How I got the strongest I've ever been at 36 years old

Summary

In this documentary, a fitness enthusiast shares his transformative journey through 100 days of powerlifting, leading to his first competition. Starting with a modest goal, he quickly finds himself immersed in the sport, achieving a 72% increase in his deadlift and significant gains in squats and biceps. He details nine crucial lessons learned along the way, including setting ambitious goals, the value of expert coaching, the importance of being consistently imperfect, and the strategy of progressive overload. Alongside personal anecdotes, the video highlights the impact of social media on motivation and the benefits of following a structured program. Sponsored by Squarespace, this story isn't just about physical strength but also about mental resilience and the power of dedication.

Takeaways

• 🎯 Set clear and challenging goals to motivate action and commitment.
• 🏋️‍♂️ Hire an expert or coach to quickly progress and avoid common mistakes.
• 💪 Be consistent with your training, even if it's not perfect every time.
• 📈 Implement progressive overload to continually challenge and improve your strength.
• 🚫 Limit social media consumption to avoid comparison and maintain self-motivation.
• 📊 Follow a legitimate, structured program designed by a professional for optimal results.
• 📱 Use tracking apps to monitor your progress and ensure you're meeting your nutritional needs.
• 🛑 Avoid training to failure to reduce risk of injury and maintain a consistent training schedule.
• 🏆 Focus on effort and intensity during workouts to maximize results.
• 🔄 Balance intense training periods with more relaxed ones to maintain long-term enjoyment and progress.

Q & A

What significant progress did the speaker achieve in the past 100 days of powerlifting?

The speaker saw a 72% increase in their deadlift, nearly doubled their squat, and increased their bicep size by an inch.

What was the speaker's initial goal when they started powerlifting for 100 days?

The speaker's initial goal was simply to do powerlifting for 100 days, but they eventually signed up for a competition after receiving suggestions from others.

How did having a deadline in the form of a competition impact the speaker's training routine?

The deadline of the competition created a sense of urgency, making the speaker more committed to their training. It also made it harder for them to avoid training due to the non-refundable nature of the competition fee and the social obligation to perform well.

What role did hiring a strength coach play in the speaker's progress?

Hiring a strength coach provided the speaker with expert guidance, live feedback, and personalized advice, which significantly improved their form and confidence, leading to the ability to lift heavier weights and make faster progress.

How did the speaker handle the challenge of maintaining consistency in their training despite life's interruptions?

The speaker made adjustments to their training program to accommodate life's interruptions, such as taking fewer training days per week or using less ideal gym equipment when traveling. They focused on making 'imperfect progress' rather than striving for perfection in every workout.

What is Progressive Overload and how did it contribute to the speaker's strength gains?

Progressive Overload is a strength training concept that involves systematically increasing the weight of an exercise over time to continually challenge the body and stimulate adaptation. The speaker applied this principle by gradually increasing the weight they lifted each week, leading to significant strength gains.

Why did the speaker decide to stay off social media during their powerlifting journey?

The speaker found that social media, particularly fitness influencers and professional athletes, made them feel overwhelmed and deflated by constantly comparing themselves to others. They decided to log off to maintain their confidence and focus on their own progress.

What was the speaker's approach to tracking their diet and workouts?

The speaker used an app called My Fitness Pal to track their calorie intake, ensuring they consumed enough carbs and protein. They also used an app called Strong to log their workouts and keep a detailed history, which included setting rest timers for their exercises.

What misconception about training to failure did the speaker uncover during their powerlifting experience?

The speaker learned that training to failure is not as crucial for hypertrophy or strength gains as many believe. They found that stopping a few reps shy of failure could still yield similar results without the increased risk of injury and fatigue.

How did the speaker's mindset and approach to training change after their 100 days of powerlifting?

After the 100 days, the speaker decided to pull back on the intensity of their training. They continued to use a legitimate program, focus on technique, and apply progressive overload, but they shifted their focus from seeking rapid transformation to enjoying the slow burn of continued progress.

What advice does the speaker have for those looking to improve their gym performance?

The speaker advises to focus on effort and intensity during gym sessions, avoid distractions like phones and selfies, and prioritize following a structured program with proper technique over simply going through the motions.

Outlines

00:00

🏋️‍♂️ Powerlifting Progress and Lessons Learned

The speaker shares their remarkable progress in powerlifting over the past 100 days, outpacing their improvement from the previous 10 years of gym attendance. They increased their deadlift by 72%, nearly doubled their squat, and grew their bicep size. They attribute this accelerated progress to a structured 100-day powerlifting program, culminating in their first competition. The speaker also highlights the importance of setting big goals, working with an expert coach, and the impact of their training on their overall fitness journey.

05:01

🎯 Setting Goals and Embracing Imperfection

The speaker discusses the importance of setting ambitious goals and the challenges of maintaining a consistent fitness regimen. Initially aiming for perfection by not missing any workouts, they had to adjust their expectations due to life's unpredictability. They emphasize the concept of being 'imperfectly consistent,' meaning making adjustments to training when necessary, and accepting that setbacks are part of the process. The speaker also introduces the concept of progressive overload, explaining how systematically increasing the weight in exercises leads to strength gains over time.

10:01

📈 Tracking Progress and Avoiding Social Media Comparisons

The speaker talks about the benefits of tracking their progress, both in terms of nutrition and exercise, using apps like MyFitnessPal and Strong. They mention the importance of understanding one's diet and the role of protein in muscle building. The speaker also shares their decision to limit exposure to gym-related content on social media to avoid negative comparisons and maintain focus on personal progress. They discuss the psychological impact of comparing oneself to others and the importance of focusing on one's own journey.

15:01

💪 Training Smarter, Not Just Harder

The speaker shares insights on training effectively, including the revelation that training to failure is not as crucial as previously believed. They discuss their personal experience of injury from pushing too hard and the advice they received from their coach about always having 'one in the tank.' The speaker also talks about the importance of focusing on quality time at the gym, the intensity of their training, and how it contributed to their significant progress. They conclude with a reflection on the balance between enjoying the process and continuing to apply the lessons learned during their 100 days of powerlifting.

Keywords

💡Progress

Progress in this context refers to the improvement in physical strength and fitness achieved by the speaker through dedicated training. It is central to the video's theme as it highlights the significant increase in the speaker's lifting capabilities over a 100-day period. The speaker's progress is exemplified by the 72% increase in their deadlift, nearly doubling their squat, and gaining an inch in bicep size.

💡Powerlifting

Powerlifting is a sport that consists of three attempts at maximal weight lifts in three specific exercises: the deadlift, squat, and bench press. In the video, the speaker's journey into powerlifting is a key narrative, leading to their decision to compete in a powerlifting competition and the training that followed.

💡Goals

Goals in this context are the specific, measurable targets the speaker sets for themselves in their fitness journey. Setting goals is a critical lesson shared by the speaker, as it provides a clear direction and motivation for training. The speaker's goal was to compete in a powerlifting competition, which structured their training and efforts.

💡Consistency

Consistency refers to the regular and persistent effort put into training, regardless of setbacks or imperfections. The speaker emphasizes the importance of being imperfectly consistent, meaning that even when life disrupts the ideal training schedule, one should continue making progress in any way possible.

💡Expertise

Expertise in the context of the video refers to the specialized knowledge and skills of a professional strength coach. The speaker hired a renowned coach, Sebastian, whose guidance and feedback allowed for rapid improvement and safe training practices. Seeking expertise is presented as a valuable strategy for quick progress in one's fitness journey.

💡Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is a strength training principle that involves gradually increasing the weight or stress placed on the body during exercise to stimulate muscle growth and strength development. It is a key concept in the video, as it is one of the techniques the speaker used to achieve significant strength gains in a short period.

💡Social Media

Social media is referenced in the context of its potential negative impact on one's self-motivation and progress in fitness. The speaker discusses how viewing content of others who are further along in their fitness journeys can lead to feelings of inadequacy and demotivation.

💡Tracking

Tracking in this context involves the meticulous monitoring of one's workouts and nutrition. The speaker used apps to track their workouts and calorie intake, which provided a clear picture of their daily nutrition and helped to ensure they were fueling their body adequately for the intense training.

💡Legit Program

A legit program refers to a structured and scientifically sound training regimen designed by an expert to achieve specific fitness goals. In the video, the speaker emphasizes the importance of following such a program for significant progress, as opposed to the DIY approach they had previously taken.

💡Effort

Effort in the context of the video pertains to the intensity and dedication with which the speaker approached their training. By putting in concentrated effort and focusing on each lift, the speaker was able to push beyond their perceived limits and achieve notable progress.

Highlights

The individual made remarkable progress in 100 days compared to 10 years of casual gym going, emphasizing the importance of focused and dedicated training.

Setting a big goal, such as signing up for a powerlifting competition, provides a clear deadline and motivation to maintain rigorous training.

Hiring an expert coach can significantly accelerate progress by providing live feedback, form critique, and personalized guidance.

Consistency in training is more important than being perfect; adapting to life's circumstances and staying committed leads to results.

Progressive overload is a key concept for building strength, involving systematic increases in exercise load over time.

The influence of social media can be detrimental to one's self-confidence and progress, suggesting that reducing exposure can be beneficial.

Switching to a solo creator role necessitates rethinking online presence, with platforms like Squarespace aiding in building a professional website.

Following a legitimate, expert-designed program can lead to significant progress, unlike piecing together information from various sources.

Tracking nutrition and workouts with apps like MyFitnessPal and Strong can provide valuable insights and help stay accountable.

Going to failure in every set may not be necessary and can increase the risk of injury; leaving some 'in the tank' can be a safer and equally effective approach.

Focusing effort and intensity during gym sessions, rather than casual distractions, leads to more effective workouts and better results.

The individual's transformation and newfound confidence are attributed to the structured and focused approach to training.

The importance of enjoying the process and maintaining a sustainable training routine is highlighted over pursuing rapid, intense transformations.

Implementing tools and strategies learned during the 100 days of powerlifting will continue to positively impact future training.

Transcripts

I've been going to the gym for the past

10 years but I've seen more progress in

the past 100 days than in my entire life

during this time I increased my deadlift

by 72% I nearly doubled my Squat and I

increased my bicep by a/ an inch so yeah

I've been pretty productive lately I

recently uploaded a 28-minute

documentary following my first 100 days

of powerlifting culminating with my

first ever

competition and in this video I want to

share nine of the biggest lessons I've

had and what you can take away from it

if you want to get stronger build more

muscle or just pick up a consistent

Fitness practice this video is sponsored

by my friends over at Squarespace later

I'll show you one of the biggest

projects that I've ever worked on on

their platform okay lesson number one

set a biging goal in the beginning I was

just going to do powerlifting for 100

days that alone would have been just

fine but a few people mentioned to me

that I should sign up for a comp and my

only thought was what the hell is a comp

I didn't really know much about

powerlifting in the beginning I just

thought it was a style of lifting at the

gym what I came to realize was that it's

an actual sport in and of itself that

combines your total one rep max for your

squat bench press and deadlift and when

I looked into what competitions actually

look like well it scared the hell out of

me so naturally I decided to sign up for

one it's really not that hard to find

other similar Fitness Milestones or

goals tough mutters Spartan races

triathlons and marathons all work to

motivate people into action and for a

couple reasons first they come come

built in with a deadline as soon as you

sign up and pay for your spot the clock

starts ticking every day you fail to

train is one less day you have to

prepare I have just over a 100 days now

to get myself in shape to prepare to

compete in a legitimately sanctioned

powerlifting event what the did I just

do and I found that it's really hard not

to talk about it whether it's with your

partner or coworker it's eventually

going to come up in conversation and

this really helped me stay able I knew

that I couldn't just quietly cancel the

competition and ask for a refund also it

was non-refundable so there's that The

Closer the day of the competition got

the more intense my training became

there were going to be over a 100 people

watching me lift the heaviest weight I

possibly could and the risk of failure

was incredibly high that was a huge kick

in the ass that helped me stay committed

to my goal there were some downsides to

this that I'll get to later in the video

but this definitely helps to explain why

I saw such significant progress in only

a few month mons if you want to get

stronger you should hire the world's

best strength coach okay that might not

work for everyone unless you also live

in Sydney have a large budget or a

YouTube channel with 3.8 million

subscribers that you can leverage but

honestly hiring any expert in the field

you're interested in whether it's

powerlifting or professional bed making

is one of the smartest ways to progress

quickly I was lucky enough to work with

one of the best strength coaches in the

world Sebastian bass orb he's held

several National records during his time

as a professional powerlifter and he

he's also the strength coach for this

guy Thor Boron you may have heard of him

before he's one of the greatest strength

athletes of all time and the current

world record holder for the deadlift at

51 kg no big deal I have never hired a

personal trainer or coach before I've

definitely always relied on the DIY

approach but in our very first session

together I saw the benefit he gave me

live feedback on my form critique my

lifts and helped talk me through each

set as I was doing them come under the

barbell place it on the rear delts

elbows back and shoulder blades down all

those muscles are nice and engaged take

a big breath to brace good one step back

to clear the rack side side good let's

try and stand very slightly

wider yeah I like that okay that's going

to allow for more strength potentially

okay now looking straight ahead tuck

that chin take a massive breath hold it

good push the knees out in the same

direction as the toes and stand great uh

tuck your chin you're looking up a

little bit too much good the result I

was able to lift far more than what I

was already doing at the gym I wasn't

worried about hurting myself or doing

the lift wrong I had much more

confidence and as a result I was able to

lift much more than I thought I could my

mind's blown it feels so much easier

than the way that I was doing it before

B offered to train me for the entire 100

days leading up to my competition and

that really meant that I could stop

scrolling Reddit looking for answers

from strangers and just throw them at

him during our sessions should I get a

powerlifting belt how do they work it's

giving me a bruise am I wearing it wrong

are there any supplements I should be

taking creatine cool what kind what

happens if I fail a set do I lower my

weight what do I do next week where

should I get my powerlifting singlet

does it make my butt look big okay yeah

you're right that's not cool honestly

I'm surprised I didn't annoy him so much

that he fired me as a client every week

I threw every question I had at him and

because he's a pro he had already spent

the past 20 years thinking about each

one so my advice is to find an expert

that you trust and work with them as

much as you can whether that's one day

per week or one day per month not only

will you get a better answer than Google

you won't spend months or years going

down the wrong path be imperfectly

consistent I have to admit this one goes

against my own Basic Instinct when I

looked at my program on day one I

thought to myself I'm not going to miss

a single day I'm going to hit every

single workout and check off every lift

but then of course life happens I took a

long trip out of town I had to cram

towards a work deadline I stayed up all

night with my newborn probably shouldn't

keep a baby up that late

now there might have been a time in the

past when I was able to power through

and live up to my regular perfectionist

standards but since I've become a dad I

just don't have the same flexibility

that I once did if I took my old All or

Nothing approach I'd end up with a lot

of nothing as bass told me when he

walked me through my program for the

first time there's optimal and then

there's practical a lot of people you

know look at a program and they say I

can't do that so therefore I'm not going

to do it it's like no that's as optimal

now now let's think about what's

practical for you we need to always

compromise and make sure one you can do

it and two I've spoken to you about this

you're going to enjoy it you need to

enjoy your training if you don't enjoy

it you're not going to stick to it as

life happened I made adjustments to

stick to the program the best I could

that meant sometimes I'd only train 3

days a week instead of the prescribed

four while on vacation I had to use my

hotel's shitty gym equipment and

sometimes I had to cut my workout short

if I had an urgent work deadline to hit

or if I was exhausted from being up with

my son all night as I moved from one

imperfect workout to the next I contined

to make imperfect progress toward my

goal I didn't let small setbacks deter

me and I saw far more growth than I

would have if I let perfectionism hold

me back on the technical side of things

one piece of the lifting puzzle that

helped me build strength very quickly is

something called Progressive overload

Progressive overload is a strength

training concept characterized by

systematically increasing the load of an

exercise over time to continually

challenge the body and stimulate

adaptation put a little bit more simp

if you want to get stronger you need to

lift more weight over time so on week

one I started by squatting 80 kg then on

week two I increased by 5 kg to squat 85

kg the next week I lifted 90 kg and

finally on week four I increased to 95

kg since it would be physically

impossible to continue at this rate

forever the next week would start the

beginning of phase 2 in which I would

deload and lower the weight starting the

process all over again over the course

of a few months you should be able to

see consider considerable strength gains

with this method if you're just getting

started out it's easier to see progress

they call them newbie gains once you're

an elite athlete you might have to train

for an entire year to get an extra 5

kilos on your bench press so compare

this to my typical approach showing up

at the gym week after week and lifting

what felt comfortable sometimes I push

myself other times I just have a casual

workout I never focused on Progressive

overload before and once I did the

results followed okay here's one that I

think is highly underrated

stay off social media I rarely have

Instagram on my phone these days but

early on into powerlifting I did and it

didn't take long before the algorithm

realized I was interested in seeing more

gym content and holy [ __ ] did it show me

more gym content overnight I started to

see hundreds of Fitness influencers

professional powerlifters and Crossfit

trainers I saw Natty or not videos Sam

solic takedown videos and videos of a

janitor doing a one-handed overhead

press in front of the biggest dude in

the gym can I clean cu

when I got started with powerlifting I

felt excited proud eager to learn I felt

unique and special but after seeing

these videos on repeat every day I felt

deflated overwhelmed confused I felt far

behind where I thought I should be and

then when you look at the comments oh my

God the comments they were just filled

with so much negativity and jealousy and

bitterness it was enough to make me want

to throw my phone out the window it's

great to have Inspirations to to look up

to and there are a lot of people making

great content online but I don't think

it's healthy to see hundreds of people

every day who are outperforming you in

every way imaginable it's hard not to

compare your day one to someone's 10year

journey and if you're someone who is

quick to compare it deflates your

confidence and Smothers the excitement

in the worst way the only comparison

that should ever matter is you today

versus you tomorrow and this isn't just

limited to powerlifting whether it's

baking woodworking cooking or home

renovations if you find yourself often

getting in a negative spiral of

comparing yourself to others do yourself

a favor and log off the apps completely

so as many of you know I recently made

the switch to become a solo Creator

again for the first time in 5 years that

change has meant that I've had to

rethink everything about my YouTube

channel and business and one platform

that's played a huge role in this

transition has been Squarespace they're

my sponsor for this week's video so my

biggest project so far this year has

been moving my YouTube course page over

to

Squarespace it's a ridiculously long and

beautifully designed landing page with

overlapping elements custom borders

Graphics icons buttons and a responsive

design now normally I keep my websites

incredibly simple this was not that and

so I was a little bit nervous about how

ambitious this project was but once I

jumped into Squarespace I was amazed at

what was possible look I can literally

drag this image anywhere I can overlap

Graphics I can create custom dividers

and even add little flourishes this is

exactly why I love Squarespace as a

platform as a solo Creator I don't want

to spend a lot of time and money on

developers and copywriters and designers

I want to be able to just jump into my

website and make a change if you've been

watching my videos for a while you've

heard me talk about Squarespace about

how they have great templates how it's

easy to use and great for people

building simple websites and now you

know it can also help you build a

ridiculously long a beautifully designed

course site with overlapping elements

custom borders and responsive design

visit squarespace.com to start your free

trial and then when you're ready to

launch go to squarespace.com slmd to

save 10% off your first purchase of a

website or domain getting back to my

learnings from 100 days of powerlifting

one thing that really made an

incremental difference was following a

legit program I went to the gym for 10

years and for 10 years I didn't think

hey maybe I should follow a legit

program created by a professional now

instead I piece together information

online I got tips from friends at the

gym and I took Reddit comments from

Anonymous strangers as gospel don't get

me wrong personally I found a lot of

progress with this DIY approach I was

able to build strength muscle and get

really fit with this strategy I felt

good had a few healthy habits on

rotation and actually enjoyed going to

the gym these were all huge wins but

there was one small problem at least

from a performance perspective after my

first few years at the gym I hadn't

really seen any sign significant

progress I was still lifting around the

same weight that I had and I still had

pretty much the same build obviously

some of this can be explained by slow

periods and extended time away from the

gym but now I realize it's largely

because I wasn't following a legit

program and by legit I mean one that was

developed by an expert with a track

record to prove it bass set me up with a

program on day one that was much more

structured than anything I'd followed

before although I'm a powerlifter I

don't train my powerlifters like typical

powerlifters we place equal emphasis on

the muscles of the front of the body to

the muscles of the back of the body okay

so we talk about a push pull ratio of

one to one so when we do our upper body

sessions you'll see the first exercise

of the day is bench press and we suet

that with a Pull exercise which in this

instance is a laat pull down before you

pick a program for yourself it's

important to know what goal you have in

mind Do you want to build muscle or

strength since I wanted to build

strength and specifically strength as a

powerlifter that meant I was largely

focusing on my squat bench press and

deadlift if I was trying to get as big

as possible in 100 days I'd follow a

very different program track everything

from your calories to your workouts I

used an app called My Fitness Pal to

track everything I was eating until you

actually measure out your meals you'll

never know if you're getting enough

carbs to fuel your workouts or enough

protein to build muscle by the way A

good rule of thumb is to get 1 gram of

protein per pound of body weight I also

tracked all my workouts I pulled each

phase of my program into an app called

strong you can create create super sets

see what you lifted the last time you

did the exercise keep a detailed history

of all workouts and the most useful

feature for me it has a rest timer built

in so once I check off a set in the app

the rest timer automatically starts this

is one of my new favorite apps that I've

been using and I definitely recommend it

to anyone who goes to the gym or follows

a structured program it's not free but

definitely worth it in my opinion I will

say that I did stop tracking my calories

after a couple months I found that it

got too high maintenance for me to

continue scan a barcode or measuring

almond milk before each meal was really

annoying but a couple months of tracking

did help me a lot and gave me a solid

grasp of what I was eating and how many

calories I was taking in and it was

enough to help me be more intuitive with

my eating going forward you don't need

to train to failure one thing I've been

told ever since I started going to the

gym is the importance of going to

failure I was told that the last rep is

the most important rep and if you don't

go to Absolute failure you might as well

not even go to the gym at all of course

the perfectionist in me absolutely love

this idea but in training with bass I

learned that it's actually not as

important as most people make it out to

be and most experts now agree that it's

largely hype I think that the research

shows that there's not a huge difference

in terms of hypertrophy or strength if

you go all the way to failure or if you

stop a couple reps shy agreed and I

would add that most of the people that

are saying that failure is super

important are coming from an egotistical

perspective in which they need to

emotionally drain themselves in the gym

and it's more cathartic and

psychological and less to do with what

gets optimal results the principle that

I learned over this time and started

applying to my training is to always

keep one in the tank meaning you should

stop when you feel like you have one

more solid rep in the set there was only

one time I didn't take this advice since

I was at the end of phase one I Was

preparing to Deo for my next session so

bass and I decided that I should go for

an AM wrap which stands for as many reps

as possible or lifting until you fail

and this is what happened let's go four

and again and again five you go one more

one more one more heels down heels down

Who's down Who's

down not have done

that that might not have looked like

much but I felt an immediate tear in my

PEC and after going to a physiotherapist

the next day it was confirmed so he said

it's like a it's probably a first or

second degree tear oh my God it'll be

okay it's a bummer I'll talk to

Sebastian tomorrow and just see kind of

what he thinks about programming and

stuff and he'll be able to kind of

adjust the program it'll be fine this

happens to top athletes all the time

this kind of stuff yeah I'm a top

athlete that's what I meant I'm the

strongest Matt devl in the world maybe

at least at least the second strongest

Le there's a few there's a few strong Mt

out there this is not to say that going

to failure often leads to injury lots of

athletes incorporate failure into their

regular programs it does however

increase the likelihood that your form

will break down you will get more

fatigued and you're making yourself more

susceptible to injury in the end I got

unlucky but the question you need to ask

yourself is if this doesn't give you

significantly better results is it worth

the risk for me personally I'm just not

going to go to failure as much as I did

in the past except of course when it

comes to competition

day I've got one more takeaway but real

quick I wanted to let you know that my

YouTube course just opened up for

enrollment and it won't be open again

for another 6 months in the course I

share a road map for creating a

successful Channel with Integrity

including handing you my own systems for

brainstorming ideas editing videos

creating compelling thumbnails and

titles and so much more go to mtd.com

youube to get started and also to check

out a pretty amazing website if I do say

so myself effort makes a difference but

at a cost if 100 people with similar

genetics go to the gym for 1 hour they

will probably all see very different

results and that's because not all time

at the gym is equal what you do and how

you focus your energy makes a huge

difference some people spend their time

at the gym scrolling their phone

taking longer rest periods than needed

taking selfies in the mirror or simply

just not focusing on each set I've been

guilty of all of these things in the

past except for maybe the bathroom

selfies and there's definitely nothing

wrong with being chill at the gym but

during my 100 days of powerlifting I did

notice a huge difference when I started

to be more focused and give more of an

effort into each lift I performed every

week I was pushing myself far beyond

what I thought I could do my intensity

was dialed up to 11 and that came with a

lot of huffing puffing and cursing under

my

breath make no mistake this was intense

training and it wasn't always enjoyable

I was no longer showing up at the gym

and leisurely jumping from one exercise

to the next I was methodical about

following my program and lifting the

weight I set out to because if I didn't

hit my lift this week how did I expect

to add another 5 kilos onto the bar next

week training like a worldclass athlete

taught me something else that was really

important I don't want to train like a

worldclass athlete all the time I had so

much fun doing this experiment and I

learned so much that I will continue to

apply to my time at the gym it's

actually amazing to think about the

transformation I made and how much

confidence I now have going forward I'll

still be using a legit program annoying

bass as much as he allow me focusing on

my technique first and going to failure

much less often implementing Progressive

overload tracking my workouts and

avoiding gym content like my life

depends on it but for now I'm

intentionally pulling back on the

intensity of my training instead of

focusing on getting radical

transformation in a short time frame I'm

going to be enjoying the Slow Burn of

continued progress only now with a few

more Tools in my back pocket