Decide to Reign: How Do You Stop Settling for Average Results?

You stop settling for average results by making one decision and then backing it up every day. Own the things you control: training, food, sleep and stress. Test methods before you judge them. Add a little load or volume over time, and track it. Keep the standard on bad days, not only good ones.

What do I mean by average results?

Average is not a type of person. It is a set of habits. I see it in people who train hard enough to say they tried, but never hard enough to change. Light cardio, the same weights for months, food decided by whatever is closest, and a new program every few weeks.

Average habits are comfortable, and comfort is the problem. A body only changes when it has a reason to.

Why do so many people stay stuck?

Most people are not lazy. They are sold to. Magazine diets, supplement company articles and the same workout repackaged under a new name all promise a shortcut. When the shortcut fails, it feels like proof that nothing works.

The other trap is dismissing anything that looks unusual or hard. Sled pushes, tempo work and eating more protein than you are used to all get laughed off until they get tried.

What does it look like to own your outcome?

It means you stop handing the result to something outside you. A 20-minute DVD or an app plan can be a fine start. It is not the thing that changes you. Your effort, your consistency and your adjustments do that.

Owning it also means you control the session. You set the pace and the effort. You adapt the method to your goal, instead of hoping a method fixes you.

How do I tell what works from what only sounds good?

Test it. Pick one change, run it for four to eight weeks, and measure it: your lifts, your waist and photos. Keep what moves the numbers. Drop what does not.

That approach is also what research on habits supports. Repeating the same behavior in the same setting makes it more automatic over time (Gardner et al., 2012), and tracking your progress makes you more likely to reach the goal (Harkin et al., 2016).

Why do I have to keep raising the bar?

What was hard six months ago may be easy now. If nothing changes in your training, your body has no reason to keep changing. Add weight, reps or sets over time. Higher weekly training volume is linked to more muscle growth (Schoenfeld et al., 2017).

The same goes for food, recovery and how you think about training. Review it every few months and upgrade the weakest piece.

What standards do I hold my clients to?

• Training: progressive overload and a planned program, not random workouts.
• Nutrition: a plan you can live with, based on evidence, not a trend.
• Recovery: sleep and stress treated as part of the plan.
• Supplements: only ones with a clear reason, never as a substitute for food.
• Mindset: systems over quick fixes, the long term over this week.

What do I do when people push back?

Some will. When you change your habits, people around you notice, and not all of them like it. You do not need to argue. Your results answer for you. Keep showing up.

How do I make the decision stick?

Treat it as a daily choice, not a one-time speech. Each session is a chance to pick the harder, better option. Each meal is a chance to eat for your goal. Write down the next three things you will do in the next 24 hours, then do them.

Ask yourself three questions:

1. What average habit am I ready to drop?
2. What will I do in the next 24 hours to prove I mean it?
3. Who in my life is comfortable with me staying the same?

What should you read next?

Read how to find your reason why and setting the pace for a decent workout. To work with me, start with the XPL quiz, which is my intake form for every client, then see coaching options and pricing. In Houston, I train in person at V-Fit Gym, 5535 Richmond Ave.

Written by Zavier King, personal trainer in Houston and online coach at XPL. ISSA Certified Personal Trainer and NASM Nutrition Coach.