Josh Neal Fitness

When you're knackered, remove decisions

Someone commented on one of my posts last week that lack of energy was where they're at

They'd been skipping workouts

But the post had given them enough of a kick that they were going to go and do something

I loved that

Not because I'd somehow inspired someone to suddenly smash out a heroic 90-minute workout

Quite the opposite

They were going to do something
And sometimes that's exactly what you need

Because when your energy is already low, even working out what to do can become another barrier

🤔 What exercises?
⏰ How long?
🏋️ What weight?
😴 Should I even bother today?

Before you know it, you've spent ten minutes negotiating with yourself, and the sofa has won 😂

That's one of the reasons I like having structure

Know when you're training
Know what you're doing
Adjust it if life requires it

Then get it done and move on

You don't always need more motivation
Sometimes you just need fewer decisions and a sensible plan to follow

And that's a big part of something I'm putting together for September

I'll tell you more about that very soon 👀

Today I had a crack at something I've never done before

Kettlebell Pentathlon 😬

I've never competed in it
I've never attempted to qualify in it

So naturally, today I went into the gym, joined a Zoom call and attempted to qualify for the English team 😂

There's a reason for it
The World Championships are coming to Edinburgh in November and I'd quite like the opportunity to compete there

But there's something else I like about this...

I've spent years getting stronger
Not because I knew one day I'd need to be good at Pentathlon

I didn't

I've done it because I enjoy training, I enjoy competing, and I like having a body that's capable of doing things

And being capable gives you options
Sometimes they're very ordinary ones

Carrying something 📦
Playing with your kids 🧒
Trying a new hobby 🎨
Going somewhere 🏞

And occasionally it's:
"Fancy trying to qualify for England in a kettlebell discipline you've never competed in?"

Apparently my answer to that one is yes 😂

Final score: 1,851
Qualification standard: 1,400
England team qualified 🥳

I still maintain that Pentathlon is horrible

You don't need to get fit before you start training

That's literally what the training is for 😂

But I've heard different versions of this plenty of times

"I'll start once I've lost a bit of weight"
"I need to get my fitness up first"
"I'll start when I've got more energy"
"I'll wait until work calms down"

And I understand it

Starting something when you already feel like you're struggling can seem like adding another problem to the pile

But you don't need to arrive already capable of doing everything

That's completely backwards
Start with what you can do now

If something is too difficult, change it
If you need more rest, take it
If the weight needs to be lighter, make it lighter

Then build

Over time, the things that used to feel difficult start becoming normal

And eventually you look back and realise your starting point isn't your starting point anymore

That's progress

Not destroying yourself
Not proving anything

Just quietly becoming more capable

If you want to get stronger but you're not sure where your starting point should be, let's have a chat

Your body has a workload too

We talk about workload all the time

Too many meetings 🤝
Too many deadlines 📈
Too many things needing our attention 🗣

But there's another workload quietly ticking away in the background

The physical one

Getting out of bed 😴
Going to work 👩‍💼
Sitting at a desk all day 🖥
Carrying shopping 🛍
Playing with your kids 🧒
Doing jobs around the house 🧹
Going somewhere at the weekend 🎡

None of those things are particularly impressive
But your body still has to cope with all of them

And when your strength, fitness and energy gradually start slipping, life doesn't politely reduce the workload for you

The same things just start feeling harder

That's one of the reasons I care so much about strength

Not because everyone needs to lift massive weights
Not because your life needs to revolve around training

Quite the opposite

I want your body to have enough capacity that it doesn't constantly get in the way of everything else

What would you like to have more energy for outside the gym?

Your training shouldn't need its own diary

I love training
Possibly slightly too much 😂

But I also appreciate that most people don't want to spend five days a week in the gym
And you shouldn't have to

You've already got work
Family
Responsibilities
Things you actually enjoy doing
Probably a list somewhere of things you've been meaning to do for the last six months

Then along comes fitness telling you that you need more sessions, more steps, more cardio and more time in the gym

Eventually, looking after yourself becomes another bloody job

I don't think that's the answer

Training needs to fit around your life — not the other way around

A few good sessions done consistently can achieve an awful lot

Get stronger
Get fitter

Build a body that's capable of doing the things you ask of it

Then get out of the gym and use it

How many days a week could you realistically train without it starting to take over your life?

Not everything needs to be productive

Today I'm painting pottery with my family

And no...
I'm not turning it into a workout
I'm not tracking my steps
I'm not trying to burn calories

I'm just spending time with people I love, making something that hopefully doesn't look completely s**t 😂

I think we sometimes forget that being fit and strong isn't supposed to become another job

It's supposed to give you more opportunities to enjoy your life

More energy
More confidence
More things you can say yes to

And sometimes...
that means painting bloody pottery!
That's capability too

What are you getting up to this weekend that has absolutely nothing to do with fitness?

You don't need to be good at everything

I think we're constantly told we should be improving something

Get stronger 💪
Get fitter 🏃‍♂️
Lose weight ⚖️
Improve your mobility 🔀
Eat better 🍲
Sleep more 😴
Hit your steps 👟

And suddenly improving yourself becomes another full-time job

I'm not interested in that
I want to be good at the things that matter to me
I want to be strong enough to lift the kettlebells I want to lift

Fit enough to compete
Mobile enough to move well
And capable enough that my body doesn't constantly get in the way of the things I want to do

The rest?

I'm quite happy being average
You don't need to optimise everything
You just need to build a body that gives you more options

What is one thing you'd like your body to be more capable of doing?
Tell me below

And if you're not sure where to start...

Let's have a chat

More isn't always better

I've definitely been guilty of thinking that if something is good, then more of it must be better

More weight 🏋‍♂️
More reps 😰
More sessions ⏰️
More effort 🥵

But years of training have taught me something slightly different

Sometimes the best thing you can do is stop
Sometimes it's doing less

Sometimes it's leaving a few reps in the tank so you can come back and do it again tomorrow

Sometimes it's listening to your body

And sometimes the most important part of getting stronger is simply being consistent enough to keep going

I'm still learning that one myself

Better is betterer

And that's a pretty good rule for training — and probably life too

What's something you've learned you don't need to do "more" of?

If you're trying to find a way of training that actually fits around your life, let's have a chat

I have a favourite type of person in the gym

It's not the strongest
It's not the person lifting the biggest weight
It's not even the person who looks the most impressive

It's the person quietly getting on with it
They walk in
They do their training
They get a little bit better
Then they leave

No shouting
No need for attention
No need for anyone to know what they lifted

Just quietly becoming stronger
I've always admired that

And I think it's probably one of the reasons I coach the way I do

You don't need to destroy yourself
You don't need to train seven days a week
And you certainly don't need to prove anything to anyone

You just need to keep showing up
Quietly getting strong as f**k
That's enough

If that's more your style too, let's have a chat.

The gym isn't the destination

It never has been

For me...
The gym is simply where we practise

We practise becoming the person who says yes to a walk without worrying about the hills
Who carries everything in from the car
Who gets down on the floor without wondering how they'll get back up
Who feels confident in their own body

That's why I train

Not because I love exercise.

Because I love what exercise allows me to do

Strength gives you options

Capability gives you freedom

💬 Question

If your body could do one thing more easily six months from now...

What would it be?
👇

If you're ready to build a body that helps you enjoy life...

Let's have a chat