The Seven deadly sins that dads make with training!

The Seven deadly sins that dads make with training!

When most dads step into the gym, they have already had to fight for the time to get there. . Kids, work, stress, it all piles up. You’ve only got a small window to train, so you want to make it count.

But in amongst the noise of life, most dads will enter the gym bereft of a plan, and just aim to 'get something done' and work hard.

But most dads are guilty of at least one of the 7 deadly sins when it comes to their training. The problem is.. These sins don’t just slow progress… they can leave you weaker, more likely to get injured, and stuck in the same cycle year after year.

So let’s confess, repent, and get back to the holy grail.

1. Pride

The Sin:  Loading the bar to the numbers you used to lift.. and chasing big numbers without the foundation. We call this ego lifting.. there is no need.. initially. 

The Fix: Start where you are NOW. Train for progression, not ego. Earn the right to lift heavy again with structured programming and proper rehab. But this doesn't mean you wont lift heavy again, most of my clients hit PB's during their time training, it just doesn't have to be tomorrow!!

2. Greed

The Sin: Wanting to train 6 hard times a week like you did when you were at Uni. Unfortunately you don't have quite the time to recover that you did back then, and you will struggle to make progress with your strength if you train this often.

The Fix (2 options). Use a high/low approach. If you want to train very regularly, do a hard session one day (heavy weights/HIT training), and a lower day the next (Zone 2 work, rehab, stretching). Personally however, I have found that doing 3 good strength sessions a week has improved my strength notably compared to 4/5, as I have much more time to recover. Dare you to try it. 

3. Lust

The Sin: Chasing the shiny new trend, new exercises, wearables, biohacks, green powders, functional training. 

The Fix: 80% basics, 20% others. Look, I like a new exercise as much as the next man, and I also like to experiment as I don’t think we have all of the answers. But if you know something works, and it has worked for many years, it should make up the bulk of your training. 

4. Envy

The Sin: Comparing yourself to others who are further on their journey than you.

The Fix: If someone has been training for 5 years, and you have been training for 5 weeks, they will be ahead of you. Chasing them is a positive, and being in their position quicker than they got there is a great target, but don’t procrastinate about it, take action and get after it!!

5. Gluttony

The Sin: Training hard, but using it as an excuse to eat and drink whatever you want. “I’ve earned this pint, this burger, this blowout…” 

The Fix: Nutrition is the passive income of fitness. If you are training hard and not considering it you are leaving the BIGGEST GAINS ON THE TABLE. Enjoy your life, have a beer, have a takeaway, just don’t use it as a reward for training.  You need to find a nutritional strategy that works for you, something I call useful nutrition.. I wrote an article about it that you can find here https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/building-unbreakable-confidence-your-body-part-2-useful-andy-reay-ud0ie

Side note. I had a message from a wife of a new client the other day, with a picture of about 100 eggs.. not sure she was best pleased as there was nowhere to put them, but hey.. gotta get that protein in!!

6. Wrath

The Sin: Throwing the baby out with the bath water when you miss a session of get a niggle.

The Fix: There is a huge difference between saying you are going to do 2 sessions and doing 3, and saying that you are going to do 4 sessions and doing 3. One feels like a success, one feels like a failure, but they are the same. Firstly we need to be realistic. If we are aiming to increase strength, you can get stronger with 2 sessions, optimal IMO is 3. If you can do either of these you are winning. 

If you get a niggle there is always other ways you can train. It’s pretty frustrating of course, but you need to reframe it, ‘where can I make progress elsewhere?’ I won’t pretend this is easy, because its not, and this is where having a coach can really help..

7. Sloth

The Sin: Talking about “getting back to it” for months but never committing. Or worse, just ticking over with random workouts and convincing yourself it’s enough. This is the Bain of my life with those who won’t take action, but actually, I try not to let it bother me anymore. You can lead a horse to water….

The Fix: Structure + accountability. Show me your calendar, and I’ll show you your priorities. If training isn’t one of them we need to fix that. Training doesn’t need to be perfect, but it does need to be consistent and planned. There will be bumps along the way, but accountability and a solid plan makes a huge difference. 

Final Word

Every dad I work with has fallen into one (or more) of these traps. That’s normal. What isn’t normal is staying there.

However… With the right plan, you can rebuild strength, bulletproof your body, and stop letting injuries or procrastination run the show. 

Strength isn’t optional 

Being healthy isn’t optional 

And you know all of the other parts of your life will improve when you get started. 

If you want help avoiding these sins and finally building the body and confidence you want, book a free 30-minute training audit call with me. 

We’ll find what’s holding you back and map out a plan.

https://calendly.com/razorperformance/30min