How to Improve Your Performance? All Questions Answered
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As athletes, fitness enthusiasts, or everyone really we like progress and we like to get better. But the question is often how?
I wrote a lot about this in other articles here on my blog. Today I want to summarize the key areas you need to cover to improve your performance and enjoy the process at the same time.
There are so many new trends, methods, and tools in the field of fitness as a whole, making it quite difficult to pinpoint what requires the most focus. There is also a lot of shit out there. Nowadays everyone can publish everything on social media. Oftentimes things are way too over-complicated, often it’s just garbage. At the end of the day it comes down to the basics: know what you want, have a plan, work hard and consistently, include strength and endurance elements, eat healthy and recover well (prioritize sleep).
Read on as I cover all these areas in detail.
Know What You Want, Then Set Specific and Measurable Goals
Health and fitness goals are extremely wary and are very individual. It is just important that you know for yourself what you want and ideally also why. The “why” is your motivation. Do not underestimate this. Maybe your goal is to become fitter or healthier. But the why may be so that you can play with your grandchildren outside even at old age. This is what will drive you to stick to a potentially tough fitness regime.
Once you know what you want, it’s time to define your goals and subgoals. The key is to make them measurable. By focusing on specific and measurable goals, your chances of success are way higher. The goals may be lifting a certain weight, running a specific distance in less time than previously, participating in a race or even attending the gym a certain number of times a week.
Having your goals clear helps in formulating a strategy and creating a training plan. This will take out the guessing about what to do each day. It also helps in the mental aspect as goals -- and their achievement -- boost morale. When progress is evident in relation to set goals, such as being fast on your 5K run or increasing your deadlift personal best each month, you will want to continue to put in the necessary work.
Prioritize Appropriate Nutrition and Hydration
If I would have to pick the most effective area for achieving progress, it would be nutrition. It is so powerful. It is the fuel that we provide our bodies with. If we put in garbage, we’ll get garbage out of it. Appropriate nutrition is key to boosting overall performance.
“Appropriate” is important here because nutrition is relative to your goals. Your individual goals determine your caloric need and your macro split. I have a whole article where I describe how to calculate all that. Please check that.
Furthermore, the effectiveness of adequate hydration is often overlooked. It supports the body to operate effectively and focus better during exercises, providing better strength and endurance gains.
Choosing a Healthy Diet and Supplement Wisely
Related to the previous more technical aspect of determining your caloric need and marco split, we also want to make sure that we fuel our body with the required vitamins and micronutrients. To excel in demanding training sessions and help the body recover, consuming beneficial nutrients -- like high-quality proteins, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is necessary. The anti-inflammatory effect of certain foods is also a well-known fact.
Sometimes it may be challenging to get all the nutrients we need from standard foods. In such cases supplementation products can come in handy. As one of the complements to a balanced lifestyle, supplements like CBD oil capsules, for instance, may also be used. By emphasizing a healthy diet and sensible supplementation, we can fine-tune and optimize our fitness journey toward achieving our personal goals.
Incorporate Strength Training into Workouts
Typically physical fitness performance is enhanced by including strength-oriented workouts. Pretty much in all aspects and periods in life, more strength is useful. Resistance training with good form generally makes us stronger, healthier and look good. Also, our bodies will become more robust and less prone to injuries.
Strength training is so versatile with so many options that it can be perfectly aligned to any individual goal. You can create a corresponding training plan yourself, use online pre-fabricated tools or work with a personal trainer.
Get Adequate Rest and Recovery
Successful athletes and fitness enthusiasts understand the effectiveness of “off days.” A crucial aspect of enhancing performance and progress is rest and recovery. Adequate rest prevents the muscles from getting worn out or injury before the next – hopefully intense – workout session.
Taking rest is not a sign of weakness. It is a sign of smart training. Athletes who understand the importance of recovery and getting adequate sleep, resting between intense workout sessions, or performing light activities tend to have greater energy and success.
Utilize Performance Tracking Tools
You can only manage what you measure. This is the same in all aspects of life. You should also find a way to track your progress along your health and fitness journey. It does not really matter how you measure as long as you do measure. Whatever you measure is determined by your goal. If you train for a marathon you will focus on other areas than training for a strongman competition. What you want to measure will determine how you measure.
There are many ways to track and measure. This can range from simple notes with pen and paper, sophisticated spreadsheets, mobile applications or activity tracking wristbands or smart watches.
After collecting this information, you can evaluate your training much better and make informed decisions about what works and what doesn’t. Moreover, seeing and having factual evidence about how your body and performance has improved over time will boost your motivation. It will keep you going, focused on your goals and excited while doing so.
Consistency and Toughness
Health and fitness is not a sprint race -- it’s a marathon. So, if you think you found a shortcut to a fitter body quickly, you will soon find out that this does not exist. Usually these are money making programs or fad diets.
The only thing that will lead you to success is consistency and toughness. You will see results but they will take time. Estimate with a minimum of three months. Be patient. The slow results will be the ones that persist. You will experience “newbie gains” but the curve will flatten. This is when you need to stay tough and persistent, keep going and don’t lose your goal out of sight.
Seek Guidance from Coaches or Trainers
Some times self-motivation may not be enough. Sometimes we need external accountability, which can be a friend, training partner or a qualified coach. These specialists typically possess training and development knowledge and experience, which you can leverage to accelerate your goal achievement.
Coaches come in handy in helping, setting up the most effective development plans (training, nutrition…) in the first place. They can make sure that you train with correct form to foster progress and avoid injury. Equally important is a coach who from time to time kicks your ass when motivation and consistency are at a low.
Why Is It Crucial For Athletes To Improve Performance?
Beginners and experienced fitness and health enthusiasts alike are searching for techniques to improve and perform at their best. This includes setting goals, aligning training and nutrition protocols with those goals, eating accordingly, supplementing wisely, and ensuring enough rest and recovery. Monitoring progress, coaching, consistency and toughness are further effective ingredients to a successful fitness journey.
If you plan to prepare for a competition like an obstacle race, you will my find my all-in-one Spartan Race Preparation Program useful.