- 4MinuteFriday
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- The 3 Second Rule
“Three-Bullet Thursday” ~ by Sam Johnston
• One Thing I Found Cool
I know a lot of people don’t like Lebron.
I think he’s a bit of a prick myself.
However, I think we all can learn a few things from him.
1) His passion
This clip is a great example.
He’s been playing in the NBA for 20 years, and still has that fire and passion he had when he was an 18-year-old rookie.
Just because you aren’t a 6’8, 250-pound freak of nature NBA player doesn’t mean you can’t have that same passion yourself.
Show that emotion yourself in the gym.
Hit a new PR on squat or bench?
Get fucking excited about it.
Seeing the number go down on the scale?
Jump around and hype yourself up.
Hit a new monthly record in business?
Get pumped and celebrate it.
Whenever you’re progressing at something, get hyped about it.
It’ll signal to your brain and body to keep going.
And also, life is more fun that way.
2) His longevity
I personally want to be healthy into my 60s, 70s, and beyond.
Longevity is what we’re all striving for in health.
Seeing Lebron come back year after year, never get injured, and maintain an insane physical condition for 20 straight years is inspiring as hell for me to keep getting stronger as I age.
3) His commitment to his body
Lebron notoriously spends over a million dollars a year on his body.
Cryo chambers, personal masseuses, and top-of-the-line nutrition.
It’s no wonder he’s been able to stay in peak form for so long.
Obviously, the average person isn’t gonna be able to spend a million bucks a year on his or her health.
But it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t invest in your body.
Invest in healthy food.
Invest in books and education.
Instead of spending 100 bucks on a night out, invest that into supplements to boost your health.
Never feel guilty about investing in yourself.
• One Fitness Tip
The 3-Second Rule
The 3-second rule means slowing down the lowering portion of your lifts to 3 seconds.
In other words:
You need to SLOW DOWN your reps.
Here are 3 reasons why:
1) Time Under Tension
The longer a muscle is UNDER TENSION, the more muscle fibers are actively recruited.
The recruitment of muscle fibers is so important because it creates MORE DAMAGE to the muscle tissue.
This stimulates protein synthesis, causing the muscle to GROW.
2) Metabolic Stress
Metabolic stress is a crucial factor in building muscle.
It causes:
• Hormone production
• Muscle fiber recruitment
• Cell swelling (leads to hypertrophy)
How do you get into metabolic stress?
Slow down on the eccentric portion of your lifts.
3) Mind-Muscle Connection
This is a conscious effort to focus on a specific muscle during training.
It’s important for several reasons:
• Better technique
• Reduces risk of injury
• Muscle fiber recruitment
Slowing down your lifts is key for a good mind-muscle connection.
If you want to see an example, check out my Instagram post on the 3-second rule here.
• One Quote
“Goals are for losers. Winners use systems.” ~ Scott Adams
A common mistake millions of people make is setting goals, achieving them, and then falling right back into bad behaviors.
A more effective way to achieve long-lasting change is to set up effective systems.
Here’s an example:
Instead of focusing solely on losing 20 pounds, focus on setting up systems in your life so that you lose the 20 pounds as a byproduct of changing your daily actions.
Instead of focusing on the number on the scale, focus on:
Altering your diet so eating in a calorie deficit is easy.
Walking to a cafe or the grocery store instead of driving.
Taking all work and networking calls on walks.
Sleeping at least 8 hours a night.
Adopting a meditation practice to lower stress and regulate your emotions.
If you simply focus on these systems, losing weight will come naturally.
By using systems instead of goals, you simply become the person who is 20 pounds lighter because the way you live your day-to-day life has changed.
Setting the “goal” of losing 20 pounds is great, but it implies once you hit your goal, the work is done.
And this is why so many people lose weight and put it right back on again.
But staying at a healthy weight is something to maintain your whole life.
The work doesn't stop once you reach the goal.
So set up systems to fundamentally change your lifestyle and who you are as a person.
And you’ll magically achieve your goals anyways (and maintain long-lasting change).
As always, thanks for reading.
If you’re looking to build muscle, shed body fat, and take control of your health, fill out my application form to see if you qualify:
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Sam 💪