Reclaim Your Throne: 7 Principles for Getting Back on Track

Start again at about half of what you used to do, put the sessions in your calendar, and set a minimum you will hit even on bad weeks. Pick one plan and run it for at least 12 weeks. Review it every Sunday. A few weeks off costs less than you fear, and most of your strength comes back fast.

Everyone falls off at some point: a new job, a new baby, an injury, a loss in the family. The people who get results are not the ones who never stop. They are the ones who restart quickly. These are the seven principles I use with clients when they come back.

Principle 1: Why should I pick progress over a perfect plan?

Because people who wait for the perfect program never start. Pick a sound plan, commit to 12 weeks and log your lifts, energy, sleep and measurements. Your own log will teach you more than another week of research.

Principle 2: Why should I start lighter than before?

Short breaks cost less than people think. Strength is mostly kept over a few weeks off and comes back faster than it took to build the first time (Mujika and Padilla, 2000). Coming back at your old weights is how people get sore for a week and quit again. Start at about half your old volume and build over three or four weeks. Read more in the truth about detraining.

Principle 3: How do I make training a real priority?

Put it in your calendar like a meeting. Look at where your hours go for one week. Most people find 2 to 3 hours of phone time they can trade for three 45-minute sessions. If you are a parent, your kids watching you train is not selfish. It is a good example.

Principle 4: What is a minimum for bad weeks?

Decide it before the bad week comes. Mine for clients is usually:

• Two 20-minute full-body sessions
• Protein at every meal
• 7,000 steps a day

Hitting a small minimum keeps the habit alive. Habits form through repetition in the same context, so consistency matters more than intensity (Gardner et al., 2012).

Principle 5: Where should I spend my time and money first?

Spend first on what moves results: a solid plan, enough protein, and sleep. Supplements and gear come last. Twenty minutes of focused lifting beats an hour of wandering around the gym.

Principle 6: Why review my progress every week?

Because tracking progress toward a goal makes you more likely to reach it, especially when you write it down (Harkin et al., 2016). Every Sunday, ask three questions: did I hit my sessions, did I hit my protein, and what will I change next week?

Principle 7: How do I stop the past from holding me back?

Drop the guilt about the time you missed. Self-compassion after a slip is linked with better health behaviors, not worse ones (Sirois et al., 2015). The goal is the next session, not making up for the last month.

What should you read next?

Read self-sabotage and how to stop it and the mirror doesn’t negotiate. To work with me, start with the XPL quiz, which is my intake form for every client, then see coaching options and pricing.

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