42 Awesome Workout Hacks. Philipp Moser

and getting them used to certain workloads without testing their limits. Once you have done your homework we work with progressions, unusual rep schemes and more intensive methods or learn more complex movements. That’s where real neuro-muscular and mental growth kicks in. But you should always take a step back and think about safety issues along the way!

      Please follow those three guidelines in this exact sequence, or else you set yourself up for failure and health issues in the long run. You should train hard, but leave your ego elsewhere for the time being, and concentrate on training smart! That’s why you should also see recovery as a huge part of your plan.

       Recovery is key!

      Always keep in mind that progress is not only a product of training. Let recovery and nutrition be part of your plan! Your workouts only give the stimulus, but adaptions to that stimulus happen during rest times – preferably during sleeping hours at night. That’s when most of the beneficial hormones are released in their highest quantities. For best results, try to be in bed by 10pm! There are also ways to better time your workouts according to testosterone spikes. We usually experience the highest testosterone levels during the day 3 and 10/11 hours after waking up. If you wake up by six in the morning, around 9 a.m. and then again around 4/5 p.m. would be ideal times for getting your workout in. Avoid working out after eight p.m. because it leads to great deviations in your daily hormone balance and your circadian rhythm, resulting in poor recovery. Nowadays there are many great ways to consciously stimulate recovery: sauna, light cardio work, steam baths, ice water, floating, meditation...but sleep still trumps them all.

      Without knowing you, my guess is that your diet could use some upgrade. Most of us consume approximately the same fifteen to twenty foods more than 90% of the time. Usually, variations on our plates are rare, unless you really make an honest effort to bring more colour to your dishes. Mixing up the ingredients of your diet not only fills you up with a greater array of nutrients, but also reduces the risk of suffering from adverse food reactions. Remember that nutrition is the link between performance and recovery and that great abs are made in the kitchen, not in the gym!