscle even further because of how my clothes was fitting differently and how my body shape was changing. I may have just over thought it. Ill just focus on doimg things right and see where that takes me .
It’s free where I live. If you’re American, I put a link in the resources page.
Why do you think your hormones are out of what because of your gf?
Also, you mentioned lifestyle. Start changing things for the better. Work on getting better sleep. Eat healthier foods. Get your healthy fats. Exercise often. Do things you enjoy to stay positive. Work on your posture. All those things increase testosterone.
Thanks for the advice guys.Im glad I got replies. for now im going to try and stay as consistent as possible and try and remain positive and happy. my girl tends to stress me out a lot because currently we are in a long distant.relationship at least until next year. She picks a lot of fights with me , im sure that does not help, also I dont go out as much as I used to , I stay in a lot rarely getting sun.. I hope to change that . I will be trying fasting now , I feel I may have progressed a bit since my comment , I hope its not a placebo. I changed my work out plan and started resting and eatng more and I feel positve changes. Thanks guys
So true, sometimes all you need to do is just show up to the gym. Even if it means you have to train at peak hours when its packed because you procrastinated. I’ve never left the gym without a sense of achievement.
“I’ve never left the gym without a sense of achievement.” Same goes for me.
“For those people, reading about new training programs is mental masturbation.They spend more time reading about new exercises and changing up their training, than actually putting the work in to make a good training routine work.” Well said and a Great article Oskar! Just a quick question though, do you make your own peanut butter or do you buy them in bulk? Peanut butter has become the main staple in my diet right now since it helps me a lot. I am considering of buying the peanut butter electric machine so i can save money. Thanks Man!
Thanks Buzz,
I buy organic peanut butter at the grocery store. I usually just buy for a week at a time.
I agree 100%. Just making it to the gym, the track, and the supermarket is 90% of the battle…
That would be true for normal guys but us – the poor genes motherf***s – have to be really careful how we train and eat to not end up wasting 10 years of just working out with no progress at all.