Your Plan for 2021 (In Case 2020 Was Not Your Friend)

Let’s face it. 2020 was a dumpster fire of a year. Lots of chaos, frustration, and fear from a global pandemic forced some major change to our daily routines. I don’t know about you, but we’re really glad it’s over so we can look forward to bigger and better things in 2021.

Most people think about setting goals and New Year’s Resolutions right about now. But this year is a little bit different given the full 2020 experience.

We’re still living with a ton of uncertainty, especially after the last 9 months that felt like 9 years. New stressors, new levels of anxiety that you didn’t have before and less-than-ideal circumstances with changes in how we do work, school, and play.

If you’re exhausted, you’re not alone.

But let us encourage you for a moment. One of the best ways to start feeling better is to take control of what you can and own it (whatever that may be). You are in charge of you, and no one can take away your personal autonomy.

For instance, you may not be able to go to the gym because it’s closed, but you can still get a good workout at home. And just in case you aren’t aware, getting great results working out at home with little to no equipment is our jam.

• You can go out for a daily walk, or take 10 minutes to stretch out every morning.
• You can make the choice on a daily basis to prepare meals that are healthy and good for you.
• Or you can be sure to get a good night’s sleep, so you feel rested and productive when you wake up.

The Best Way Forward Starts With A Single Step

The following will be your guide to getting back in the groove of working out with the intention to move well, feel good, and reach your goals.

To make things as easy as possible, we created a step-by-step plan to help you get clear, focused, and started as fast as possible.

If 2020 bucked you off of the path you were on, we’ll help you get back in the saddle.

Before we get into the exact steps you can take, we know that life’s tough and there are challenges, but there is a way through.

Here’s How We Can Help You Get Unstuck:

There are many problems people face when it comes to working out regularly, but here are the three main issues that come up over and over again.

“I can’t work out because I’m stressed and have no time.”

This is common but everyone has time for something, even if it’s just 15 minutes per day. Within our programs, we use a concept known as ‘autoregulation’ as a guidepost for all of your activity.

Autoregulation, in short, is a way to adapt and adjust your training to fit your needs. Some days you might not feel like pushing yourself because you’re wiped out from all those Zoom meetings. 🥱

If you’re short on time… give us 15 minutes, and we’ll help you destress, mobilize and feel better. And after 15 minutes, you just might keep going. If not, no worries… you can do more the next day.

Some days you’ll be able to push hard and have a great workout. And other days, you won’t… but doing something regularly will help you build the training habit (more on this in a bit), and it’ll serve you in the long run.

“I don’t have the right space to work out, so it’s probably not worth the effort.”

Welcome to the club! Many of us don’t have access to fancy gyms or big dojos with a lot of floor space. You don’t need that. All of our programs offer flexible exercises and movements you can practice in small spaces.

You may not have a big living room to do Bear crawls, but what about your hallway? Need to make your push-ups harder? Prop your feet up on the couch. We have plenty of movement variations you can use to adapt your space as you need to.

“I don’t know what to do. There’s so much information. I’m overwhelmed and confused.”

This is by design. Not by us, but by online fitness, in general. It pays massively to confuse the hell out of you. But we focus more on teaching you concepts and ideals that serve you in the long term, rather than a fancy-sounding gimmick to hook you for a few weeks before you get bored again.

Our programs are clear, simple, and effective.

If you can watch a video on your phone, tablet, or computer, you can follow our programs and get results. Not only are they practical to follow, they’re fun. And we have the support and guidance to help you get the results you want.

Now… Since we’re headed into the new year, we’d like to establish a baseline and address your needs in a hierarchy of importance. First, we’ll start with the essential habits, as that’s your foundation and branch out from there.

Your baseline is what you’ve been doing for the last 2-3 months (or longer). If you’ve gotten out of the training habit, it’s totally okay, but it’s time to make some changes.

So think of where you are right now and then decide where you want to go. Without a plan and some defined goals to guide you, it’s easy to fall off track and look back at all the things you wanted to do (but didn’t) 6 months later.

Create Goals And Make Them Clear

Your goals will determine the plan you need to follow. But these goals need to be specific and actionable.

👎 Here are examples of unclear goals (which aren’t that helpful):

Set The Right Kinds Of Goals

Most people set vague goals for themselves but it never seems to pan out the way they want because they weren’t clear on what needed to be done.

👍 Examples of clearly defined goals:

“I want to do a full handstand.”

There is a clear path to doing handstands, and it starts by knowing this is what you want to accomplish.

“I want to get rid of my hip pain from too much sitting.”

This is a very common problem many of us face from being in the seated position too long during the day. The good news is we have created a systematic way you can reduce hip pain from too much sitting.

“I want to eat a serving of fruit and vegetables everyday.”

Here’s another clear goal that is defined and actionable. This is the opposite of saying “I want to eat better” because that has no true meaning or definition.

Take some time to think about what matters most to you. Write it down. We’ll cover how to achieve those goals in Step 3. For now, you must think about the process of making changes.

Putting in the work is what gets results. No amount of hemming and hawing will cut it. Even the so-called best program will never work if you’re not doing it consistently.

You can’t do that handstand if you don’t follow a program to get you there. So you must create the habit of doing the workouts on a regular basis, every single week. We prefer 3 to 4 sessions for best results, but it’s usually better if you can do a little bit every day.

Even if it’s just 15 minutes of work, it will pay off. We have the case studies to prove it.

Habits Are Your Action Steps.

Your habits are closely tied to your motivation. In this case, if you got out of the habit of working out regularly in 2020, you probably feel demotivated as a result. So the first order of things is to reestablish some habits that are good for you.

You might not feel motivated to work out much right now. But recommitting to that habit and sticking to it for a few weeks will blossom into more motivation to keep going on a regular basis. Then it becomes a very strong positive feedback loop to keep going.

Don’t Bite Off More Than You Can Chew

Most people mess up because they try to change everything at once. So we recommend starting small.

With our programs, we encourage you to do something everyday. It doesn’t have to be a full-on training session that takes you 45 minutes. But if you do a little bit every day, even if it’s just some stretching and light movement, you’ll build momentum and be into a solid training habit very quickly.

As you get into the groove, it gets easier and easier, and that’s when the fun starts.

Now, building habits is important as it’s the foundation for creating a solid training habit. But everyone benefits from support and accountability.

We’re Here To Hold You Accountable

Most people go further with a support system than trying to go it alone.

At GMB, we’ve created an amazing community that won’t only cheer you on, but will help and guide you along the way. Got a question? We’ve got answers. You should never feel like you’re all alone (because you’re not).

We approach the process of habit creation and accountability in two ways: Alpha Community and our Eating Skills.

By now, you understand your baseline. And you know that setting goals and solidifying your habits are what creates progress.

All of our programs are simple to follow, proven by over 70,000 clients around the world, and they’re accessible to you 24/7, anywhere you want to train.

Over the last year, we spent hundreds of hours completely recreating how our programs are done. We call the new platform Praxis. And that’s where all our programs live. It’s easily accessible from your phone, computer, or tablet.

Beginners: Just Getting Started? Here’s How.

Your main focus is to establish a consistent, yet effective, workout routine. Elements is the best place to start in building this movement practice.

You can do it anywhere, even in the tiniest of spaces. We know because we’ve got the clients to prove it.

In saying that, you must keep this in mind. Moving well will always boil down to the following principles:

• Strength: Being strong with your own body weight in various directions and unusual positions.
• Flexibility: Moving your body through ranges of motion with fewer restrictions always makes daily activities much easier.
• Control: You want to have full command over your body’s ability to move and function the way YOU want to.

If you’re missing out on any of these, you’ll eventually get stuck and frustrated. Thankfully, you’ll get good at all of these in our baseline program, Elements.

Elements will help you build strength using nothing but your body weight, increase your range of motion, and grant you the ability to move how you want.

Plus, we offer 3 types of sessions where you can choose to work out for 15, 30, or 45 minutes at a time. So having time shouldn’t be a problem, and you don’t need any fancy equipment. 😄

After your first 8 weeks of Elements, do it again. Not only will you take note of how much your strength and ability to move well has improved, but you’ll be able to perform harder variations of the movements you once struggled with.

That should keep you busy for the next 6 months. In 2021, we’re putting together some new programs for intermediate and more advanced folks, and we’ll be sure to let you know when they’re ready.

Intermediates: Keep Building Skills And Making Gains

Since you’re familiar with training and you’re pretty competent with your movement practice, it’s time to kick it up a notch. We want you to keep getting stronger, but also develop your ability to move with fluidity and control.

Our program, Integral Strength is designed to get you proficient at the basic bodyweight movements with minimal equipment. You’ll learn the squat and its variations, push-ups, and pull-ups. But this isn’t just another strength training program.

Integral Strength takes into account that getting strong just to be strong is shortsighted and doesn’t always carry over into other things you want to do. You’ll build power, endurance, and control that will complement any other movement or sport you’re doing.

Integral Strength + Vitamin should keep you focused for the next 4-6 months. In 2021, we’re putting together some new programs for intermediate and more advanced folks, and we’ll be sure to let you know when they’re ready.

Athletes: Gain More Control And Fluidity

No matter what you’re doing… lifting weights, cycling, martial arts, or dancing, you’ll likely benefit from more agility, confidence, and control with your movement.

For people like you, we created Mobius. It’s designed to be done alongside your primary training on your days off of heavy exercise, or it can be used as a warm-up to get you ready for hard training sessions.

At this point, people like you will need to pay more attention to the details to keep making progress. In 2021, we’re creating some new programs that you’ll benefit from and we’ll let you know when they’re ready.

Lockdowns + Too Much Sitting = A Stiff Body

It’s time to address the elephant in the room: Your mobility. If your 2020 was much like most everyone else’s, you spent a ton of time on your butt. So you’re probably stiff in the hips, shoulders, and ankles. And you might have some aches and pains associated with a lack of regular movement.

Now’s the time to lube up those stiff joints.

But where do you start? You could google a ‘stretching routine’ but let’s be honest… stretching is pretty frustrating for most people because you’re either really good at it or you’re not. But being limber isn’t for the select few.

Most everyone will benefit from flexibility training but just telling you to stretch more isn’t that helpful and usually becomes something you try out for a day or two and then forget about until you really need to be flexible.

Flexibility is sort of like AAA. You never know when you’re gonna need that tow truck to pick you up or when your battery dies and you need a replacement roadside. But it’s a damn good benefit to have. Being mobile is a great asset to have. And it’s within your reach with a little effort.

With Mobility, you will free up your body to get into the ranges of motion needed to do anything you want. It’s a systematic process we’ve put together that can be done on its own, or alongside any other program you’re doing.

🧘‍♂️ Don’t Neglect Your Rest And Recovery

You should be good at this point in terms of training for the next 4-6 months or so.

But what are you doing in between sessions? Progress happens in your brain and body while you’re recovering between workouts.

And you can ensure you are recovering well by using our Regulator add-on. Regulator is to be used as quick off-day practices to speed up recovery and avoid injuries.

Consistency Is The Key + More To Come In 2021

2020 sucked. We know how hard it was. But despite the hand of cards we were dealt, we can choose how we play them.

So let’s make 2021 much different.

What are you waiting for? Did you pick your plan yet? You can also take our quiz and we’ll help you pick the best starting point.