Keep Your Eyes On The Prize

When most are introduced to the fitness industry, especially in regards to strength training, bodybuilding and general fitness, most crash head-on with a Mack Truck full of information overload.  The typical enthusiast has been exposed to thousands of ads for overhyped supplements through all forms of media; magazines, the internet and television, just to name a few.

Then we have the word-of-mouth communication that’s merely information someone got from someone else.  As the message is passed along, it typically evolves into something completely different than the original idea communicated.

For many, fitness and strength training is merely a hobby; for a few, it’s a competitive sport.  However, for a lot more, it’s become a complicated and frustrating endeavor.  Most develop an interest in this lifestyle because they desire to improve their health or change their body in a positive manner.  During the educational process, there’s often a plethora of viewpoints, ideas and dogmas a person has to sift through in order to find The Truth.  The sad reality is many never find it, and give up on a pursuit that has potential to change their life in many ways.

For the most part, the rules are simple.  Anyone can become stronger, leaner and in better shape than their current state – even advanced athletes.  There’s always room for growth and improvement in some form or fashion.

When I was younger, I wish I had access to the information that’s shaped my current views.  I would have been able to sidestep many of the errors I’ve made along the way in my personal fitness journey.  After lots of trial and error, my entire outlook changed when I developed a long-term approach and thought process that was congruent with where I currently am and where I wished to be.

Today, let’s dig into some information that, if you take to heart, could help you progress at a much faster rate as opposed to the common wheel-spinning often associated with the shotgun, trial-and-error approach.

The Rules Have Not Changed

Regardless of whether you’re a strength athlete or a bodybuilder, your training program and philosophy is what makes or breaks your success.  As we ponder the biggest and strongest athletes, there’s obviously something they’ve all done correctly.  Somewhere down the road, they either got really lucky or simply made the right choices.  I believe it was the latter.

First off, let’s go back in time and take a look at the famous Reg Park and Steve Reeves.  In my opinion, and I’m sure many others will agree, these guys attained near-perfect physiques.  Their training was hardly to be considered “bodybuilding training” for today’s standards and they were THE bodybuilders of their day.

Instead of a typical body part split, these guys did full-body work in the low(er) rep ranges.  Ever heard of the timeless 5×5 training?  These guys were all about it.

As time passed, different methodologies gained popularity – high intensity training that consisted of both low volume and low frequency all the way up to what’s known as German Volume Training where projectile vomiting almost always ensued post-leg training.

The main point it this: while there are a few different ways to skin a cat, the rules have not changed.  The most muscular guys are almost always the strongest – they’re the ones who’ve put in the time, effort and simply made things happen, which leads me to my next point.

How come some seem to build a hefty amount of strength and mass while others continue on with mediocre results at best?

Paralysis by Analysis

Any time a person becomes eager to learn something new and make significant progress, the process of self-study is typically soon to follow.  While taking the time to learn and develop is every shade of wonderful, it can come back to bite us in the rump if we forget to practice some caution.

Especially for the beginner, and hell, even the seasoned intermediate; there will likely come a time when one begins their search for the ideal training split or the perfect nutritional guidelines.  You can find these individual’s wasting their spare time on message boards, in magazines and their evenings will often extend past the midnight hour scouring other forms of media in hopes of garnering the information necessary to propel them into their next phase of strength or bodybuilding training.

While education is absolutely wonderful and pertinent, sometimes we know too much for our good.  Sometimes the plethora of data we attempt to absorb can put a damper on our ability to make a sound decision.

“Do I train more frequently or should I rest most often?”  “Will doing deadlifts earlier in the week help or hinder my progress on my squat workout on Friday?”  “What if I mix chocolate milk in my protein shake post workout as opposed to waxy maize and hydro whey; will I still produce an anabolic effect?”

While these questions might seem silly to some, they are just a small sample of what’s going on through the minds of those looking to “get things right.”

Therefore, since we already have many tried and true principles that are proven to produce results for both hypertrophy training and strength training, there’s no need to be confused or to be misguided.  Simply look back on what’s worked in the past and what’s producing results for the majority.  Chances are, if it worked for them, it will work for you too.

If full-body, 5×5 training was sufficient for the greats who were indeed very advanced for their time, why does someone who’s only been training a few years need to adopt an incredibly complex split to produce similar results?  There’s one answer – they don’t.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, it’s important to know where you’re going.  The only way to get from point A to point B is through a simple process of setting very many small goals that eventually create huge results.

Just remember these goals must be both achievable for you and of course they must be realistic for the time frame and your personal expectations.

Goal-Setting for the Physique-Conscious

While I wish this muscle and strength building process took only a few short weeks or that we could pop a pill and wake up the size of Jay Cutler, I’m afraid those ideas are nothing but lustful infatuations.

What we must realize is while this road will have its fair share of bumps, bruises and periods where you get royally pissed off at your rate of progress, it’s certainly a pursuit worthy of your time and hard work – I promise.

The problem I notice most frequently is a lack of goals or purpose.  What’s your reason for training? You should be utterly honest with your answer.  Do you wish to compete as a bodybuilder?  Do you have aspirations to set a local powerlifting record? Or do you simply want to impress your girlfriend?  Regardless of your reasons, I encourage you to figure them out.  Once you know what you’re training for, you can begin to think about what you’d like to accomplish.

The first step in the goal setting process is deciding exactly what it is you’d like to do.  In order to bench press twice your body weight, you must first assess your current situation.  How far have you come and how far do you have to go?  Is it realistic to add 60 pounds to your bench press in six weeks or six months?

What happens after you reach your goal?  Do you continue making progress, aiming for another believable benchmark or do you actually regress for lack of training-related goals?

The second step is to think about oneself as an individual.  How are you built?  Do you naturally carry a decent amount of lean body mass?  Are you naturally skinny with small joints?  Have you recently shed a lot of body fat and are consumed with worry about the possibility regaining the weight?  Are you a Former Fat Boy?

You’ll have to make an honest, objective judgment about your goals and how realistic they are for you.  If you’re naturally skinny and have a smaller-than-average skeletal structure, competing as a bodybuilder on the pro level might not be completely realistic for you.  Is it possible?  Sure, it’s possible but only with time and proper training will you ever know.

If you’re prone to gaining lots of body fat rather quickly, the buffet-everyday approach to gaining muscle mass is probably not in your best interest.

Finally, after you’ve set your goals and know where you’re going, there’s one more thing you’ll need to implement.  This part is where the work is truly required.

Develop your Plan and Plan to Develop

By this point, you should be familiar with this recipe for success.  Sound training + ample time + adequate rest and nutrition = your success in building radical strength and muscle mass.

Now, for the fun part – it’s time to pick your plan of attack.

If you’ve got some ideas for your training – hold them in comparison to those in the past who’ve built great physiques.  What did they do?  Take into account their training history, and body type; then model what they’re doing.

How much time do you have to train?  How much time do you want to spend in the gym?

Pick a routine that’s worked for many.  The 5×5 variations are great for strength and size.  Many of the upper/lower split variations are equally impressive.  If you’re goal is to create a training effect each and every workout, HCT-12 is also a fine choice.

Next, focus more of your effort on the big picture (your goals, getting stronger, eating well, maintaining good health and life balance) as opposed to the minutiae and minor details.  There’s no need to worry about whether or not you’re eating too much protein in one meal or if you miss a workout due to the occasional family or work-related obligation.

After you’ve chosen your plan of attack and have decided to make things happen, it’s time to create some benchmarks.  Going through life without any way to measure progress is like walking blindfolded from France to Jamaica – you’re never going to get there.

Determine some challenging, yet achievable checkpoints you’d like to measure yourself with every 2-3 months.  If your chin-ups are weak and you set a goal to do 20 reps with your body weight, give yourself a deadline and then test how much better you are in 8-12 weeks.  If you started out only doing 5 or 6 and end up doing 17-18 during your testing period, you may not have reached your actual goal but you’ve made a ton of progress.  Your original goal won’t be but a few weeks away, if that.

The same ideology applies to all aspects of your training – the most important part is to remain objective and realistic.  If something’s not working, it’s time for a change.  If you’ve been on the same routine for 6 months and are still progressing, there’s no need to change it up.  In other words, don’t try to fix what isn’t broken.

In the end, reaching your goals is all about maintaining a long-term perspective as well as a practical approach.

Figure out what you want, create a plan to get there and most importantly, keep your eyes on the prize.