The 80:20 Principle (also known as Pareto’s Principle) suggests that 80% of the outputs come from 20% of the inputs, and that same distribution is present in every aspect of society – 80% of the wealth is owned by 20% of the population for example. This is relevant because it’s the first step in becoming more effective your ectomorph training routines.
What we can learn from the principle is that only about 20% of what most people do is actually taking them towards their goals and, in this case, their strength gains. Using that information it’s possible to eliminate hours and hours of wasted effort by focusing on the activities that bring in the highest return.
In the end you’ll be sacrificing about 20% of your gains, but saving 60% of your time, so reaching your goals will take a bit longer, but the process itself will feel shorter (and easier).
This is a subject I’ll dive into more in the future (I’m fascinated by effectiveness and productivity) but here are a few simple ways to apply the 80:20 principle to your strength building goals:
- Eat the 20% of foods that provide you with 80% of the calories – calorie dense food like olive oil.
- Complete the 20% of exercises that provide you with 80% of the results – compound exercises like pull ups, squats etc.
- Focus on the 20% of motivators that provide you with 80% of the motivation – accountability buddies, tracking your progress, visualization etc.
How can you apply the 80:20 principle to your strength building aims? And could you apply it to other areas of your life to reduce stress to improve recovery?
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