- In this video we're gonna be answering the question
of why it's so hard to stick
to a workout routine over the long-term.
And this is a problem that I've actually struggled with
for most of my life.
I've always been a pretty active guy,
but when it comes to actually sticking to a workout routine
and seeing progress over the long-term,
I've always had a problem with it.
However, back in 2020, I actually did start a routine
that I've stuck to for the past two years.
And that has come with some results.
I've gained about 30 pounds of mostly lean mass
in that time, going from around 185 pounds to 215,
I've achieved a 300 pound bench press,
a 350 pound squat, and a 440 pound deadlift.
And I've managed to improve my cardio at the same time.
Mostly the thanks to picking up tennis,
which is now my favorite sport.
So today I'm gonna share what I've learned with you,
including sharing some of my actual workout routines
within a notion template, of course, because, hey, it's me.
And along with that, I also want to share some of the tricks
that I've learned from making sticking
to that routine a lot easier.
And I want to start by first breaking down the problem
because as I see it there are really four main sub problems
that make it so hard to stick to a workout routine
for a lot of people.
And those problems are number one,
you don't know what to do or where to start.
Number two, you aren't seeing any results
when you do stick to the routine.
Number three, there's too much friction involved.
And number four, you're making it too easy to fail.
So let's tackle these one by one,
starting fittingly with not knowing where to start.
Now, there is more fitness advice on the internet
than there are grains of sand on a beach.
And no matter what routine you pick,
it seems like Athlean X is gonna be out there telling you
that it's killing your gains.
And part of the problem, part of what causes this,
is that it seems like people think
there are these vastly different things you need to do,
depending on what you want.
Like if you want to gain mass,
it requires following a much different routine
than you'd follow if you wanted to get stronger,
or if you wanted to lose weight.
And while that is true at a certain level,
the fact is that most people, and that included me,
especially at the start of 2020, aren't at that level yet.
And that means that a basic strength training routine
with some added cardio is likely gonna help you improve
in nearly every area you want, strength, lean body mass,
cardio, even weight loss.
Which to be honest is more function of a diet anyway.
And if you are at that more advanced level already,
where specialization truly is important,
you're probably not watching this video.
You're probably off watching Jeff Nippard instead.
So for the rest of us,
I want to make this as easy as possible.
And to do that, I'm gonna actually share a couple
of the routines that I have been following
over the past couple of years, including my current routine,
which does require some gym equipment,
at least a power rack and a bench,
along with my original lockdown quarantine workout,
which needed nothing more than a single kettlebell
like this one right here.
And one of those doorframe pull-up bars,
the costs around 20 or $30.
And what I've actually done is put these into a notion page
that you can find over at ThomasJFrank.com/WorkoutDB.
And there I've got each workout with its exercises,
its sets, and its reps, the ones that I actually followed.
And there are also some sample weights that I've used.
Though you'll probably want to adjust these
so that they're right for you.
And lastly, I've included both a video tutorial
from Strength Coach along with a clip
from my own recordings for every exercise
so you have multiple references for how to do these.
And I wanted to share my actual routines
because while there are a ton
of different routines out there, tons of fitness advice,
literally thousands of people on the internet giving it out,
these are what I have actually done,
which is why I feel most comfortable putting them out there.
They're what have actually given me the results
that I've seen.
And they were also programmed by my coach
who is an expert strength coach.
Our second sub problem is that a lot of us deal
with not seeing any results.
And if you're not seeing any positive changes,
then what's the point of putting in all this effort, right?
Well, one of the biggest reasons
that a lot of people don't see any progress
is that they're not recording it.
See in strength training,
and in pretty much every other skill area as well,
you make progress by using a technique
called progressive overload.
And this is just a fancy way of saying you push yourself
to near your limit so your body is forced to get stronger.
It's an adaptive response.
But the problem is that a lot of people
don't actually commit to progressive overload.
A lot of people just show up at the gym
and decide on the fly what they're going to do.
And for those that actually do show up
with a predetermined routine,
a lot of them get stuck following the same routine
with the same numbers for months
without seeing any real gains.
And the reason for this is
that they're not recording their progress.
When they don't do this, if you don't record your progress,
then you don't really know
what you're doing or how you're doing.
And you can't make intelligent decisions
that are gonna help you get stronger.
So if you want to see results,
start recording your progress.
Now, since I work with a coach, I actually use their app,
the Barbell Logic app to do it through my phone,
but you can also do it
with an old school trusty notebook as well.
Just record your sets, your reps, and your weight
for each exercise, maybe time and distance
for things like cardio,
and then use that data to push yourself.
For example, here's my journal for a workout
where I hit three sets of five reps at 275 on the squat.
So on the next workout, I,
or actually my coach in this case,
bumped that up to 280 pounds for a three by five
and then 285 on the next one.
Now we'll also note that recording my progress
in this way has caused me to be more excited
to get into the gym because while changes
in my overall body composition are really slow
and take a long time to notice,
I can see changes in my numbers pretty quickly
when I'm recording them.
And that gets me excited to see them improve.
Now, our third sub problem here
is that there's often too much friction involved
in getting into the gym
or getting started with your routine.
And you probably have a lot of days
where you feel like this,
where you feel like you're just too busy to work out,
or you just can't fit it into your schedule.
I know I do.
And that's why it's crucial to do anything you can
to reduce that friction.
This is actually why I built a garage gym recently.
It's at home so there's very little preventing me
from just getting out there and getting my routine done.
The commute has been eliminated
so it's not a potential source of an excuse.
Now you don't have to build a home gym
like I did just to reduce friction
because smaller changes can help as well.
Like for example, laying out your gym clothes
and packing your bag before you go to bed
so it's all ready the moment you wake up.
Also keep in mind the actual problem you're trying
to solve here.
Because in the beginning what you're really trying to do
is build and stick to an exercise routine.
So if you're feeling like there's
just too much friction right now
because your routine is too long or too difficult,
just remember that doing something
is better than doing nothing at all.
Case in point, my best friend Martin doesn't like going
to gyms and he wanted something dead simple to start with
because he hadn't really exercised at all in quite a while.
So back in December, he literally started just running
in place in his apartment
and to keep things a little bit exciting he put
on these videos from a YouTube channel
called Virtual Run TV to make it a little bit less boring,
but that's it.
And crucially, he started out running
for just three minutes a day.
- I've got you for three minutes.
- Now that doesn't sound like a whole lot,
but it helped him build the habit.
And as of today, he's been doing this for 45 days in a row
and is up to running for about 23 minutes at a time.
So his endurance has improved quite a bit.
Finally, our last sub problem here
is that it's probably too easy for you to fail.
Ask yourself what happens if you decide
to push a workout off into the next day
or you skip it altogether?
Well, if you're like most people,
the answer is probably nothing other than the fact
that you don't make any progress from that workout.
And that's a problem.
If you want to more reliably stick to your routine,
you need to make it somewhat harder to fail.
Which means that you need to introduce
some accountability into the mix.
And this is actually probably the number one reason
why I've been able to make so much progress
over the last couple of years.
I have people in my life that hold me accountable
to my workout routine.
Now the primary source of that accountability
is my lifting coach, Matt, who actually coaches me remotely.
I've got to journal my sets and my reps,
and then I actually film the final set of each exercise.
And the next morning I get a form critique on that video
and updated programming for the next workout.
But the most important thing I get is the knowledge
that he's actually expecting me to turn in my workout log.
Now, in addition to my coach,
I do have one other big source of accountability in my life.
And that is the activity sharing feature on my Apple Watch,
which I use to share my exercise data
with a few different friends and who do the same with me.
And this actually brings in a different dimension
of accountability and support
as we typically don't hound each other
when we don't do a workout,
but we do send each other emojis and other support
when we do complete our workouts.
And that's something that I feel doesn't actually get talked
about as much in the realms of habits and productivity.
It's useful to not only have accountability
to know that somebody is going to hold your feet
to the fire but also to have positive encouragement
from people who care about you as well.
Those positive messages can really keep you going.
So if you can find a way to get both of those
by enlisting other people,
that's gonna help you really stick to your routine.
Now you can work with a coach like I do,
but there are other methods as well,
like getting a workout partner, using the Apple Watch thing,
or maybe even using the social features
in an app like Habitica to party up with other people
and track habits together.
If you want to learn even more
about how you can build strong habits
in any area of your life,
I also have a full one hour class on habit formation
over on Skillshare who have sponsored this video.
And this class will teach you how
to take any goal you have, define it more clearly,
and then break it down into actionable habits
that you can work on every single day.
And you'll also learn how to stick to those habits
over the long-term by using external accountability systems,
by anticipating and dealing with pain points ahead of time,
and by gracefully dealing with failure
so it doesn't completely derail you.
And because my class is on Skillshare,
you're also gonna get access to thousands
of other classes that can help you learn new skills
and really make 2022 a year of personal growth for yourself.
For instance, one of my favorite creators, MKBHD,
has a class on Skillshare
about how to craft great YouTube videos
from start to finish.
And you're also gonna find classes
on illustration, personal finance,
and even how to grow your social media presence.
Skillshare is completely ad-free.
They've got new premium classes
that are added every single week.
And the best part is that if you're one
of the first 1,000 people to use my link and sign up,
you're even gonna get a free one month trial,
which means that you can take my class
and all of my other classes completely for free
during that first month.
So to get started use that link
in the description down below,
or click right there to sign up
and start learning and support my channel.
You can also check out one of these videos right here,
and I will especially recommend this one
on the five levels of self-discipline,
which is a great follow-up to this video.
Thanks as always for watching, hit that like button
for ye old algorithm.
And I will see ya in the next one.