I have found for myself that if I read more about training programs and schemes, it does not lead to anything good. I am constantly in a dilemma as to which is better and will work better. Which is why I constantly change my training patterns. I can judge which is better, but when there are many good things, my mind leans in one direction or another. Maybe it would have been better if I had come across a working program from the very beginning and followed it for a long time. On the other hand, I get bored very quickly when I do the same thing.
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Same page
And on top of it: talking about T-nation is difficult because it sounds like āTeen Asianā - at least when I pronounce it.
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Now if the target is looking decent in your 30s most programs will work and following a program will help with consistency and measurements
But I can speak soccer as this is something I feel more knowledgable than weight lifting. To put it simply I do not want my central defenders to be training conditioning non stop. The position does not require it. But my central midfielders should be able to run a lot and cover a lot of field. So then you will have to āprescribeā them the program that would work for their goals. I would like my central defenders to hit the weights and run for conditioning, while central midfielders I would want them to run more often and maybe hit the gym once per week, max twice. In that regard it will matter to follow the program.
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Even if my mates were that judgemental of the site - Iād like to think I had enough credibility for them to look into it.
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I didnāt mean to make it personal, itās just that those routines stick out in my mind as Too Much. Half of the dudes who attempt those routines make it a few weeks and then are Never Seen Again.
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I was joking, but 80% of those Iāve tried and burnt out halfway through. So youāre bringing my mind around a little. Maybe I think programming doesnāt matter within a set of parameters. Like @carlbm said above: principles.
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I turn 30 in 6 months. Havenāt used a program yet, probably should. I have made progress, but maybe I could have made more on a program.
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Yes!
Some people need the program to keep it between the ditches. The left ditch is too little, the right ditch is too much. And in the middle is the Goldi-Locks zone of Just Right. Like āGamma Bombā or Alshruās current stuff with 1/4 of the D.E. work of DarkHorse.
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You bring up another good point: just because I like one program from an author doesnāt mean the next one will fit. I think, for me, that speaks back to the boundaries (principles) matter more than the program.
All that said, Iām not very strong. Itās not necessarily a huge goal of mine, but I do wonder what would have happened if Iād followed some of the focused programs as some others on this site.
Full-circle, if Iām the assumption above (+/- a decadeā¦), I donāt think programming mattered that much. If I really wanted to get stronger at this point, it probably would.
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I feel attacked
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Not at all!
You tried it out. You thoroughly documented the whole thing. Then you gave your honest feed back. A great case study!
Like a monkey shot into space, youāve done solid work and helped us all out. You should feel some satisfaction. Maybe a little pride.
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Iām not sure if I appreciate being the monkey shot into space though!
I actually did quite well with PPLx6 but that progress slows down drastically once youāre beyond the intermediate stage. Solid program for newbies and a fair number of intermediates, but youāre definitely not recovering from 5 plate+ deadlifts 2x per week and making progress.
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Sorry man, it was just a Fight Club reference.
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Thatāll teach you to break the first two rules!
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You need to progress in your exercise, you need to train hard, and you need to do that in a way that you donāt get hurt. That will get you the majority of any results if you trained perfectly.
There is a very minimal amount of programming needed to achieve that but it doesnāt have to be complicated.
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INteresting topic! Iād say for peak performance, yes. but most ppl who are actually serious get a coach
For health and staying fit? probably not. Just staying active and lifting some weights sometimes should be enough
I like having a program to āfollowā because I have no idea how to program percentages or rep schemes. Also, Iām too lazy to make my own spreadsheets and do maths to figure out what weights to use.
HOWEVER, I also like to modify the program to make it fit my liking. For example, I might do accessory work in a circuit or supersetted with main work or pick different accessory work, add conditioning work etc
Would I get better results following the program to a T? Probably, but small modifications make it sustainable for me mentally
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The answer to both questions really depends on oneās goals, experiences, and starting point. My answers would be different depending on the particular client/trainee.
In THIS case, Iām keeping my response to, very specifically, the target demographic Train suggested. Iām assuming moderately good health, moderate bodyfat, moderate amount of drive, and little to no actual training experience but maybe some familiarity with the gym. Like maybe the bought a bowflex 8 years ago and use it to dry dish towels now.
For someone to be 30 years old and not in shape, but also want to be in shape and be at the point where theyāre consulting a trainer, I think itās usually going to be fair to say that theyāve at the very least thought about doing it in the past, and maybe even tried/failed before. For someone like that, I think they are absolutely going to be looking for direction, and probably A LOT of it to start off. That type of person needs a program. It could be one they read and just commit to, or it could be one they pay a trainer to lay out for them every week, maybe even go through the workouts with them. But they need guidance and assistance to get started on this path, without question. AND they need to see results before they start doing anything on their own. Otherwise, they wonāt be able to trust the process.
As to the second part: yes, it matters for the reasons several people have mentioned. It has to be a program/training style that suits the individual in terms of effort, time commitment, mindset, etc. If weāre talking about whether any given program has the potential to produce strength/size gains just from a physical standpointā¦ yea, there are plenty that could work for lots of people. But a good trainer knows that two people may look exactly the same, perform similarly, have the same goals, and need two completely different programs to suit their mentality, and keep them coming back. Thatās extremely important, and I think bad trainers donāt understand this. The real key to changing someoneās life through the gym is teaching them how to commit to the lifestyle, and making it a positive experience. For ME, pressure worked really well. Hard work, challenging myself with heavy weights, etc. That doesnāt work for most people. Most people would feel like shit after a few heavy sessions and quit forever. But for me, I NEEDED that early on to feel like I was going to make progress in the direction I wanted to go. I may not have stuck with it if I wasnāt pushing heavy singles and triples on a regular basis from my first year of training. I canāt tell you how many times I benched 135 for sets of less than 5 when I started out, just because I wanted to be able to use āa plateā on bench.
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You took the scenario I described and went a completely different direction than me. I like it! Valid reasoning, too. I kind of ignored that our 30-year-old canāt simultaneously already know whatās heās doing to the point heāll automatically do something effective and be lost to the point heās totally floundering with no idea what to do.
This is a fun topic, all. I really like the different thought processes. I think weāre boiling down to: a lot of routes work, but you need to have some level of map. Weāre coming from different perspectives, though, which is cool.
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For sure. I know that in my own experience, I was able to just read (mostly articles here when I started) and gain training insight, and apply it for myself. And then eventually youtube helped, etc. I never needed to hire a trainer. But I know thatās pretty rare too. Iāve trained at A LOT of gyms over the years, ranging from the most casual atmosphere (think Planet Fitness) to hardcore strongman/powerlifting/bodybuilding gyms, and Iāve been everywhere in between. All of that definitely influences my own perspective.
Iām sure youāve shared this before, but how/where do you train?
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