As trite and cliche as it might sound, consistency is the greatest determinant of success in fitness, and probably life too. Out of all the clients I have trained, the ones that have been the most successful are not the ones who worked out the hardest, or even the ones that were genetically gifted. It is always the ones that were the most consistent.
I have clients come to me and say they have tried this program or that program, or this diet or that diet. But when I ask how long they stuck to the program it is generally around 2 weeks. How can you judge the efficacy of a program in 2 weeks? Our programs at Carter Fitness can definitely let you see results in 2 weeks, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. There is much more beneath the surface.
Then, of course, I hear about the supplements and vitamins that they took for a whole week. The best fat-burning-miracle-pill ever will do no good sitting on your shelf. Some supplements are crap for sure, but there are good ones too. For the good ones to work they need to be taken- and taken on a regular basis.
There is a price to pay for inconsistency, and my wife Denyse is a good example. If you follow my blog and/or newsletter, you know we have 2 kids- Gabe who is almost 5, and Nate who is 18 months old. As many parents do, Denyse puts taking care of us kids (yes me too) above taking care of herself. She has prioritized our needs over those of her own, and that includes taking time to work out. She got workouts in here and there, but the sporadic nature of the workouts was beginning to take its toll. She said she wanted to work out more, but timing was always an issue.
The good news for her is that she is genetically well off, and does not have an issue with bodyfat (I know, pisses me off too.) But still, taking care of two kids (and a 245lb kid) requires a lot of energy. Strength and stamina are essential.
So even though I own 2 gyms, and have one in my garage it was tough for Denyse to find the time workout. So a few weeks ago Gabe started kindergarten (another interesting story). This freed up some time. I suggested that while Nate took his morning nap we schedule a training session for her at Carter Fitness in West Hills. I could easily work from home to keep an eye on the little one while Denyse trained.
It worked out that she could train at the same time as her friend Mary who happens to be the mother of Gabe's best friend Brandon. Mary had been training with Casey, who had been kicking the crap out of her for a couple of months. She has made excellent progress already and I thought adding Denyse to the session would be great for everyone.
Denyse came back from the session saying that it was a lot of fun, but not as hard as she thought.
"Oh yeah?" I said, "Say that tomorrow". I knew there was no way Casey would let her off easy. Her muscles would be singing a different tune in 24 hours or so.
When I got home from the gym the next night I asked "So how are you feeling?"
"I can't f****ing move - and it's NOT funny!" she replied.
I smugly smiled, and told her she would be fine. She was not mad at me, of course, but she hated that I was right. Even though she was no stranger to working out, and working out hard - the fact she had not been consistent had a consequence. In this instance: Pain.
Pain is a good example of a short term consequence. Lack or results would be an example of a long term consequence.
The lesson here is my wife should listen to me more often (I'm not holding my breath). But a "bigger picture" lesson would be that consistency counts, and it counts big time.
You could get better results from mediocre program you perform consistently than the best program in the world performed inconsistently. So why not do both? Meaning - a great program performed consistently.
Contact me any time for a free consultation, and we can get you rolling on a successful and consistent program.
Joshua Carter
The Body Transformation Expert
Carter Fitness
http://carterfitness.com
818-337-6175
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