Let's be honest, none of us are self motivated 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. There are days where we don't want to go to work, there are times when we want to skip the gym, and there are moments when we just want to say fuck the diet and eat whatever the hell we want! And in my opinion, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.

Sure, we might feel a bit guilty when we do the things that we're "not suppose to do", but at the end of the day, you only live once, so you might as well enjoy even the occasional shameful moments whenever you can.

Now I know that as a Personal Trainer / Online Coach, I'm suppose to be an overly enthusiastic, super positive and annoyingly energetic individual. I mean it does come with the title of this profession. However unlike many of my over caffeinated, selfie obsessed, and mind numbingly narcissistic counterparts, I'm far from the Happy-go-Lucky Meathead, that some people may portray me to be.

One of the questions that I get asked all the time from new clients is how often they should train in the gym each week if they wish to notice significant results with their physiques. Unfortunately when it comes to a person's own target health and fitness goals, there is no one size fits all answer. Sure, some trainers will give the the generic 4-5x/week response. After all, the bulk of these trainers' incomes rely on how often their clients train with them each week. So obviously they're going to recommend a higher number that fills their wallets much quicker then a lower number that won't. But let's say you really do need to train 4-5x/week to gain some serious muscle and develop a decent looking physique. How should you structure a training program like that? And what if you honestly don't have the time to train 4-5x/week in the gym? Does this mean that all hope is lost?

Let's find out!

What is Your Goal?

This is the first question that we always ask new clients when they inquire about our Personal Training Services. Before we get to their health history, before we review their current diet plans, and before we assess their physical limitations, we need to know first as to why they want to work with us.

The reason this is the first and most important question is because if someone doesn't have a specific goal in their mind that they would like to achieve, then chances are that they will never accomplish anything significant at all in life. It might sound harsh, but in my opinion it's a reality. I've always believed in setting SMART goals and then figuring out a path on how to accomplish these goals. Whether my goal is business, financial, health or family oriented, I make it precise and then formulate a strategy and begin working towards it.

But what exactly are SMART goals? A simple google search will tell you that SMART Goals stand for: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely Goals.

Seems pretty straightforward right? And it is! Unfortunately when it comes to setting and achieving these goals, the process itself is not as simple though. Which is why in addition to setting SMART goals, I believe that it's important to also reassess these goals every few weeks to ensure that we remain on course. Let me explain.

I like to think of myself as somewhat of a relatively intelligent individual when it comes to the health and fitness industry. I don't fall victim to fad diets and phony fitness trends. I don't waste my money on shitty supplements whose companies spend more time and effort on their marketing gimmicks, then they do on the quality of ingredients that go into their actual products. And I rarely (that's right rarely, I do compete in Bodybuilding Competitions half naked on stage after all) post scantly clad photos of myself online to help "generate more business" and provide me with a sense of self validation.

I call BS on Bro Science whenever I have the opportunity to do so. I grow tiresome when I hear of other trainers and fitness professionals regurgitating generic garbage to their clients and social media followers alike. And I become worrisome when I see people who are new to exercise and understand very little about diet and nutrition, listening to them!