Why Consistency Is So Important

Consistency – steadfast adherence to the same principles, course, form, etc.:

There is consistency in his pattern of behavior.

That is the definition of consistency by dictionary.reference.com

Consistency is important for several reasons when it comes to exercise and weight lifting.  For one, you need to be consistent.  Otherwise, what are you?  If you aren’t consistent, I’m assuming you’re following fad diets and dropping them about as quick as you start. I’m also assuming an exercise plan doesn’t last long with you.  Not saying this to be rude, but isn’t that the only case possible?  I believe that this is so.  We all need to work on being consistent with our gym, diet, and exercise habits.  Let’s highlight why consistency is so important:

1. Being consistent can at least guarantee some results.  You may hit some plateaus, but I promise you that over time you will see results.  Whether you’ve been working out for a month or a year, going to the gym will still help you so don’t give up.
2. Your views on weightlifting and exercise will change.  According to a huffingtonpost article I will link at the bottom of this post, it takes roughly 66 days to make something a habit.  More or less, if you stick to going to the gym and eating right, you should be able to build a habit of going to the gym and eating right.
3. With all the dedication to exercising and weightlifting, you may learn new things.  If you get focused a certain task or aspect of fitness because you’ve been consistent and want to learn more, then you may be more apt to ask questions and research articles on diet and exercise.
4. You will probably meet people with similar interests and make friends.  Why did you decide to consistently go to the gym?  Because you have some sort of fitness goal, right?  Everyone else there does too.  That means you already have at least one thing in common with someone in the gym.  You can get to know them better and help each other become more fit through advice and motivation.

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Links to the sources I used above:

Definition of consistency as provided by dictionary.com

Article on forming habits from Huffington Post

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Weight Lifting Journal 8-3-2015

This is a log that I will do consistently to monitor my results publicly.  I recommend you do the same, but it’s up to you.  The reason I recommend it is because it can show you how consistent training works and will give you more incentive to not quit.  This is my log, or you could say it’s my weight lifting journal.

So Far..

I started lifting weights three months ago when my girlfriend at the time dumped me.  I was 205 lbs at the time and I had been extremely sick with a Crohn’s Disease flare-up.  The best way I could describe my physique at the time was ‘fat-skinny’.  I wasn’t really fat, but I had no muscle.  Hovering around 18% body fat and very low amounts of muscle was a bad combo.  It’s to be expected though, because I was recovering a lot from being in the hospital.  Due to being in that horrible state and thinking I was heart broken, I decided to start working out and gain some control over my life.

As I stated before I was 18% body fat and 205 lbs.

My beginning lifts in some of my favorite workouts were this:

Squat – Non Existent

Deadlift – Didn’t try it

Bench press – 135 x 5 reps

Dumbbell chest press – 40 x 5 reps

Bent Over Rows – 95 x 5 reps

I couldn’t do a single pull up or dip with good form.

Now, it has been three months since everything felt like it went wrong in my life and my results are this..

I am now at 16% body fat and I weigh 230 lbs.

My lifts today are as follows:

Squat – 225 x 5 reps

Deadlift – 275 x 5 reps

Bench Press – 185 x 5 reps

Dumbbell Chest Press – 75 x 5 reps

Bent Over Rows – 175 x 5 reps

I can do about 5 pull ups and 5 dips with good form at this point.

As you can see, if you work hard and stay consistent you can achieve amazing results.  I will continue to post these weight lifting journals about once a month along with a new photo.  Eventually, I’ll start adding montage videos of the progress I made.  Thanks for reading.