Did you see my recent article where I spelled out 5 mistakes people make that kill their gains?

Well, there are also certain things that all successful guys do in this game.

The guys and girls who have achieved their goals (me included) all do the following 6 things.

How many are you doing?

(1) THEY ARE CONSISTENT – THERE IS NOTHING MORE IMPORTANT

 

Consistency is defined as:

“steadfast adherence to principles, course, form, etc.”

In the muscle-building game, this comes down to:

 

NEVER missing a workout

NEVER missing your post-workout shake

NEVER screwing up your diet for long periods of time

ALWAYS giving 100% on every rep and every set

ALWAYS using good form

ALWAYS keeping workout logs and tracking progress

ALWAYS striving for progressive overload in every workout

ALWAYS meeting your daily protein requirement

ALWAYS getting enough water…

 

The list could go on, but I’m sure you get the message. Simply put, you’re going NOWHERE without consistency and self-discipline.

Remember, if you skip a workout, you can NEVER get it back. You’ll ALWAYS BE ONE WORKOUT behind where you could have been.

If you skip a workout, you can NEVER get it back. You’ll ALWAYS BE ONE WORKOUT behind Share on X

 

If you need motivation to stay committed, see my post ‘10 Powerful Ways To Stay Motivated in Bodybuilding‘.

 

(2) THEY RECORD THEIR PROGRESS…ALWAYS

 

It is one of my biggest pet peeves to see guys not recording their progress. It seriously gets on my nerves. Especially when the same guys ask me for advice because they’re not getting results.

My first response is, “let me see your workout logs”. I’m met with a blank stare most times.

Yet one of the single most effective strategies for success in the iron game is keeping a log of the weight and reps you complete for each and every lift.

Not only does it mean that you can be 100% sure that you are making progress, but it also activates the mind-body link to help you lift more and more each and every time.

Let’s say a guy got 9 reps at 50kg on a pushdown for his triceps during his last workout. He has a huge psychological advantage by knowing that he wants to get 10 or more reps this time.

Remember that it’s the brain and central nervous system that are responsible for recruiting muscle fibers, not to mention the mental stimulus that comes from trying to hit a very specific target.

So there are both physical and mental advantages to having a target for each and every set of your workout.

That’s why free THT training comes with free workout logs to track your progress. You can download my free Targeted Hypertrophy Training program below and start making fast gains (if the download form isn’t displaying, please go to the very top of this page to enter your email and click the download button).

 

Enter email then click button below…

 

(3) They Take Creatine (and they take it after training)

 

Do yourself a favour. Get yourself a high-quality creatine (US recommended creatine | UK/Europe recommended creatine).

It’s been proven safe (see here) and it works. Also, don’t get it wrong, creatine monohydrate is the most effective kind. Supplement companies may say otherwise, but the science is in – monohydrate is the best.

Now, I’ve said before that creatine works best if taken AFTER training, not before. People get this wrong all the time.

Creatine is not a stimulant. It’s not caffeine. It doesn’t get you “pumped” for a workout. You take it to maximize creatine phosphate levels inside the muscle to help with ATP production – that’s it.

If you take it before, the muscle cells may already be saturated with creatine phosphate. There will be little room for uptake and it may even decrease your body’s sensitivity to creatine supplementation.

Here is a study [1] concluding that post-workout creatine is more effective than taking it before you start training. The researchers concluded…

“Creatine supplementation plus resistance exercise increases fat-free mass and strength. Based on the magnitude inferences it appears that consuming creatine immediately post-workout is superior to pre-workout vis a vis body composition and strength.”

 

(4) THEY GET THEIR DAILY PROTEIN REQUIREMENT

 

…And they make sure they hit it every day.

There are 2 ways to figure out just how much protein you need. First, the easy way:

Consume 1g of Protein per Pound of Body Weight

So if you weigh 180lbs, consume 180g of protein per day.

 

You can get the other method by clicking on my ‘how much protein‘ article.

Yes, there are some people who say this amount is a little too high. My response is – why risk it? Everybody’s protein requirement will be a little different, some will need more than others. But if you get 1g per pound, you can be certain you got enough.

If you train hard, eat well, and dedicate much of your life to this, why risk it all for the sake of ~20g protein? Since you can’t know for certain, it’s always best to inject certainty into the situation by just consuming 1g per pound.

 

(5) THEY KEEP THEIR VISION OUT IN FRONT OF THEM

 

People that build their dream body think of the PRIZE, not the PROCESS.

Why do people procrastinate and not go to the gym? Because in that moment, the work, the pain, the effort is more real to them inside their head than the pay-off – the prize.

Every time this happens to you, you must shift your focus to your end goal. Visualize your body looking and feeling exactly the way you want it to be.

Think of pleasure you’ll experience as a result of having this new body. Find pics on the net of physiques you love and want to replicate. This is thinking of the prize and not the process. When you value the prize more than the process, you’ll never skip workouts.

Remember: Every single workout takes you closer to your goal. “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Imagine your dream body is out in front of you – 1000 steps away. Every single workout is a single step forward towards that body. This will develop in you the needed discipline to be consistent in your training. Yes, you must have a vision!

 

(6) THEY SLEEP 7 – 9 HOURS PER NIGHT

 

Sleep is actually important for your well-being in general. Not getting enough sleep can lead to being:

• Irritable/Moody
• Depressed
• Anxious
• Impaired Brain Activity
• Weakened Immune System

Scarily, there are also links to heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. See here for more.

However, it’s also hurting your gains. This study [2] found that those who slept 4 or less hours per night had 60% less total testosterone and 55% less bio-available testosterone than those who slept 8 hrs or more.

 

Almost 70% of your human growth hormone is released as you sleep and much of the repair and growth of muscle fibers occurs as we sleep.

Sufficient rest at night is not optional if you want optimal gains. It’s just too damn important.

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So how many of these 6 points can YOU check off?

Are you always getting enough sleep? Always getting your daily protein and recording your progress in the gym?

Hey, can I help you in any way to achieve your goals? Let me know below as I’m always happy to help.

 

AND…I’M SOCIAL – ADD ME & LET ME HELP YOU HERE

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Train With Intensity!

Mark

P.S. Want more easy recipes like this? With easy-to-make protein-packed recipes to fuel your muscle growth, MuscleHack Buff Baking makes eating healthy feel like a cheat meal. There’spancakes, peanut butter cookies, ice cream, “strong man’s” sausage bake, chocolate cake, “popcorn” chicken and many more! Check it out here.

 

References:

[1] The effects of pre versus post workout supplementation of creatine monohydrate on body composition and strength. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 2013, 10:36 doi:10.1186/1550-2783-10-36.

[2] Sleep, sex steroid hormones, sexual activities, and aging in Asian men. J Androl. 2010 Mar-Apr;31(2):131-7. doi: 10.2164/jandrol.109.007856. Epub 2009 Aug 14.