All members at SHJ share one dream: self-improvement. We appreciate that it is a tough task for anyone who isn’t familiar with the essential fitness and health tricks of the industry. That’s precisely why the Superhero Jacked programs can give you access to nutritional and workout resources, professional and expert coaches, and a community of like-minded people.
However, we appreciate that there are many options to choose from. Many of our newcomers onto the SHJ platform start with the free resources and blog until they can figure out the best programs for their needs. At this stage, you’ve got a clear goal which you are working toward using resources gathered online from SHJ and other platforms. While there is nothing wrong with creating your program, we often find that mistakes are more likely to happen when you lack expert guidance. Why does it happen? Because your body is a finely tuned machine, and you need to know how to push it and fuel it to get the best results. Here are the top 10 mistakes that new members make when creating their shredded program in our experience.
#1. You focus on one thing only
Getting shredded is the result of combined and diverse training. One of the most common mistakes we see is to assume that you need to focus your training on only one thing to achieve your dream results. Ideally, for a lean and healthy body, you want to train across the board to boost not only your strength but also your agility, endurance, and speed. Getting shredded is a full-body fitness regime. Therefore, you are not going to achieve your goal if you neglect some elements in your training. That’s precisely where the idea of a superhero workout comes from, as we all expect our favorite superheroes to be powerful, fast, and agile in all situations. Real-life superheroes, such as the American Special Forces, for instance, rely on programs that emphasize a multi-functional process. The navy Seal workouts are renowned for being physically tough. SEALs are conditioned to be in tip-top condition to perform and survive their missions.
#2. You’re not getting enough sleep
It is tempting to squeeze in a cheeky workout early in the morning and get some tough training before going to bed in the evening. You need to work hard to get shredded. But that doesn’t mean you should give up on a good night’s sleep in the process. Sleep is crucial to muscle growth and recovery. Your body adapts much better to a few dieting mishaps than a lack of sleep. This is because a lot of processes that are essential to muscle maintenance and repair occur while you sleep. If you skip sleep – or try to cut it down too much –, it will inevitably affect your future workouts, cause weaknesses and potential injuries. In fact, extensive training sessions are more likely to increase your sleep time. Only a small percentage of the population will be comfortable with 6 hours or less. Yet, the majority of people need a minimum of 7.5 to 8 hours of sleep. Therefore, it makes no physiological sense to cut down your sleep time in an effort to train more or harder.
#3. You’re missing out with indoor training only
The basic rule of thumb is to get 20 to 30 minutes of direct sunlight every day. It’s important to understand that you will receive direct sunlight even on a rainy or cloudy day. Sunlight is essential to some of your body functions. The body relies on sun exposure to produce vitamin D, which is part of a healthy immune system. How does your immune system relate to getting shredded? It plays a vital role in muscle recovery, aka the time during which your muscles repair the microtears caused by exercises. Low levels of vitamin D can slow down the recovery process and also increase muscle soreness.
Additionally, SAD, or seasonal affective disorder, is a depressive syndrome directly linked to the reduction of sunlight. It’s more likely to affect individuals during the winter months, where days are getting shorter. It can be a good idea to get some training sessions outside to get direct sunlight. Admittedly, it can be tricky to juggle your work life and direct sun exposure in winter. Therefore, the addition of light therapy tech can help support your health and boost muscle recovery.
#4. You set the bar too high too quickly
Having ambitious goals can be hugely motivating unless you are unrealistic with your timeframe. There is nothing wrong with wanting to get shredded, and we promise that you will get there with hard work. But, you need to set the bar low when you start. This is part of your mental conditioning. At the beginning of a long fitness journey, your objectives should be measurable at all times. What this means is that you have to rethink your goals accordingly. Getting shredded is a fantastic final objective. But at first, you want to adjust your expectations to keep yourself motivated. How about focusing on something that is more achievable right now instead? Once you’ve achieved your first mini-goal, you can gradually move the bar a little higher.
#5. You focus on weight only
How do you measure success?
We’ve found that a lot of new members can focus on weight loss at first. It is an understandable goal, especially if you want to get in the best shape of your life. But you can’t afford to make it your only way of measuring your success. There will be a lot of things that happen along your fitness journey that are not related to weight. These should also focus on the following elements:
- Your form improvement throughout the exercises,
- Your performance improvement as the body becomes stronger, more flexible, more agile, etc.,
- Your body shape, as it will change through muscle growth,
- Your mood improvement,
- The way your clothes fit,
- Sleep improvement.
These are some of the differences you will notice, even if the digits on the scale don’t bulge.
#6. You use social media motivation
It is important to surround yourself with inspiration and motivation along your fitness journey. Reaching out to a community of people who share similar fitness goals can help you stay focused. Fitness inspiration, or #Fitspo, is the most popular content on social media. You can come across dramatic weight loss results, fantastic body transformations, and empowering strength and endurance photos. For some people, it’s a great tool to remain accountable and motivated. For others, it could have counterproductive effects, as it can make you feel inadequate or bad about your own fitness journey. If you are going to use social media, make sure you understand how it can affect your mood and progress. More importantly, avoid following fitness or diet advice from influencers who are not trained or educated in the fitness field.
#7. You start without a plan
A fitness plan is designed to map out your journey. Having a goal is not enough to stick to your fitness regime or to monitor your progress. Most people who want to get shredded as a goal weight in mind. Your fitness plan is designed to provide the best route between your starting point and your destination. While there are plenty of workout and diet tips available online, it’s not easy to make sense of the many resources. To achieve your dream results, you need a program that understands your personality, your fitness levels, and your preferences.
#8. You deprive yourself too much
A good diet is going to fuel your body and help you achieve your goals. Your intuition when it comes to weight management or weight loss is to cut your calories. While it makes sense if you’re eating in excess, you can’t afford to cut out too many calories. The body needs energy and nutrients, not only to train but also to function.
