I’ve put on more muscle in the last 6 months of lifting, than I have in the previous 4 years combined.
That’s at least in a small part due to the ‘3-Second Rule’ that I follow before every single set that I do in the gym.
The reason this little trick is so effective is because it’s based on human nature.
The Subtle Truth
I once heard pro natural bodybuilder Alberto Núñez say that he takes a shower before every workout, and I believe he’s using the same principle.
Let me explain:
If you’ve been going to the gym and working out, eating protein, giving a good effort, and just not seeing the results you want…
- It could be because your program is trash.
- Or it could be because your sleep is garbage.
- And maybe even your overall life stress is a massive dumpster fire.
But I’m willing to bet it’s something much more subtle:
The negative effect of lapses in focused attention.
Just quickly before we get into this…
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Why You’re Not Seeing Results
When I worked in kitchens for the first half of my life, there was a saying that floated around:
“You’re only as good as the last dish you put out.”
This means that your success isn’t determined by one grandiose gesture of excellence.
It’s a consistent series of deliberate decisions that add up to generate the outcome you want.
So if you’re just going through the motions when you’re at the gym…
Hitting your 3 sets of 10 reps, and just aiming to “get it over with” instead of doing what you actually went there to do…
Every set you do may only be growing you 75% or 80% as well as it could be because you’re too busy thinking about your dentist appointment later that week.
Don’t believe me?
Take a look around at the gym next time you go:
Watch as someone goes to change the song on their phone and ends up stewing on the bench for 5 minutes after reading a work email.
“Most of the time our perception is limited by our attention span; fragmented by continuous distractions; distorted by our biases, assumptions, and expectations; and regularly hijacked by our emotional reactivity.”
Mindfulness at Work: A New Approach to Improving Individual and Organizational Performance
To combat this, I started using the 3-Second Rule to get more out of every set I do in the gym.
Before we get to that, if you’re tired of:
- Riding the weight-loss rollercoaster
- Trying and failing to make lasting progress
- Consuming lots of fitness information, but not taking action
Then check out Four Point Fat Loss.
It’s the complete framework I used to go from 30% body fat with a belly and love handles, to a lean 15% body fat with visible abs.
How To Build More Muscle
We already know that training close to failure and putting high degrees of mechanical tension through the muscle you’re trying to grow is a good idea…
So right before I start my set, I take a deep breath for three seconds, and try to clear my mind of whatever else is floating around in my head.
Then I hone in on the set that I’m about to do, and I take it to the house.
It’s a ritual.
I try to tap into a zen-like state, where I clear my mind of whatever else is going on around me, so I can direct all of my effort directly into the muscle I’m training.
There’s a saying I love from Brad Stulberg:
“Dig where your feet are.”
There’s no need to compare yourself to others or think about your program, or anything else.
Make every set count as if it’s the fundamental driver of your overall progress.
Because it is.
The Choice Is Yours
At risk of getting too philosophical – there might be a bit of a life lesson here.
More dreams are killed by absentminded omissions of effort, than through ambitious leaps that fell short.
Don’t let your life slip through your fingers because you squandered 30 weeknights in a row after work.
Don’t let your workouts not give you the juice that you’re after just because you forgot to squeeze.
It’s the silent death by a thousand cuts, where you snap out of it a year later and wonder why you haven’t built the muscle you wanted, or started the business you want, built the relationship you desire, or a life with purpose.
Choices are the hinges of destiny.
So choose to make your workouts count, choose to avoid distraction, and choose to live with intention.
If you’re not sure where to start, check out my free guide to Body Recomposition here.
– Matteo
