How abiding by the 80/20 rule can help you achieve your fitness goals quicker than you think
Have you ever heard of the Pareto Principle? This is a theory that suggests that 20% of your efforts can yield 80% of results. People that end up trying to do everything end up being the master of none. This is particularly true when people try to achieve their fitness goals. They might read fitness magazines and blogs that tell them to try many different techniques to achieve their fitness goals. What often happens is that they focus on the wrong areas and don’t end up achieving the physical look that they desired. If this sounds like you, then don’t worry because you are not alone. We want you to identify and focus on the 20% that will help you achieve the physical goals that you desire.
When doing weights, focus on exercises that contract the muscle.
Many people that want to tone up their muscles when they go to the gym make the mistake of implementing the wrong exercise technique and repetition range. Some of the common mistakes include:
- Not putting enough resistance on the muscle when doing the exercise movement.
- Not contracting the muscle.
- Not pushing themselves to 80% or more of their total repetition range.
- Using heavy weights, which will add strength but not defined size to the muscle.
One of the ways to overcome this error is by using weighted exercise machines or power racks to push your maximum repetition range to failure. This can be done for both your upper body and lower body exercise movements.
When exercising, make sure you exercise all of your body’s muscle groups.
Your body is a machine. If you don’t exercise all of your body’s parts, your body’s development will be imbalanced, which will hinder your fitness goals and expose you to injury. Make sure that you exercise your arms, legs, chest, back, abdominals and shoulders regularly.
Minimise the amount of calories that you consume in your diet.
Your diet has a huge impact on the physique. Consume too many calories and you will add fat to your body without even realising it. Consume too little and you will feel fatigued all of the time. You want to focus on the macros in your diet so that you will consume the right type of calories, which will allow you to have enough energy throughout the day.
The easiest way to achieve this is by implementing a low-carb diet that focuses on consuming protein. Some of the foods you can prioritise in your diet include the following:
Proteins
- Chicken
- Beef
- Fish
- Lentils
Low carbs
- Broccoli
- Zucchini
- Carrots
- Lettuce
- Spinach
Foods to avoid
- Pasta
- Potatoes
- Rice
- Flour
- Foods that contain saturated fats
- Foods and drinks that contain a lot of sucrose (sugar)
Dedicate 30 minutes to 1 hour a day to cardio exercise.
Instead of browsing on the Internet, watching a television show or having an extra drink at the bar, opt to do some cardiovascular exercise once a day. By participating in high-intensity cardio activities, you can easily burn 500 to 1000 calories a day.
Consistently participating in cardio activities will give your body a more ‘refined and polished look’. You can participate in exercise activities such as:
- Running outdoors or on the treadmill.
- Cycling outdoors or on a spinning bike.
- Rowing
- Cross-trainer.
- Playing sports games such as basketball, squash or touch rugby.
Men’s Fitness magazine has published a resource that shows 10 ways to burn 1,000 calories without realising it. Even though traditional sports are included, there are some recreational activities such as kayaking that are also suggested.
You can do things the easy way or the hard way. By applying the Pareto Principle and focusing on the core areas that will yield most of the results, you will be able to achieve your goals quicker. Give it a go today!
