Here’s the latest edition of my regular series of Quick and Easy Health, Physique Transformation and Sports Conditioning tips.

You can put these into action right now to Look, Feel, Move and Perform better.

These tips are organised into 3 different categories:

1. General Health & Motivation
2. Training (Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Athleticism & Strength)
3. Nutrition

Enjoy!

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 General Health & Motivation

‘Get a GOOD training partner’

There are random people you meet at the gym who occasionally help you with lifts, or give encouragement here and there.

Then there are dedicated training partners.

There is a big difference.

A good training partner will tell you to get your act together and train hard when you’re slacking off, or even hold you back when your body is banged up, but you’re stupidly trying to push through it. They care about your results and give good quality guidance, technical feedback and encouragement.

It’s guaranteed accountability, motivation, experience, safety, competition, and all-around awesomeness.

To be honest, I often wonder if most people get the best results working with a personal trainer/strength & conditioning coach for these factors more than the actual expertise the fitness professional provides!

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 Training (Fat Loss, Muscle Gain, Athleticism & Strength)

‘Do more complexes’

Maybe it’s me, but complexes are not talked about or used nearly enough. They had a stint a few years ago or so where they were all the rage, but seem to have tailed off in popularity.

They deserve a spot in your training.

A complex is a series of exercises, done in sequence, usually with the same weight, preferably without putting the weight down.

Why I like them:

• Minimal equipment/space needed
• Time-efficient
• Help groove form on major lifts
• Easily adaptable for muscle gain or fat loss
• No running involved

Things to remember:

• They are taxing. I prefer to see them used at the end of a training session.
• If used on ‘off-days’, I prefer to see them done at a moderate intensity OR done ‘all-out’ if you are not lifting the next day. For example, if you take the weekend off lifting, Saturday would be a good spot to hit complexes.

Here are some of my favorites articles on complexes:

Complexes 2.0 — Optimize Your Fat-Loss Workouts – John Romaniello

Complexes: Different, Harder, and Better – Wil Fleming

Complexes for Fat Loss – Alwyn Cosgrove

Rebuild Yourself with Complexes – Dan John

Screw Cardio! Four Complexes for a Shredded Physique – Chris Shugart

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 Nutrition

‘Base your nutritional approach around foods that you actually like!’

The title speaks for itself, but here’s the deal.

If you read this series regularly or have seen any of the information on the RHP Website, then you know the importance I place on making a nutrition plan ‘do-able’.

Adherence is the key to success.

When people decide they are going to ‘clean’ up their eating they often make drastic restrictions with their food choices. It’s as if what they enjoy to eat no longer matters.

Long-term, this strict overhaul often fails when willpower becomes an issue.

There is a better first step.

One that is more productive in the long run than serving up a helping of things that are ‘healthy’ but that you don’t like.

Make a list of all the ‘real’ foods you DO like.

Choose foods that you actually ENJOY eating, and also ones that the majority of people would consider healthy. Choose at least a few in each of the following categories. Here are mine off the top of my head (by no means all-inclusive!):

Protein:

• Meat = EVERYTHING
• Fish = EVERYTHING
• Dairy = Cheese, Natural Yoghurt
• Others = Eggs, Whey Protein

Fat:

• Nuts/Seeds = Any kind or organic peanut/almond butter
• Oils = Coconut, Olive
• Other = Avocado

Vegetables:

• Pretty much anything; Asparagus and Cavolo Nero always go down a treat…

Fruit: 

• Berries, Apples

Other Carbs:

• Oats, Rice, Quinoa, Sweet Potato

Now you have the bedrock of your shopping list.

From here you can search the web for recipes revolving around these items. Clients at RHP get access to more than 60 of RHP’s free, easy, healthy recipes. Finding healthy recipes that include these things will introduce you to some variety.

When in doubt, just go back to your list.

Having this – as your first step and ‘fall back’ – will greatly improve your chances of cleaning up and enjoying your eating.

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I hope you’ve enjoyed the latest edition of my regular series and found it useful.

Thanks for reading and please do share with anyone else you know will benefit!

Feel free to post some of your own ideas in the comments section below and on RHP’s Facebook or Twitter pages, too!

Rich

P.S. – to access every installment of my regular ‘Quick and Easy Ways to Look, Feel & Perform Better’ series, click here.