The 5 laws of fitness and nutrition: The foundations of success

If you have fitness goals you want to achieve, it is not enough to just hit the gym or the running track and get started without any structure or planning.

When it comes to creating that fitness plan, there is a lot of conflicting information out that can make it confusing when you are trying to put a fitness routine together.

Whether you want to build muscle, lose weight, or just get a little bit fitter, returning to the basic foundational principles can help you to cut through the noise, stay on track and maintain your progress.

Keep reading to learn the five laws of fitness and nutrition which you can use to achieve your fitness goals, whatever they may be.

The Laws of Fitness

1. The Law of Body Basics

Before embarking on any fitness journey, you need to master the basic movements, which will form the foundation of your training, and understand how they work your body.

The body has specific planes of movement, and you should understand how these relate to the exercises which form the foundation of most training plans.

To begin with we can break down most exercises into the following categories

Squat- As the name suggests squatting movements, lunges, anything which involves standing upright from a position with bent knees.

Push- Bench press, shoulder press, chest fly’s, tricep extensions. All movements which involve transferring power forwards.

Pull- Rowing movements, lat pull downs, lat pull overs, pull ups movements which require you to ‘pull’ towards the body.

Hinge- Good mornings, most deadlift movements (including traditional deadlifts, Romanian deadlifts). Movements which require you to bend at the waist, then use your extensor muscles (lower back) to stand upright.

Twist- Movements such as the wood chopper which require you to keep your feet still and twist at the waist.

Carry- Farmers walk, suitcase carry. Movements which require you to pick something up and move with it.

Of course, these are rough grouping of movements to understand how the biody can work. Due to human anatomy most of these movements require you to use multiple parts of the body as accessories to the main movement. For example most carrying exercises will work grip or bicep strength in some way and many squatting movements will work various arm, back and core muscles.

These exercise groups interact with the body’s planes of motion which are as follows

· The frontal plane- Divides the body into front and back halves, and is used for side-to-side movements

· The sagittal plane- Divides the body into left and right halves, and is used for forward and backward movements.

· The transverse plane- Divides the body into top and bottom halves, and is used for twisting movements

When we combine an understanding of the body’s planes of movement with the different exercise categories we can gain a deeper understanding of our training.

For example the majority of gym routines work the sagittal plane, pushing and pulling movements alongside squats all work in this manner.

The majority of gym goers likely neglect the frontal and transverse planes which would be targeted with exercises such as the lateral raise or the glute abduction (frontal) or woodchoppers (transverse).

Understanding these principles can help tackle muscular imbalances, should they arise, assist in developing a more fuller fitness plan and help those engaged in specific sports where strength in various planes of motion is vital.

2. The Law of Progressive Overload

Progressive overload is the key to making progress in the gym.

Exercise is a form of stress. When you introduce stress to the body, it will adapt in order to cope with the demands you have placed on it. To continue making progress you need to increase the level of stress over time.

If you bench fifty kilograms every week for months on end your body will not need to adapt as it is capable of handling that weight. If you increase the weight over time from fifty, to fifty two kilograms, then fifty five kilograms then fifty eight kilograms etc. over the course of several weeks and months then the body is forced to adapt to the stress being placed on it.

Progressive overload can occur in various ways and basically just means doing a little more each training session. This could be more weight, more reps, more sets, or running faster/ further if you are aiming to improve your cardio.

3. The Law of Specificity

Your goals should guide your training routine. A marathon runner will train differently to a powerlifter. Your body will respond directly to the stress you introduce it to. You need to ensure you are placing the correct stimulus on the body, in order to get the correct adaptations.

If you want to increase your muscle size then get into the gym and train for hypertrophy. If you want to get fitter (i.e improve your cardio) then take up running, swimming or a aerobic intensive sport such as football.

The law of specific skill can also be scaled down to your individual gym sessions. If you want to improve your bench press then make sure your training is focused around that.

This could include working on bench press technique and organising your weekly training sessions so that they all compliment your bench press through compound lifts such as dumbbell chest press as well as accessory movements such as tricep extensions and lat pull downs.

Having a goal to structure your training around can play an important role in keeping you motivated and keeping you on track in the gym. You will be less likely to skip the gym and it can help you cut through the noise we mentioned earlier when you know what you need to train to hit your specific goal.

4. The Law of Recovery

Recovery is just as important as training. Your training is what introduces the stimulus and your rest days are when your body makes the adaptations.

Recovery means prioritising rest, sleep and optimal nutrition.

If you are doing a lot of resistance training with the aim of building muscle, then you would usually want 48-72 hours of rest between training sessions (when it comes to the same muscle). Following this plan will mean that your muscles are always either being trained or recovering from training.

5. The Law of More

As you progress in your fitness journey, your work capacity will naturally increase. The Law of More encourages you to embrace this evolution by adding variability to your workouts. New exercises, different training modalities (like combining strength with cardio), or increasing frequency can keep your body engaged and challenged and prevent plateaus and boredom.

The Principles of Nutrition: Fuelling Your Fitness Journey

1. Balance is Key

Optimal nutrition is just as important as your training sessions when it comes to making progress in the gym. Food will fuel your workouts, provide your body with the energy to adapt and grow and it will keep your immune system in check when you are training hard.

You need to make sure you are consuming enough protein, fats and carbohydrates (macro nutrients) as well as vitamins and minerals (micronutrients) to give your body the nutrition it needs. We will go through each of these in turn so you understand the role they play.

2. Understanding Macronutrients

Proteins: These are the building blocks of muscle repair and growth. Protein is what does the actual building of your muscle.

Protein is found in its greatest quantities in meat, fish, eggs, nuts, legumes. You can also use whey protein for convenience.

There is a lot of conflicting information regarding the amount of protein you need. If you can aim for somewhere between 1-2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight you should be fine.

Carbohydrates: These are the fuel for your workouts. Your body breaks carbs down into sugars which are stored in the muscle (this is known as glycogen). As you exercise your body uses these stores of energy in order to power your workouts.

Carbs can be found in rice, pasta, bread, oats as well as fruits and vegetables.

Fats: Fat plays a crucial role in a range of bodily functions. You can read a recent blog on the topic for a greater understanding of the role of this macronutrient here. Fats can be found in nuts, seeds and oils.

Be aware that there are different types of fat. Saturated fats and trans fats are not the sort we are looking for when we are talking about optimal nutrition. Make sure you emphasise healthy dietary fats.

3. The Importance of Micronutrients

Micronutrients provide you with vitamins and minerals which play important roles in your bodily health.

Vitamins- Support energy production, immune function, and cellular protection.

Minerals- Essential for bone health and muscle function, minerals like calcium, potassium, and magnesium are critical.

Ensure you get a good mix of fruits and vegetables in your daily diet in order to get the micronutrients you need.

4. Hydration Matters

Hydration is often overlooked but it is an essential part of nutrition. The difference between being hydrated and dehydrated in your workouts is huge.

Water is vital for every cell in the body and every bodily function. Be aware of your hydration needs before during and after your training sessions. If you train often and you find that you sweat a huge amount you may need to replenish the electrolytes lost through sweat.

5. Timing is Essential

The timing of your meals can have a significant impact on your performance and recovery.

Before your gym sessions try and have a carb heavy meal 1-2 hours before you train. Make sure there is enough food so you won’t be hungry again but not so much that you will be overly full.

After your training session try and get 20-30 grams of protein in as soon as possible.

Don’t stress too much about this. It used to be thought that there was an ‘anabolic window’ after your training sessions where protein intake was most vital.

​More recent research has challenged this, and it is now thought that the body can go longer, post workout, before receiving protein. That being said it is still good practice to make sure that you get some protein into your system at the earliest convenience after your workout.

You may also want to have some carbs after a training session in order to replenish those glycogen stores. This is especially important if you are training frequently such as every day or even multiple times a day (resistance training in the morning cardio in the evening for example).

Bringing It All Together

As you move through your fitness journey you will develop new goals and aspirations. You will come across new pieces of information, and you will hear conflicting opinions about what is best.

The information contained here can act as a foundation for you to come back to whenever you feel unsure. Remember these foundations and go back to basics when things seem unclear.

Ask yourself, ‘what are my goals and how do I train for them’. Remember to eat well, train hard, recover properly and be consistent. Make sure your macro and micronutrients are taken care of, and you are properly hydrated. If you can remember the basics, you’re hallway there!

​

Guest written by Jonathan Dowell