What is the best way to build strength and fitness?
The obvious answer is a good structured programme that progressively builds your strength and fitness over a realistic timeline. And if you don’t have the knowledge and experience to do this yourself, then using a good coach to build it for you. But this is only one piece of the puzzle, and for optimum results you need all of the pieces in place.
Life in the UK Special Forces is a fast and furious world of high-pressure and hostile environments, where each person needs to be at the top of their game. So as you would expect, the six month selection process is a gruelling affair that is designed to get rid of anyone unsuitable (which basically means nearly everyone who attempts it). My course started with 220 people on day 1 and by the end only 17 remained, less than 8%.
There is no single one way to prepare for selection and everyone uses the strategy they think will work best. Building strength and fitness was only part of what was needed to be ready for such a demanding course, but the overall principles are the same.
I believe there are 5 steps that make up the optimum strategy for building strength and fitness for life:
1 – Have a plan
As I have already mentioned, having a well-structured programme is essential for success. It’s easy to walk into the gym and randomly pick up some weights or go for a run with no real time or distance in mind. And sometimes that is exactly what is needed, a ‘do what you feel’ day with no expectations attached.
But if you want to get the best results then you need to plan and track everything you do. This will keep you accountable, motivated, focused, and most importantly, help you stick to a routine. It all comes down to consistency, which is the only way to make real progress.
2 – Health first, performance second
If you want to be fit and strong then you must have a foundation of overall great health to build upon. If you don’t do this then you will be fighting a constant uphill battle. While I was still serving in the military ‘fundamental skills’ were core to being a Special Forces soldier: It wasn’t about advanced skills in weapons or tactics, it was about being very good at basic soldiering skills such as maintaining operational effectiveness in harsh environments.
In order to unlock your potential, in every area of life, you need to be a healthy person first. And simple steps like a food first approach (primarily whole unprocessed foods), reducing stress (regulating screen time, meditation, exercise, exposure to nature), and prioritising sleep are the best strategies for long term success.
3 – The mind is primary
Embrace that the mind is primary, because once a person’s mind is strong it is easy to facilitate a change in the body. Self-imposed limitations are shackles that hold us down and prevent us from achieving our potential. When you set a limit, it constricts what is achievable, but if you stop limiting yourself, big transformations will start happening in every area of your life.
I witnessed this myself throughout my military career, first during recruit training for the Royal Marines, and later whilst on selection for Special Forces. The physical work is achievable for most who turn up but many still fail (most in the case of selection). Success is 90% mental and I witnessed many strong guys disappear by the end of week 1, whilst physically weaker guys go on and triumph.
As it is in the military, in sports, in life, it is the psychological aspects that create the hurdles most people fail at.
4 – Forget willpower—build habits
Stop relying on willpower. Massive success does not require massive action. It requires small BUT consistent action. And habits ARE those small consistent actions that define your outcomes, because your results are a lagging measure of your habits. Successful people are not where they are because of the willpower or motivation you don’t have; it’s because they have better habits.
We all love to have defining moments and big accomplishments. Which is only natural. They are impressive and exciting and it feels good to do something great. But your life today is essentially the sum of your habits. How in shape or out of shape you are is predominantly down to the habits you carry out on a daily basis.
5 – The power of process
Shift your focus from goal setting to system building. Goals are the same for winners and losers, the difference is the quality of their systems. You do not rise to the level of your goals you fall to the level of your systems. Focus on the process for continuous improvement, and long term results.
If you only focus on goals you end up with a yo-yo effect, dieting being the perfect example. Once you hit a certain weight that goal is no longer there to motivate you and you find yourself reverting back to old ways. Building a system is not about a single accomplishment it is about the cycle of endless refinement and continuous improvement.
In a word, process is about consistency, and without it you have no hope of getting where you want to be.
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