Propel Fitness Journal, Issue 005
More Effort ≠ More Results
If you’ve ever thought “I need to work out more, but I don’t have the time”, this is for you.
Most people assume that to get stronger, they need to train longer, grind to the limit, and push beyond fatigue.
The reality is that building strength and making progress (injury-free) isn’t about doing more—it’s about training smarter.
The Smarter Way To Get Stronger (Without Wasting Time)
#1) Lift Heavy (Enough) & Focus On Quality Reps
- If you only have limited time for the gym, make those sessions count. Prioritize compound movements (e.g. Squats, deadlifts, presses, kettlebell swings, lunges) that train a lot of muscles at once.
- Train most movements at an intensity that is moderate-to-challenging (but not so hard that you are losing control of the weight during movement—reps should feel fatiguing by the end, but stable throughout the set).
- Spending too much time on the easy stuff means your body won’t get exposed to the stimulus that is ultimately needed to get stronger: Fatigue.
#2) Master The 80/20 Rule Of Strength Training
- Last week’s newsletter covered the idea that 80% of the results come from 20% of your efforts. If you’re short on time, stick to 3-5 key movements per session rather than trying to do a little bit of everything. If you don’t have time for 3-5 movements, focus on 2-3 movements
- Consider that what you have programmed for the day should be prioritized based on the goals you’re training for.
- For example, if you’re rehabbing a shoulder injury, make sure you get your upper-body rehab plan completed before getting to your squats.
#3) Use Progressive Overload (But Stop Overcomplicating It)
- You shouldn’t be doing the same thing every day, but it’s equally important to avoid jumping from program to program every month. Strength comes from gradually increasing the challenge of a movement—via variables like weight, reps, or time under tension.
- Small progressions, taken one step at a time, lead to massive changes in the long-run.
- Here’s a deeper dive I did on this topic in an instagram post last week, with 10 suggestions of how to make progress that have nothing to do with adding weight on the bar.
#4) Eliminate The “All-or-Nothing” Mindset
- Your training should fit your lifestyle— not the other way around.
- A 15- or 20-minute session done consistently beats the “perfect” 60-minute session you only do once every week or two.
Strength Is A Long Game—Play It Smart
If you’re not training for a competition and don’t have goals of trying to push the absolute limit of your potential, why train like it?
Training for performance is a high-risk, high-reward game —imperative if you have performance-based goals. But, if your focus is staying strong, healthy, and pain-free, your training should reflect that and revolve around the principle of sustainability.
I break this down in more detail here.
Play The Long Game—Train With Intention
Regardless of whether you are training for performance or health & longevity, strength is built over months and years, not just one hard session.
The goal isn’t to train as much as possible —it’s to train smart enough to keep making progress, and stay injury-free throughout it all.
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Keep getting after it,
Dan
– Dan
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