13. Make your training enjoyable. There should be a fun element attached to some phase of your workouts. Otherwise, you’re not going to be able to stay motivated.

14. Bodyweight exercises combined as a circuit are an excellent way to condition the body. Don’t underestimate the power of bodyweight movements.

15. If your goal is maximal strength keep your reps under 8. Duh.

16. Take a nap everyday. It’ll speed up your recovery. I try to get at least a sixty-minute nap in each day.

17. The most successful trainees are those who apply themselves in the gym day after day. And don’t fool yourself into believing that anything other than a sensible combination of food, rest, and hard work will bring you better results.

18. Learn to accept responsibility for the current state of your body. Once you have done this, assume the responsibility for changing it.

19. If your willingness to excel both inside and outside the gym fades or waivers, so will your progress.

20. If you want to get bigger, stronger, faster, and leaner, you have to pay your dues. This means working hard inside the gym, and making smart choices outside.

21. In life you can get injured or plateau in your gym training or burn out. Your career will intrude and family life will stress you out. During these times rely only on yourself to buckle down and work toward building a better body. In the end, only you are responsible for making adjustments when times get tough.

22. One of the biggest thrills one can experience in the gym is to see progress being made. If you learn to approach your training rationally you will be continually thrilled over and over again.

23. Pull, push, press and rotate. Now do it using one side of your body. That’s a sure-fire recipe for increased strength.

24. Overweight people aren’t necessarily lazy. A lot of them have physiological issues and food happens to be the easiest way to cope with them.

25. If it’s a habit, chances are it’ll change you in some way. Make a habit of training hard in the gym.

26. Soft tissue work is a must. Whether you use a tennis ball, a golf ball, or a foam roller, get that soft tissue healthy.

27. 90% of the people I’ve trained and assessed have weak glutes. Make sure you get your butt in gear by doing activation, soft tissue and strength work for the glutes.

28. If you’re male who trains females, choose your words very carefully. Proper communication is paramount in establishing a good working relationship with your female clients.

29. Women are competitive. I learned this first-hand during the competitions I held in my boot camp.

30. Females tend to be quad-dominant, and they don’t use their butts all that much.

31. Just because you’re flexible doesn’t mean your soft tissue is healthy. A prime example of this can be seen in the figure skaters I coach. They’re all very flexible but have a lot of knots in their muscles.

32. Balance is generally related to how strong you are. Learning to stand on a Swiss ball only makes you better at standing on a ball and brings the chance of looking like a complete idiot if you fall. The stronger you are the better your balance is. You wonder why elderly folks are always falling down? It’s not necessarily because of poor balance. It has to do with strength levels.

33. Your training shouldn’t be dictated by the calendar. Use your biological calendar to design programs. Some people can get away with training 3 times a week while others can do 6.

34. Quoting Charles A Smith, “You never know how important good health is until you no longer have it.” Cherish what you have; you never know when you’re going to lose it.

35. Simple is not the same as easy. Getting stronger is simple. Choose your compound movements, rest until you’re ready to lift again, and keep your reps low. This is not an easy task.

36. Always use proper form and technique. It’ll keep the injuries down during competition. Most of my wins on the mat don’t look graceful, but because I practice proper form and technique in the gym I’m spared from getting seriously injured.

37. The type of training equipment you select doesn’t matter. It’s how you use it that ultimately counts.

38. Stuart McRobert said, “If you lift Mickey Mouse poundages, all you’re going to get is a Mickey Mouse body.” In other words, someone who can Deadlift 600 pounds is going to have a thick back and a strong pair of legs.