This article is from Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Pump Club email, 2024-March-05

Unlocking Progress with Arnold’s Proven Method

Has your fitness progress hit a plateau? Here’s a method we learned from Arnold that can push you to become better.

No matter what you do in any given workout, the goal of the next workout is to do one more rep.

The Power of One: Why One More Rep Matters

At some point, you throw out the rules, the rest periods, and all the other details and focus on a simple reality: you will see results when you progress from one workout to the next. And doing one more rep is the simplest place to start.

Simplify Your Fitness Routine: Focus on Improvement

There are many ways to apply the “1 more rep” mindset, but the goal of each workout is improvement. First, you need to show up. Then you need to improve. That’s it. You don’t need to PR. You don’t need to try new exercises. You don’t even need to feel like you had a great workout. But you do need to show up, know what you accomplished last time, and then find some way — any way — to improve.

Consistency Over Complexity: Showing Up is Half the Battle

Regardless of the workout, this mindset alone will lead to many small improvements that compound interest. Each small improvement will lead to a bigger, better result.

Mindset Matters: Building a Foundation for Success

Just as important, it builds a mindset focused on improvement. Too often, we become obsessed with how much weight we can lift or the design of a program. But the road to success is paved with consistency and progress. One rep alone might not seem like much. But one rep repeated across three workouts is three extra reps per week. And three extra reps every week for 52 weeks is 156 reps.

Small Steps, Big Gains: How One Rep Leads to Results

Even if you were just lifting 5 pounds (and never increasing the weight, which isn’t what would likely happen), you’ve lifted nearly 800 extra pounds.

Compounding Progress: Transforming Reps into Real Success

And if you don’t think lifting that much extra will lead to more results, you’re underestimating how your body works. The plateau-buster you need is an approach that focuses on getting 1-rep better with each workout. You can worry about the tactical details later as you push past what you previously accomplished. Start with one more rep, and the rest will take care of itself.