The Search for Homeostasis
If you've read the last few articles, you now have a vast majority of the knowledge and concepts necessary to change your body. However, it is important to understand how these concepts manifest over time based on how your body responds for consistent progress.
Process for using these tools.
- Your body responds to stimuli. You create stimuli primarily through exercise. Lift weights, your body responds afterward by repairing muscle, and if properly fueled, building even more muscle as well.
- The basic flow is like this: Stimuli --> Fuel + Building Blocks (Protein) --> Recovery.
- This process takes a very, very long time before you start seeing tangible results, but there's no way you won't see them if you're consistent and adhering to The Holy Trinity: Exercise, Nutrition, and Recovery.
But how often should I be doing this?
More to be unpacked here in articles under "Calories Out" tab, but ultimately, you can see progress with just one day of resistance training per week. Ideally, you'll do it 3 days a week for optimal results. Cardio you can do a lot more of, such as 3-5 days a week.
- Without a doubt, the most important skill to master here is adherence. You will never make progress if you do not practice discipline.
- Paradoxically, be forgiving to yourself if you need to skip a day. Life happens, and results take so long to foster that it won't make a difference if you go today or tomorrow. But it will make a difference if you stop going for the next 3 months.
- At the beginning of your fitness journey, focus on doing exercises that you love and enjoy. Personally, I love love love Deadlifts, and hate Squats. I deadlifted for a year before I finally decided to add squats to my regimen. No regrets. Progress is accumulative.
Don't sleep on recovery.
But definitely sleep. Your body needs time to recuperate from a particularly intense exercise session. If you need an extra day or two to recover, take them. But make sure you're getting at minimum 7 hours of sleep. 8 or more is ideal. Recovery takes effort, and if you do not make intentional choices to allow your body that time to recover, then you're probably just making excuses as to why you don't want to go to the gym again.