I'm back! After a few articles of being off on a tangent, having a little rant about this and that, I am back focusing on my true 'core' passion - advanced training strategies for the natural athlete.
The way I work is pretty simple. I am an athlete first and foremost. Everything I do is 'results' driven. To keep those results coming, sometimes you need to think outside of the box and look at things from a variety of angles. I am always asking myself,
"Is my current approach the best it can be?
Am I getting results at a fast enough rate?
Am I getting results - period!"
Lately, whilst my training has been delivering the results, I have also been experiencing my fair share of scrapes and near misses, constant joint aches and stiffness. Well in the politically correct term - is really starting to "piss me off!" - has lead me to question my overall approach.
I have always trained low reps (3-6, maybe 8 as a mis-calculation) and the heaviest weights I can handle, and as I said the results are coming. But with anything in life, there is always a price to pay and right now, that price is discomfort. Also, you know that little voice that tells you something 'real bad' is about to happen - that too.
So I need a way to minimize the price and maximize results at the same time. Is there such a method? Well honestly, I think I might be onto something.
What Is Overload?
We all throw the term overload around like we all know what it is but in all seriousness, very few of us actually do. I am just as guilty as you; getting caught up in the ego-antics of the gym and seeing how much I can lift with my buddies, but is that overload? Maybe we could call that 'ego-overload.'
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Fail To Plan, Plan To Fail
Are you frustrated with the lack of growth you're experiencing? If you are I have listed some facts below to put you in a position to motivate yourself and leave your ego at home. Read on to see what I mean.
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Overload (in the muscular sense referring to training) boils down to putting the targeted muscle under the most intense, muscle growth producing stress possible - period. It is not about X amount of weight, it is all about the stress generated. If you are not handling that weight correctly, then you are missing the point of training in the first place.
Have you ever done a warm-up set of an exercise and really felt the muscle work, then onto the work set with a heavier weight and it just doesn't feel the same - not as intense?
Basically, your form has had to compensate for the heavier load and you have just ventured onto the path of diminished returns. You need to find the weight that gives you the best of both worlds (weight and form) to generate best results. Apply with intensity, and you're done!
Lets Talk Form:
Some of us like to refer to 'perfect form' as the 'be all and end all, do it or get nowhere,' whilst others are quick to throw around terms such as 'controlled cheating' etc. I used to fall into the 2nd group.
Hey, if I just loosened my form just a little so I could put an extra 5kg on the bar, well 5kg is 5kg and that will lead to greater overload and better results right? Well, this is another bit of grey area.
There is a balance between form and results, just like there is a balance between weight and results. Lately I have been using the term 'personal resolve' when talking about form. I won't rave on about this too much, as I have heaps to talk about, but what it means is that you need to keep yourself in check. Don't worry about what your buddies are doing, this is about you and your results.
When it comes to weight progress, ask yourself... are you really entitled to increase the weight? Up until this stage, has the muscle been doing the work or are you throwing the weight up? Are you cheating the weight up in another manner (i.e: momentum) or has your form been slipping over the past few weeks and you have not even noticed?
I am all for weight progression and I am (as you should be) always trying to lift heavier weights - these days I do so ONLY when I am entitled too, not because my ego wants me too. This was my first step to being pain free.
The Light!
As I said, I was sick of beating myself up during every gym session. I used to joke that if I tore a muscle, that's ok, I will heal. Got to be low reps, got to be hardcore all the way remember! But the funny thing is, most guys fall into the trap that higher reps = great form and lower reps means your form can go out the window... just as long as you can get that d@mn weight up.
So I sat down for a bit of soul searching, trying to figure out what I actually wanted out of my training. I'm 30 now, and in this game I am still a pup. But I also knew that I was lucky as h*ll that I never had a serious injury. Maybe this is all part of the growing process.
Not only do I love training now, but I still want to be training in 50 years. I know that if I keep on my current path, it's not a matter of 'if' I break, but more likely when. Being hardcore is also about being SMART.
The Principles I Need To Follow To Be My Best:
I put together a quick checklist that I thought might help my quest of finding the perfect balance between weight, form and application (nothing tested, nothing gained). They might sound ever so simple, but I am the first to admit that with my own training I have been ignoring some of them for quite some time now.
If I can ignore them, then so can too. Just have a look and see what you think, it might spark something in you too:
1. Feel The Work:
You might be wondering how you can put this all together into 1 session, and keep the training time under an hour - simple! I have been using the above strategies with a new re-found mental focus for a short while now and I can honestly say, I am growing like a newbie again. I could not think of a better way of summing that up.
On April 12, I performed this exact workout. During the entire session I kept an eye on what it was I was trying to achieve, and I also made a commitment to myself:
I stuck to my guns and no joke, this was one of the best sessions I have had in the last 10 years. I have done a lot of training in that time, but this completely opened my eyes and I now know there is more too it then just sheer weight!
Regardless of how you train, you will always generate 'some' results. The only variant is in how big the rewards are. I am like you and am not prepared to waste one single opportunity. I don't want my goals next week - I want them NOW! In instances like this, sometimes you need to re-evaluate your goal, and the plan you will use to get there. Where there is a will, there is ALWAYS a way.
