Take things slow?

I laughed at the idea.

My approach in the past?

Go 0 -> 100.

Real fast.

Yet, time after time, I would burn out and eventually lose momentum.

Part of that lay with how I was thinking about my health and fitness.

The rate of progress I wanted to see was unsustainable.

Yet, it’s also important to set the right expectations AND get your first win quickly.

So if you’re just getting started or restarting your fitness journey, here’s what I would have taught myself 15 years ago.

Use these 4 lessons to your advantage.

#1.) Set Proper Expectations

Change takes time.

While dropping weight, building muscle, or getting stronger are aspirational goals, there’s a key reminder that you need to hear:

Change takes time.

When it comes to weight loss or fat loss, the gold standard WHEN you’re hitting your standards and tracking your progress is:

1 pound of fat loss per week (give or take).

Regarding muscle building or gaining weight, there’s more variability based on your workout history, gender, and age.

A general rule of thumb for gaining weight is:

1-2 pounds of weight gain/muscle building if you’re a beginner trainee.

As for sports performance and weight maintenance, improving your sports game and skillsets also takes time.

• Weight loss = 1 pound per week
• Muscle building = 1-2 pounds per month
• Sports performance = strength, agility, and muscle definition measured each month

Will some people drop weight or build muscle faster than others?

Absolutely.

The guidelines above are general rules of thumb.

However, be mindful that at the beginning of ANY journey, you’ll tend to see more changes faster due to all the new stimuli you’re introducing.

Over time, your body will start to adapt and you’ll need to be strategic with your nutrition, workouts, and health habits to keep seeing consistent progress.

Patience and a long-term horizon are the name of the game here.

#2.) Tracking Matters

Whatever you track - becomes real.

What you track, you can measure.

Without tracking, it’s hard to guarantee results.

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As a rule of thumb, you need 6+ data points on average to make an informed decision.

The more data points you track (workouts logged, nutrition tracked, body weight and body measurements logged, progress photos taken, etc.), the better decisions you can make…

(or you can delegate to a coach for you).

Without enough data, it’s hard to make accurate and meaningful decisions.

These decisions will become even more important when you hit the inevitable plateau.

When it hits you want to be prepared.

Tracking matters.

#3.) Get Your First Win FAST

The best part about starting a new journey?

The new wins.

When you first get started lifting weights and tracking your food, your motivation will be high.

However, your skill level will most likely be low.

That’s part of the game.

As you develop your habits into practices and practices into skills, you’ll find that you’ll make faster progress each week.

And part of your focus should be on getting your FIRST win in the first 2-3 weeks.

Whether it’s your first couple of pounds down, or regaining energy, or building strength and muscle, aim to be EVEN more consistent when you first start.

This gives you a runway for success which will cycle into more success as you keep moving forward.

Success breeds success.

Strike when the iron (motivation) is hot.

Motivation does and WILL wear off.

But when it does, the goal is to have several new habits installed to help keep building momentum at the point.

Strike now when motivation is high, and get your first WIN.

#4.) Install a Time Horizon

One of my favorite concepts is the time horizon.

Rather than thinking in days and weeks, I challenge you to think in months and years.

Pause for a second and think about the next decade.

Where do you want to be in 10 years with your health, mind, and body?

What does this look like for you?

What type of person are you?

Who have you become?

The longer your time horizon, the more likely you’ll keep your results.

It’s a proven fact that the further your goals in the future, the more invested you’ll become in your long-term progress.

Aim for a big life vision.

Stop focusing on ONLY 30-day changes or 4-month kickstarts.

Use those are starting places but don’t think in weeks and months.

Think in years and decades.

The goal isn’t to just get results.

It’s to keep them.

- Gabriel

Whenever you're ready, there are three ways I can help you:

#1 Join our free high-performance fitness FB group to get access to dozens of free live trainings recorded, plus a tight-knit group of leaders who want to become healthy role models.

#2 Are you a high achiever who wants to be lean, strong, and lead by example? Apply for private 1:1 coaching and get in the best shape of your life (2-week waiting list).