Workout wisdom from Coco Chanel

"Once you've dressed, and before you leave the house, look in the mirror and take at least one thing off." —Coco Chanel

Are you wondering what on earth this quote has to do with working out? Bear with me.

Coco Chanel's famous advice is a helpful practice to avoid overdoing your look with too many accessories and distractions. Better to chose fewer pieces of clothing or adornment, so that they may be more noticeable and speak louder.

Well, I have recently applied this exact principle to how I write workouts for my clients and classes. When I finish a workout, I take a step back, look at it on the whiteboard, then get rid of one thing. Usually it's an exercise, but sometimes it's a change to the rep scheme. Do we really need to do 5 rounds of this? I think. Then I change it to 4.

The result? Well, look, my workouts are always difficult. That's non-negotiable. But I've noticed that with fewer things to focus on, my clients are attacking what I ask them to do with a bit more focus and grit. And I like that—"do fewer things, better" is one of my all-time guiding principles in the gym.

If you're a trainer, try this trick out. It will force you to prioritize and eliminate fluff. If you're not a trainer, it will keep your head in the game and prevent you from burning out.

Just remember: this isn't an excuse to train with less EFFORT, but rather a trick to apply your effort to the stuff that matters most.

This is more-or-less the core principle of my program Rise of the Barbell, too: apply maximum effort to the RIGHT lifts, consistently, and see your gains explode.

Try this out, and let me know what you think. Or, hit reply with any training-related questions you may have. I love this stuff.

Rise up—
Marshall

P.S. I extended the Rise of the Barbell sale for a week, by the way; you can still get $50 off here. The first people to go through the program are finishing up right about now and have gotten RIDICULOUS results. I'll probably send out a "highlight reel" soon. One guy deadlifted 475 at a bodyweight of 170, a 50lbs increase in 8 weeks. Another guy has added 65lbs to his bench press, and just for fun pulled a PR clean of 255, even though there are no cleans in the program. I'm so proud of these guys' hard work and progress.