Ep 11: Your First Year of Lifting (Doing What Matters)

You decided to get stronger, improve your body composition, and become more healthy. You selected a simple but effective barbell-based strength training program and committed to consistent training. During your first year of lifting, there will be many new things to learn, habits to develop, and temptations to lead you off your chosen path.

After going through the process myself and talking with hundreds of other lifters, I wanted to share some thoughts to help you keep making progress and avoid some common pitfalls that could derail you. When I started lifting seriously and intelligently a few years ago, it was thanks to those who came before me that I could avoid making some big mistakes while still figuring out what worked for me as an individual. I hope these ideas help you in your first year of lifting or really any time during your fitness journey!

Timestamps:

00:00 - Intro
01:36 - Set yourself up to develop successful new habits
04:13 - Objectively measure your progress
05:55 - Avoid program hopping
07:59 - Stop obsessing about getting "lean"
10:06 - Start obsessing about form and technique
11:14 - Get feedback through a coach or online group
14:39 - Prepare for early gains, things getting hard, and not failing reps
18:43 - Use biofeedback for health and avoiding injury
22:06 - Learn as much as you can about lifting

💪 Join Eat More Lift Heavy - A 6-month coaching program for lifters over 40 who are done collecting information and ready to have real human coaches watch their data and know what to focus on each week.

📱 Get Fitness Lab (exclusive 20% off) - The #1 adaptive fitness and nutrition app. Daily coaching, workouts, and biofeedback-based guidance to help you build muscle and lose fat over 40.

👥 Join our Facebook community -  For adults over 40 who want to build muscle, lose fat, and stop following bad advice. Weekly Q&A threads, coaching insights, and real chat with other lifters.

👋 Ask a question or find Philip Pape on Instagram