Rethinking Your Workout Plan: 8 Points for Optimization

As we discussed in yesterday’s post, the initial step in achieving your goals is, of course, having them in the first place. However, while setting goals is important, the key to success is continued action in the direction of your goals. Unfortunately, I’ve seen countless trainees struggle with workout plans that are either ineffective, cookie-cutter, or downright ridiculous.

If you’re going to achieve the best results, you must customize your routine. If goals are your final destination, your plan is the vehicle that will get you there – best to arrive in (relative) comfort and style, with the smoothest ride possible!

So, going hand in hand with your renewed spirits and New Year’s resolve, here are 8 strategies that will insure the effectiveness of your plan:

1. Create benchmarks to clear, each and every time.
You already know that goal-setting is important to achieving results (after all, without goals, what ends are you trying to achieve?); why not apply that same power to each individual workout? Since you should be keeping tabs on yourself by tracking your workouts, take a moment or two before each workout and set little mini-goals to achieve during the workout.

For example, if you leg pressed 480 pounds for 7 repetitions in your previous workout, make 8 reps your goal for the current workout. Alternatively, you could increase the weight slightly (to say, 482.5 lbs) and make 7 reps your goal.

Achieving these mini-goals will help to keep you motivated and give you an extra little push when the workouts get tough.

2. Keep records.
Progress is the mother of results, and if you’re executing correctly on all levels (workouts, nutrition, recovery), you should be making progress with each workout. How best to track that progress? Easy – write it down. Although it may seem unnecessary, trusting your workout information to memory just won’t cut it. Most people won’t remember what they had for breakfast two days ago, much less what they squatted or pressed last month.

Now, you don’t have to walk around the gym in full engineer regalia, complete with clipboard and mechanical pencil, but you should have at the very least a small notebook and some writing instrument so that you can write down your weights, reps, and exercises. Similarly, you needn’t use a lab tech’s level of detail; just writing down weights and reps for each exercise performed (oh, and the date of the workout too) is sufficient.

Incidentally, this can also act as a motivator as well, when you periodically review your progress. It’s very satisfying to consult your workout log and see that you’re 50% stronger on the row exercise or 83.33% stronger in your legs and back. After all, the best motivator is getting continued results.

3. Factor in recovery.
Give yourself time to grow. You see, exercise is not what makes you stronger/faster/bigger/leaner – it’s your body’s response to the exercise stimulus that actually does the handiwork. What the exercise stimulus does (if it’s strength training) is momentary weakening of the muscle fibers. In response to the damage caused by exercise stress, your body not only repairs the muscle fiber, but reinforces it as well, adding myofibrils and increasing the muscle’s density and size.

As you can imagine, this repair process takes time (roughly 48 hours, according to the science). So give it the time it deserves – don’t commit the folly of bench pressing every day or curling every day because you think it will cause your muscles to swell (well, it will cause muscle swelling – due to inflammation).

4. Maximize workout efficiency by performing more work in less time.
Stated differently, this point can be read as, “Don’t waste workout time”, or, “Stop standing around talking to the gym bunny in the lycra tights.” Most people I’ve observed in the gym waste tremendous amounts of time taking “rest periods” between sets, chatting it up with their workout buddies, or looking at themselves in the mirror.

Don’t be like the crowd. First off, treat your workout space (because whether it be your basement or the local Bally’s, that’s what it is, your workout space) as the sacred space it is – a place of personal alchemy where spirits are forged and bodies are created. Second, get to work – studies show that a rest period of 60-90 seconds allows for nearly full recovery of ATP (the body’s currency of energy) in a muscle. In other words, wait any longer than 90 seconds and you’re just waiting for that last 5% to slowly…drip…back.

Get back to work. In fact, that takes us nicely to our next point…

5. Time your rest periods.
The best way to make sure you stick to your guns and plow through a workout without dilly-dallying? Time yourself. One of the handiest tools you can use for solo training is the ordinary kitchen timer (preferably the magnetic kind). Set it for 1.5 minutes and stick it close-by (if it’s magnetic, it’ll stick to the power rack). Perform your exercise, then once you’ve set the weight down, start the timer. When it beeps, it’s time to hit the iron again.

So let’s get to it, then – no slacking!

6. Work harder, but not longer.
Total workout time is critical, not least because you’ve likely got a limited time to exercise. Each workout you perform must be limited in duration (less than 60 minutes in length). Once strength training workouts exceed 60 minutes in duration, cortisol release outpaces testosterone and growth hormone release. What this means to you is simple: working out for too long will result in the loss of muscle, rather than muscle gain – so don’t do it!

A better alternative is to increase workloads (by increasing weight, decreasing total reps, or decreasing total number of exercises) to accomplish the same amount of work in that time. Of course, it may be that you’re doing too much anyway.

7. Tailor your plan according to your goals.
Since you’ve taken the time to set clearly-defined goals, you should be sure that your program points you in that direction. Most people clip out a “program” (more like a series of exercises, really) from the fitness magazines without consideration as to whether or not these exercises will actually help them. Since how you exercise will determine where you end up, it makes sense to match your program to your goals. If you’re a 35 year old female looking to lose 15 lbs, your program will (and should) look different than a 21 year old male who plans to compete in his first strongman competition. Some of the core exercises may be the same, but the workout parameters (weight loads, reps/time under load, frequency) will be (and should be) vastly different.

Make sure that your workout program suits you by asking:

• Does it have the correct emphasis (strength and endurance for an athlete, maintainence/growth of muscle for fat loss, etc.)?
• Does this program involve exercises that are relatively safe for me to perform? Or are there safer alternatives that will deliver the same impact?
• Is this program realistic from a time efficiency standpoint (i.e., can I actually devote the time)?
• Does this program factor in sufficient recovery time (including all my other athletic activities)?
• Was this program designed for the purpose I’m using it for? (This last one may seem like a joke, but I’ve seen trainers give their slightly-overweight, middle-aged fat loss clients programs designed for a world-class sprinter/track athlete too many times to not include it.)

8. Focus on function, not form.
This point should come as no surprise to regular readers of this blog. By rethinking the paradigm of strength training altogether and getting away from working “body parts” and thinking more of working muscle/joint functions, you can more effectively work the muscles of the body. Instead of accumulating exercises that work a given area, you can look to (and find) exercises that best express a particular joint’s function.

I alluded to this concept in a previous post, but let me outline it briefly here: To determine the best exercise to work a given muscle group, look at what that muscle does. Once you’ve determined what the muscle’s function is, then work the muscle using the most efficient pathway (exercise that allows you to lift the greatest amount) possible. Done this way, you end up with a program chock full of the best exercises for the functions (and consequently, muscles) that you wish to use.

I hope this overview has helped you seal up all the weak points in your workout routine and given you some ideas as to how to fit your routine to you (and not the other way around). No more clipping out pre-made workouts from the muscle or fitness mags; let 2008 be the year of customization. Feel free to email me at eugene@etfwellness.com if you’ve got any questions regarding individual aspects of program design or if you need help in designing your own workout.

Context: Is What You’re Doing Right For You?

The vast availablity of information on the Internet is a double-edged sword; while it is true that you’ve never before had so much information so readily available at your fingertips, you’re often missing the vital links that make that information usable, understandable, or even appropriate.

In no other subject is this is this more true than exercise training. There’s no shortage of self-styled training-gurus on the Net (present company included, *ahem) ready to dispense with their two cents on how, gosh darn it, everyone and their mothers should work out and eat. There are countless routines, exercises, and programs out there for fat burning, hypertrophy, endurance, etc.

What makes it perilous for the layperson is that you often don’t have the benefit of the guru’s years of experience and education to sort the wheat from the chaff. In other words, you get a gem of information, but without context.

A jewel without a ring.

One good example is the writings of Eric Cressey. Reading his articles, if you didn’t know any better, you might think that your inability to lift 350 lbs for multiple reps was a sign that your body is of a brittle nature, your willpower and work ethic are insufficient, and that you’re on the verge of falling apart. In fact, you might as well just give up on living right now, before you die of sarcopenia.

What you may not realize is that Mr. Cressey is a competitive powerlifter, and dispenses his particular brand of knowledge as such. His advice assumes that you’ve spent 10 years mastering the bench press, squat, and deadlift, and that you’re familiar with their particulars, that you eat 3-4000 calories a day, and that you have joints that can withstand the tons of pounds of work you must sustain during each workout.

That’s an awful lot to assume from an anonymous reader .

It’s not to say that his advice is wrong; it isn’t. In fact, it’s golden, if you’re like my pal Dr. Warden (who just celebrated the birth of his baby girl – congratulations) and you’re stuck at 275 lbs in the Sumo Deadlift and you need to add that little edge to your training regime (and you’ve had a decade or so practice on the three powerlifts).

It helps that Dr. Warden can squat more than 2x bodyweight as well.

The point here is that you can’t take information you get on the Internet at face value. Everything needs proper context. Are you a beginner? Never step foot in a gym before? A 58 year old osteoporotic marketing consultant? Then you’re better off not following Charles Staley’s 12 week EDT program, since it was designed for the likes of this guy:
Much of what is written on the web about exercise is geared towards two specific populations – These guys:
for whom drugs is the common denominator, and these guys:
for whom hundreths of a second and a 2578 calories per day (with 104 grams of carbs) approach vs. 2317 calories (with 96 grams of carbs) approach makes the difference between gold and the relative obscurity of second place (drugs ostensibly play a role in these athletes’ training as well – unfortunately).

When examining information on the web, think of context. Ask yourself:

1) Who is this info directed towards?
Athletes? Olympic lifters? Post-op heart attack survivors?

2) What is the author’s area of specialty?
If he’s into Israeli Special Forces training, chances are, his program probably won’t be the most appropriate one for your grandmother. I could be wrong, though.

3) Is the intent of this program/exercise/philosophy in line with my goals?
For example, if you’re looking to lose 40 lbs for your high school reunion, is Mike Mentzer’s Muscles in Minutes program going to help you towards that goal, or is there another program solely dedicated to fat loss?

4) Do I need a PhD in human movement and biomechanics to understand this information?
Chances are, if you find an article like this one, it’s not written with the layperson in mind (but do me a favor and forward it to me – I can’t get enough of this stuff).

5) Can I apply this info in my workouts (or implement this workout) immediately?
If the program doesn’t require you to take 16 hours a day off your feet for “rest and recovery”, if you don’t need to have a “minimum strength of 2.5 times bodyweight”, or if you don’t require “6 weeks of intensive GPP base prior to participation”, you may have found yourself a winner.

Planning Your Comeback.

Q: “How much should I lower my weights after a break in training?”

Well, like everything else in life, the answer is context-specific. How long of a break? What goal are you training towards? What is your level of fitness?

If, like most people, you’re coming back from a week or two in Spain, drinking sangria and nibbling on tapas, then a reduction in training intensity won’t be needed at all. In fact, you may just find that you come back stronger than when you left.

How is this possible?

Planned layoffs are integral to most advanced programs – you’ll seem them in training programs for elite-level athletes, professionals and amateur alike. That’s because coaches and trainers know that after a certain time, the accumulating level of stress being heaped on the body (as an unavoidable by-product of the workouts) will eventually result in the body’s inability to cope – i.e., no more adaptation will occur and you’ll get weaker and less fit, not stronger. By planning in extra time for recovery, you give your body extra time to rebuild itself.

If you overfeed at this time, you may even build muscle during your time off (of course, if your definition of “overfeeding” involves a shovel instead of a spoon, you will likely build more fat than anything else).

So back to the question – how much should you lower weights when resuming a training program?

If your layoff was a week or so and you weren’t peaking for an athletic competition (i.e., “just training”), then you should keep the weight for the first exercise the same. Use your performance on the first exercise to judge the rest of the workout. If you do just as well or better, then keep everything the same. If you do worse, adjust resistances down by 10% or until you are matching your previous workout by reps (or time).

If your layoff was more than 2 weeks and unplanned, it’s a good idea to reduce weights by 20%. No, you won’t be that much weaker, but you will get that much more sore after your first “return” workout.

If you had to take a break due to injury, then, of course, the answers are different. Email me with your situation.

Note: If you are training for a competition or are an elite-level athlete, these recommendations don’t hold true for you. I’d have to look at your training program as a whole to make any useful suggestions.

The Best Way To Get Nowhere Fast.

What’s the most effective method of ensuring that you’ll fail to achieve your fitness goals?

Well, you’re right – by not starting in the first place, i.e., doing nothing.

Touche. You got me there. Ok then, assuming you’re actually doing something, what’s the death knell for results?

A: Not having FOCUS on one thing (which is hopefully the goal you wish to achieve).

I’ve known plenty of people who lost loads of weight on “the wrong program.”

I’ve seen tons of guys get huge by doing “dumb stuff” in the gym.

I’ve personally spoken with top-notch athletes who got to where they are by “eating all wrong, overworking, and doing whatever random exercises their coach drew up for them.”

What separated these individuals from the scads of people who fail is not that they got all the answers right – far from it – but that they all possessed a single-minded desire to achieve their stated goal – their one stated goal.

It’s run a marathon or build 18 inch arms. It’s achieve 5% body fat or win your local tennis organization’s tournament. Not both.

When you try to do too many things at once, a funny thing happens: nothing gets done. Focus on achieving one goal at a time, however, and over time, you will get everything done – one goal at a time.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What fitness goals are you working to achieve?
2. If you have more than one goal, which one are you working on right now?
3. Are you moving in the right direction?

Don’t Fix What’s Not Broken; If It’s Broken, Fix It Right Away!

Above: Very…impressive, but you still shouldn’t vary your workouts just for variety’s sake.

Reading this post on Seth Godin’s blog reminds me of a very good point. As Seth says,

“…if it (a business)* doesn’t work when you’ve got one (location)*, it’s extremely unlikely to work when you have dozens.”

*added by me for clarification

I’m often asked, “How often should I change up my workout?”

The answer? When things stop working. When you’re growing farther away from your goals instead of closer.

There’s a flip side to that coin, of course, which is precisely what Seth was talking about. Being consistent with a flawed workout or nutrition plan may be commendable, but it won’t make any more changes to your physique. In other words, if something is clearly not working, doing it with renewed vigor isn’t going to get you anywhere!

Case in point: An otherwise smart guy, Dr. Robert Arnot, detailed his personal struggle with his diminishing health and performance in the 80s while running and following a high-carb diet. He switched to eating more protein and less pasta and took up strength training, and proceeded to lose fat and gain 30 pounds (!) of muscle in his forties, having been a life-long athlete.

Dr. Arnot should have seen that what he was originally doing wasn’t working for him. In changing his approach, he did the right thing (it took him long enough).

I’ve had many clients over the years approach me with the ambition of running a marathon. One lady in particular said, “I’ve been trying for years to qualify for the NY marathon. Every year, I come close, but by week 13 I develop plantar fasciitis and can’t run for months.” This person is a prime candidate for a goal reevaluation. And, I certainly wouldn’t suggest doubling up on her efforts for next year.

Program variation cheat sheet:

• If your progress stalls (more than 3 workouts in a row), then change your approach.

• If your performance suffers (times, weight lifted, scores), then change your approach.

• If your weight gain/loss hits a standstill (more than one week with no change in any of my 7 indicators), then change your approach.

Otherwise, carry on as you’re doing and continue to squeeze out as much gain from your current program as is possible. Enjoy that ride while it lasts!