Train Less, Eat Better

​"So, I should workout less and eat better....this is what I'm getting from this conversation."

After asking the trainers at our gym a question or two each day about our diet and workout schedule, this is the moment it clicked for her. 

Now, this is a woman who trains daily, and trains hard. Yet, she couldn't help but notice something. 

The trainers at the gym, particularly the ones who happen to be in the best shape, didn't train that much. At least compared to her. No long, drawn out or daily workouts. 3-4 focused workouts per week is all it took. 

How can you get so lean and muscular with just a few workouts each week? While others slug it out for hours and see a fraction of those results?

More important, why on earth would my advice be to "train less" if you want to take your results to the next level?

A few reasons. All will be answered below. 

Most of What You're Doing in the Gym is Nonsense

Walk into any 'regular' gym at any given time, and you'll see around 15 men doing biceps curls, 11 women doing some dainty glute exercise, and a small handful of people doing deadlifts, squats, presses, chin ups, or rows. 

The reason for this is simple- curls and booty blasting kickbacks are easy. Lifting heavy barbells and dumbbells is hard. But here's the thing...

The best results are reserved for those who are willing to do hard things. 

That means squatting, even though leg extensions are easier. 

Doing deadlifts when the seated cable row is calling your name. 

Pressing heavy weight over your head when lateral raises are so much friendlier. 

And that's not a knock on any of these exercises. They all have their place. But not all exercises are created equal. 

Some are just plain more effective than others. 

I know, harsh world. 

But knowing this means you can choose to focus more on what matters, and eliminate a TON of fluff from your workouts. 

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You're Chasing 'The Burn,' Instead of Performance

If you take just one thing away from this post, let it be this. 

Most people measure the effectiveness of their workout by how hard it was. How drenched in sweat they are. How loud they made their muscles scream with lactic acid. 

When getting sweaty and tired is the goal, workouts become long, drawn-out, and filled with fluffy exercises.

When really, the only question you need to ask is, did my performance improve today?

Did I manage to squeak out 1 more rep, or add 5 more lbs to any of my lifts (particularly the big bang-for-your-buck lifts that really matter)? 

Burning muscles and sweat-drenched shirts are totally fine. But they should be the result of a performance-focused workout. Not the goal of the workout itself. 

You're Trying to Out-Train Your Diet

Listen, we all know that unless your name is Michael Phelps, this can't be done. But we try to do it anyway. 

We think, 

"I worked out pretty hard, so I'm gonna go ahead and bust down that garbage bag full of nachos."

Now, I like the "Treat Yo' Self" philosophy as much as the next guy, but this way of thinking just isn't going to work out. 

Trust me. Many have tried, and many have failed. 

It's as simple as that. And this brings us full circle. 

Train less...

But train the exercises that matter most, and with a focus on improving your performance from week to week. It's all about adding 1 more rep, or 5 more lbs. 

And eat better...

There's just no way around this one. If there was, I would have already found it ​