Will you take a fall or will you stand strong this fall?

This is the time of year where we flip a coin to see if we’re going to be offense or defense. It’s important to remember your battles and how hard you’ve worked up to this point. If this was the summer of your life and you were in the best shape you’ve ever been in, then don’t throw it all away – keep striving to improve. If you’re really close to your goals but not quite there yet, keep going and you’ll get there. I’m saying this because I’m speaking from personal experience. I know how easy it is to “take it easy” after a summer of hardcore training to look buff at the beach. You may lose a little of your motivation and think that a week or two off won’t hurt you. And you’re right – a week or two off will not harm you in any way; in fact, it’ll probably do you some good if you haven’t taken any time off in the last little while. What you don’t want to do is slowly start falling off, letting your guard down when it comes to your nutrition and training. You may say that a cookie or two won’t hurt, but that cookie you had this morning and a piece of cake last night will accumulate over time and in no time you’ll be saying “what happened?” It’s that easy to slip and break your regime. Stay on top of your game, re-evaluate your goals and priorities often. Set your goals and write them down so they’re concrete; you’re more likely retain them if they’re visible.

A great way to stay on top of your training in the “off-season” is to cut the total training volume and frequency down. Train a little less each session and perform fewer sessions per week. Try to include some “play” type of activity in your training program as well. For example, your training program could consist of 3 resistance training sessions per week (full body), one to two swimming sessions each week, and some indoor sport like squash, indoor soccer, or indoor tennis – just for fun.

Bottom line is this: if you want to continue making progress and have some fun while reaching your personal body composition goals, you can do this by reducing the overall time you spend in the gym and including some other things you enjoy doing that will contribute to your goals. You’ll enjoy the process much more and you’re more likely to stick to training during these long, cold winter months.