Blog

Recipe of Success #2: A Blueprint for Effective Time Management

Embarking on the journey to sculpt your dream physique requires more than just sweat and determination—it demands strategic time management. In this guide, we’ll delve into the crucial elements of building your ideal body and how to effectively schedule your time to achieve your fitness goals.

  1. Prioritise Your Activities:
    • Resistance Training: The cornerstone of your fitness regimen, resistance training should take precedence in your schedule. Determine how many days per week you can commit to resistance training, aiming for a balance between frequency and recovery. A realistic range is three to five days per week, ensuring you allocate at least one rest day to facilitate muscle recovery.
    • Food Preparation: Fueling your body with nutritious meals is essential for supporting your fitness goals. Allocate time each week for meal prep, choosing a day where you can dedicate a few hours to plan, shop, cook, and organize your meals for the upcoming week. This proactive approach not only saves time but also ensures you adhere to your nutritional plan consistently.
    • Aerobic Exercise: While optional, incorporating aerobic exercise can complement your resistance training efforts, particularly for fat loss or cardiovascular health. Schedule moderate or high-intensity aerobic sessions on days that don’t coincide with your resistance training workouts. Aim for a specific daily step count as part of your daily activities to promote overall movement and activity.
  2. Be Realistic and Conservative:
    • When planning your schedule, be honest with yourself about your commitments and limitations. Opt for a conservative approach rather than overcommitting to a rigorous workout regimen that may not be sustainable in the long run. It’s better to execute a realistic plan consistently than to falter under the pressure of an overly ambitious schedule.
  3. Embrace Efficiency:
    • Ensure that your workouts are time-efficient, focusing on quality over quantity. Aim for a duration of 45 to 60 minutes per resistance training session, optimizing each exercise to stimulate muscle growth effectively. Avoid marathon workouts that may lead to diminishing returns and burnout.
  4. Maintain Flexibility:
    • While it’s important to have a structured schedule, remain adaptable to unforeseen circumstances or changes in your routine. Life happens, and it’s okay to adjust your plan as needed. The key is to stay committed to your overarching goals while remaining flexible in your approach.
  5. Reinforce Positive Habits:
    • Consistency breeds success. By adhering to your schedule and executing your plan diligently, you reinforce positive habits and cultivate a mindset of discipline and determination. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and use setbacks as opportunities for growth and learning.

In summary, building your ideal body begins with effective time management. By prioritizing resistance training, allocating time for food preparation, and scheduling aerobic exercise thoughtfully, you lay the foundation for success. Be realistic, efficient, and flexible in your approach, and remember that consistency is key on the journey to achieving your fitness goals.

References:

For further reading and comprehensive information on resistance training and its benefits, you can explore the following Australian sources:

  1. Australian Institute of Fitness
  2. Better Health Channel
  3. HealthEngine

Written by

Alessandro Villadoro

Personal Trainer

most recent posts

Hello! I’m Dylan Jones, owner and dedicated personal trainer at State of Fitness in the vibrant heart of South Yarra. Here, we specialise in creating personalised fitness and wellness programmes that are expertly delivered within the comfort of our state-of-the-art South Yarra gym. But that’s not all — we also pay close attention to Melbourne’s ever-changing seasons, ensuring your fitness journey is as dynamic as our beautiful city. Whilst we are constantly changing your exercises and fitness programs every 4 to 6 weeks, Melbourne’s seasonality is also a great reasons to modify your personal training

Summertime Fitness: Customised for South Yarra’s Warmth

As the summer heat envelopes Melbourne, our indoor workouts provide a cool escape. It can be nice to beat the heat while maintaining a consistent training schedule, and our air-conditioned gym is the perfect setting to keep your summer workouts consistent. Still, we like to ensure that your training program helps you get out and about in the sunshine. Sometimes that might be joining us for a social event like a Saturday morning run, and sometimes we’ll help you with programs and training that you can do in a nice leafy area, whether it’s walking or more physical.

Autumn Adjustments: Keeping It Fresh and Focused

When the leaves in the Royal Botanic Gardens start to change, it’s a signal for us to refresh your workout routine! The moderate autumn weather is ideal for introducing new strength and stability exercises. This season is all about laying the groundwork for a fitter, stronger you, and our personalised programmes adapt to make the most of South Yarra’s natural beauty, should you wish to take part of your workout outdoors.

Setbacks are inevitable in the pursuit of our fitness aspirations. Missed workouts, dietary slip-ups, or indulging in guilty pleasures like pizza or beer are all part of the journey. However, what truly matters is not the occasional stumble but rather the unwavering commitment to consistency.

Contrary to the facade of perfection often portrayed on social media, nobody is flawless. Building your dream physique isn’t about being flawless but staying consistent despite the occasional setback.

Consider two individuals: Give-Up Gary and Back-On-Track Bobby.

Give-Up Gary meticulously plans his nutrition intake but falters on the first Saturday. Instead of bouncing back, Gary allows one slip-up to snowball into a week-long deviation from his plan. His inconsistency paints him as Give-Up Gary.

On the other hand, Back-On-Track Bobby faces a similar setback on the first Saturday but promptly gets back on course. When faced with another slip-up later in the week, Bobby swiftly regains focus, refusing to let temporary setbacks derail his progress. Bobby’s unwavering commitment to consistency earns him the title of Back-On-Track Bobby.

Consistency is not about perfection; it’s about resilience. Bobby’s approach, where occasional failures are acknowledged but swiftly overcome, exemplifies the true essence of consistency.

What’s the ideal consistency percentage for your diet or workout plan? There’s no definitive answer. What truly matters is how you respond to setbacks. The real test lies in your ability to bounce back after a bad day, week, or month.

Patience is paramount in this journey. Building your dream body is a gradual process. Fat loss and muscle gain don’t happen overnight. Progress should be measured in larger time frames, not daily fluctuations.

Comparing yourself to others, especially on social media, is a futile exercise. Those ‘quick transformations’ often conceal the reality of hard work, dedication, and sometimes even unhealthy practices. Instead, focus on your own progress and celebrate your achievements.

Remember, there are no shortcuts or hidden secrets. Success lies in having a plan, executing it consistently, and persevering through setbacks.

How you respond to failure will determine your overall success. We are human, and everyone makes mistakes. 

So, be patient with your progress, embrace consistency, and keep pushing forward towards your fitness goals.

For more information, check out these useful Australian references:

  1. The Science of Consistency in Fitness

2. How Consistency Transforms Your Fitness Journey

The Role of Consistency in Achieving Long-term Fitness Goals

Consistency vs. Intensity: Which is More Important?

Developing a Consistent Workout Routine

Getting stronger but not seeing a differenceHave you ever had that feeling that you were doing a big effort for a very small reward?

I think we all have at least once.

Worse, there have been times when actually things can go south.

In fact, from what I can tell, this is actually a pretty common problem in the fitness community.

There are several reasons why:

#1 – TOO MUCH Work

Some of us – maybe you – can make our bodies whatever our mind decide.

We can end up pushing, and pushing, and pushing, and pushing ourselves, and our bodies can’t keep up.

This is one of the reasons why when people ask so often “what’s a good number of reps to hit compared to others” in a program, we should accept first and foremost not to compare ourselves to others.

Every time you try to push your body beyond its limits you start seeing your body fat staying the same and muscle mass decrease.

If you keep pushing, your strength might considerably decreases.

#2 – Not Enough RECOVERY

This is directly correlated with “TOO MUCH Work”.

It happens a lot when people are really consistent with their workout and they never miss.

Then they are forced for whatever reason to take a break for a short – medium period of time (Think about a family holiday)

When they go home, and they measure their body composition it might have not changed at all and guess what? Their strength at the gym could be even better than before.

A well needed break (if you are very consistent) can potentially boost your results!

#3 – Drinking Too Much Alcohol

Alcohol is treated like a poison by your body.

As such, it’s preferentially metabolized above everything else, until it’s been removed.

As you can imagine, this interferes with both burning fat and building muscle.

So, if you want to take care of your body fat, or build up your arms and shoulders, cut back to a couple of drinks a week.

#4 – Eating TOO MUCH

This often can be a results of #1 and #2. 

You subconsciously know that you need more energy, because, you are pushing so hard to get your work done. 

So, you end up eating more. (And sometimes drink more too.)

And that “more” is more of the wrong things – usually a fatty-carby mix of salty-sweet, which makes you feel full, and hits those “feel good” dopamine receptors in your brain.

#5 – NOT Eating ENOUGH…

… PROTEIN.

Protein is the closest thing to a wonder drug.

Eat ONLY protein and the fat practically falls off your body.

Eat EXTRA protein, and you can pack on muscle, without any fat. 

Eat ENOUGH protein, and you’ll kill your cravings.

At State of Fitness we make sure you do:

The right amount of work + the right amount of recovery + the right amount of protein…

Lose Body Fat, looking lean and much fitter while getting strong in the process!

For more insights on gaining strength without visible changes, check out these valuable Australian references.

Overtraining: The Pitfall of Pushing Too Hard

The Power of Recovery: Why Rest Days Matter

Alcohol and Fitness: Balancing Your Lifestyle

Nutrition: Finding the Balance

State of Fitness: Achieving the Perfect Balance