It all depends on how hard you want to work.

Better yet it depends on how much you need it.

How badly you want it directly impacts how much effort you put towards accomplishing that said goal.

I was doing some math this week and I learned that on average it takes between 1300- 1500 hours to lose 10% body fat.

These are hours spent in the gym training, doing cardio, and recovery work.

If you broke this down into 1 hr training sessions 6 days per week, it would take you 4.5 years to accomplish this goal just in a training perspective.

But that’s only 1 piece of the triangle.

Next we have to take into account nutrition and lifestyle habits.

If you think this can be accomplished with just training in the gym, you are mistaken.

So let’s keep with the time frame of 6 days per week for 4.5 years.

This means your nutrition has to be on point for 312 days per year or 1,404 days total.

That includes weekly diet breaks so can consider 1 day a week a “cheat day” but that doesn’t mean eat everything in sight. Moderation is the key.

That’s the second leg of the triangle, now lets build the base, lifestyle.

This comes down to sleep, stress management and habits.

For the next 4.5 years you will have to get good quality sleep, meaning 7+ hours per night.

It also means you have to learn how to manage your stress, which might mean, creating a schedule for you and your family or setting clear boundaries and removing yourself from unhealthy relationships.

And finally, habits. This goes down to things like smoking, taking the stairs, walking, reading, having a mindfulness practice.

I’m sure you get it, create healthy habits so that you can get the most out of your training and your diet.

But as you might of noticed I called lifestyle the base of the triangle. That means it is the most important piece of the puzzle.

You can move from left to right of the triangle depending on your goals. If it is more aesthetic you’re going to be focusing more on diet, if you are more interested in performance then you will lean more into your training.

There is no right or wrong answer, it all depends on the lifestyle you want to carry.

I got these numbers from my own personal journey to drop 10% bf when I was body building. It took me about 6 months and I invested 3-4 hrs 6 days per week, on top of dialing in my nutrition, and making sure my lifestyle was in line for me to accomplish my goals.

I understand not everyone has this kind of time, in all reality. I no longer have this kind of time. So I used this simple example to help me create a realistic expectation as to how long it will take me to accomplish my goal of losing 10% bf with what I can invest.

This doesn’t mean it will take me 4.5 years, it could be more, it could be less. But now I am not constantly feeling disappointed when I only drop 1-3% BF in a year. That actually means I’m right on track. Therefore pumping me up to keep going and keeping me motivated and disciplined.

What are your fitness goals? How long will it take you to reach them? What skills do you need to learn in order to make it happen? Let me know in my inbox at contact@giovannilara.com

Can’t wait to hear what you have to say.

Till next time,

Coach Gio 👊