Training + Recovery + Nutrition = Results

It’s impossible to consider training, nutrition, and recovery as independent variables. They are so highly related, and impact each other to such a high degree, that you have to understand the bigger picture at all times.

Think of a three legged stool, where one leg is training, one is nutrition, and one is recovery. On top of the stool sits your RESULTS; adaptations, improvement, and overall performance. If any single stool leg is suboptimal (too short, wobbly, etc.), your results are suboptimal too. Nobody wants a crooked wobbly stool! If one leg becomes too imbalanced, the whole stool comes crashing down.

Now that our nice analogy is out of the way, what are the most important steps to follow to make sure your stool legs stay strong and balanced?

TRAINING:

1. Walk every day
2. Lift weights 2–4 times per week
3. Include exercises from the following movement patterns: squat, hinge, lunge, upper body push, upper body pull, carry
4. Apply progressive overload, gradually adding weight, volume, and more challenging exercises over time
5. Perform occasional conditioning work for anaerobic (intervals, circuits, etc.) and aerobic (classic “cardio”) energy system development

RECOVERY:

1. Sleep
2. SLEEP!!
3. Walk every day
4. Active recovery movement (dynamic stretching, yoga, etc.)
5. Destress/leisure activities (meditation, reading, socializing, hobbies, etc.)
6. Extras (cost-benefit analysis): massage, sauna, cold tubs (NOT cryo tanks, and beware excessive cold because it blunts anabolic signaling and can impair muscle growth)

NUTRITION:

1. Walk every day (wait what??)
2. Consume adequate protein (a decent rule of thumb is 1 gram per pound bodyweight per day, but the more you train the more you need)
3. Consume adequate calories for your needs (here is a ROUGH calorie calculator)
4. Hydrate (clear pee!!)
5. Supplements to consider: vitamin D, protein powder, creatine monohydrate, caffeine (that’s probably it)

Why the hell did I include walking in each list? Well, walking is the most powerful yet underrated form of exercise for humans. We can all be good at it (special cases aside) and it does wonders for improving work capacity, increasing blood flow/recovery, reducing all-cause mortality, and improving mental state and creativity. It even massages your colon and aids in digestion and bowel movements!

You can’t out-train a crappy diet, and nothing else matters if you aren’t sleeping. Multiple studies have shown that poor sleep habits impact not only training, but diet as well, leading to increased cravings, greater calorie consumption, and poor food choices.

Fueling your body appropriately is vital for performance, training helps with ideal deep sleep patterns, and proper recovery allows you to train again and again. Honor each leg of the stool, treat your body with respect, and your stool can grow to a throne.