Suppose there is one thing that is for sure: every entrepreneur needs a weight lifting program. An entrepreneur's stereotype is the tech geek who never gets up from his computer for anything because he must keep coding. The reality is that more entrepreneurs understand how training hard will help them mentally, physically, and also help improve focus and energy levels.
Gone are the days when the only thing that matters is making money because you can't take it to the grave. What is the point in making a tonne of money only to die early from a heart attack? Strength training comes with so many benefits that you can't afford to miss out on them.
"You're going to have to let it hurt. Let it suck. The harder you work, the better you will look. Your appearance isn't parallel to how heavy you lift, it's parallel to how hard you work." - Joe Manganiello
Why Entrepreneurs Need a Weight Lifitng Program?
Entrepreneurs need to be able to manage their time well. You often have a lot of work that needs to be done and not enough time to do it. Some try to use this as an excuse not to work out.
It turns out that sitting in front of a computer for as long as possible is not the best way to get a lot of work done. You can only stay focused for so long, and our bodies were not made to sit down all day.
Benefits of Weight Lifting Program:
- Lower abdominal fat
- Better cardiovascular health
- Controlled blood sugar levels
- Reduced cancer risk
- Lowered injury risks
- Strengthened mental health
- Improved flexibility and mobility
- Elevated body image
- Osteoporosis prevention
- Boosted brain health
- Longer lifespan
Entrepreneur needs to begin a weight lifting program that no one should want to miss out on the benefits listed above. You can't just focus on building your mind but no put any attention towards your body.
If your body begins to fail you with health issues, it will not be long before the mind goes. As an entrepreneur, you should want to be sharp in all aspects of life.
You don't want to have it all together financially but have no good relationships, and your health is falling apart. That is how you live a short life with many luxury goods, but no one to share it with.
It turns out that sitting in front of a computer for as long as possible is not the best way to get a lot of work done. You can only stay focused for so long, and our bodies were not made to sit down all day.
Build Your Weight lifting Program Like an Athlete
It's in the best interest of entrepreneurs to train like athletes. Athletes approach their workouts as dangerous as one can. Its all business in the weight room for athletes. It's not a place you go to Instagram your workout and build up your followers.
Athletes also live for a specific purpose. Football players tend to want to put on muscle mass to sustain the hits that come with the game. On the other hand, a sprinter will want to get as strong as possible with minimal weight gain.
When you train with the mindset of an athlete, you train for a specific purpose. Here are some everyday goals that entrepreneurs lean towards:
- Get ripped
- Develop large muscles
- Increase power
- Increase strength
Benefits of Training Like an Athlete
- Train harder
- You will compete
- You will have a purpose
- Workouts taken seriously
- You will follow a program
When you train like an athlete, you are committed to stepping it up to the next level. Athletes don't just skip workouts for no reason. It would be like any other person just now showing up to work.
The other thing you will notice in the way athletes train is that they always have a program. You won't see an athlete just aimlessly making up exercises as they go. They still have a plan that is moving them in the right direction.
The last thing that will speak to the heart of the entrepreneur is competitiveness. One of the biggest things that athletes and entrepreneurs have in common is the ability to compete.
Athletes approach their workouts as serious as one can. Its all business in the weightroom for athletes. Its not a place you go to Instagram your workout and build up your followers.
Strength Training Exercises to Do and Exercises to Avoid
I want to make sure I leave you with some building blocks for your program. These are the core exercises that you want to make sure you include in your program.
Squat
The squat is one of the best exercises that you can have in a workout program. There numerous benefits to squatting and so many different types of squats that you can do. You should build your program around this movement.
So many injuries and issues that we have with the body come from hip issues. When you sit down in a chair all day long, it messes up the hip complex's function. Squatting can help to eradicate many of these issues.
Deadlift
Deadlifts are a great full-body exercise. It appears that they only work your legs, but this could not be further from the truth. Deadlifts work your core, traps, back, and even your shoulders as well. Anything that can hit this many muscle groups needs to be used by a busy entrepreneur.
Glute Bridge
The Glute bridge is often seen as an excellent exercise for girls trying to get bigger buts. As I stated above, sitting puts us in a compromised position all day. The glute bridge can help to reverse many of these issues.
When you learn how to activate your glutes properly, it can reduce back and hamstring issues. Many people walk around with back pain that don't know how much some massive glute bridges will help them.
Run Hard
When it comes time for cardio, most people think of going at some slow pace on the treadmill. Instead, you should try and run harder for a short period. Think about training as a sprinter instead of a long-distance runner.
When you run harder, you compliment the weight room exercises that you're doing much better. Most athletic training is going to lean more towards the speed and power sports.
Hit The Heavy Bag
Another great way to warm up that people sleep on is hitting the heavy bag. The reason it's worth incorporating is that it's practical and great for you mentally. Nothing helps you to distress like hitting something as hard as you can. With each hit, you exhale and let one of your problems go with it.
Shoulder Press
A lot of people go to upper body exercise is the bench press. The bench press is an easy one to be overdone. The shoulder press is great because nothing makes you feel healthy, like lifting something over your head. You will work your shoulders and chest at the same time.
Exercises to Avoid
The following exercises are worth avoiding for different reasons. For some, they are too dangerous, whereas others are not the best use of your time.
Olympic Lifts
I know cross-fitters love to do their Olympic lifts, but I am against these for your average joe because the risk-reward is not there. Some people train their whole life to be able to do these lifts right. There is so much risk for injury with these movements. If you're going to take that risk, get some real coaching first.
Single Joint Movements
Don't waste your time doing anything that just moves one joint. For example, a bicep curl only moves the elbow. Whereas a squat moves your hip joint, knee joint, and ankle joint. The more joints that are moving, the more muscles that will be involved.
The more muscles involved, the more you're getting from your workout in less time. If you don't want to be in the gym all day, you need some bang for your buck.
Treadmill Runs
Just avoid the treadmill. It's such a lame go-to exercise. You go to most gyms, and you see them just packed with treadmills because its what everyone thinks to do at the gym. You can use your time much better than this.
Core Obsession
When you're training right in the gym, you will work your core naturally doing things like squats, deadlifts, and shoulder presses. You don't need to spend all of your time doing crunches to have a tight six pack.
Weight Lifting Programs That Work Great for Entrepreneurs
You can know how you want to train and have an idea of the exercises you wish to incorporate. The last part that you need to figure out is the rep and set the scheme to help you reach your goals. There are two variables that you can play within the reps and the number of sets you do.
High Volume for Size
When you think about high volume, you will do a lighter weight with higher reps and more sets. This is how you look more like a bodybuilder. You will get a lot of strength this way, but you will gain muscle mass.
- Reps - 12-25
- Sets = 5 - 10
- Feeling = Burn
Low Volume for Strength
When you go for low volume and strength, you will be lifting much heavier weights. You will get a lot stronger when you train like this but will not gain a lot of muscle mass. This style of training is more for people to be cut but no very muscular.
- Reps - 1-10
- Sets = 3-5
- Feeling = Strain
Hybrid Training
The third option is to do a mix of both styles of training. This can be great if you get bored quickly. When you train for size or you train for strength, it can get boring. If you know that will make you dislike the weight lifting program, you should try a hybrid program.
- Week 1 = 3 x 3 (reps x sets)
- Week 2 = 5x 5
- Week 3 = 15 x 3
- Week 4 = 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 (one set of each rep scheme)
What you get with the hybrid is the ability to train strength and then work up to volume. Then, last week, you get to test and see how heavy you go before you start over again.
Once you get your scheme down, you simply need to operate on four to 8-week cycles. Each new period you will change the exercises you do to keep things fresh.