I don’t know about you, but I love reading about new training concepts and looking at training programs and protocols. Not only do I like reading about how other trainers and athletes program sets and reps, and exercise progressions and regressions, I love trying to get into the underlying science that supports the program. The more scientifically supported a particular training program is the more interested I become, but that isn’t to say that anecdotal evidence doesn’t also sway my opinion. There’s a reason that I’ve tried a multitude of programs over the years: linear periodization, Starting Strength, Stronglifts 5×5, 5/3/1, Juggernaut 2.0, Conjugate/Westside, etc.
I’m fairly certain this is far from an exhaustive list, and if I were to consider all of the various bodybuilding-style programs that I’ve ripped out of various bodybuilding magazines, I’m sure the list would be significantly longer. I’ve tried to put at least 3 months at a stretch into each of these programs at the least, and in the case of 5/3/1, I’ve put several years into the program. I’ve seen progress made with each one, and have a serious level of respect for the authors of each of these programs.
The problem is that by sampling each of these training methodologies, I’ve almost certainly short changed my long term progress potential. I’m by no means genetically gifted for lifting, and I’m certainly not winning any powerlifting competitions, but I can guarantee that if I’d had the wherewithal to stick with a single program for an extended period of time, that I’d have seen significantly better success on the big lifts.
At the end of the day, as cliche as it sounds, consistency is key.
But it isn’t enough to simply be consistent in training, you need consistency in training style, and training progression. You often hear the phrase, “Practice makes perfect.” And in spirit, I agree with it, but it isn’t accurate enough. The phrase should really be “Perfect practice makes perfect.”
It’s too easy to practice with shit technique, and as evil begets evil, so to does shit technique beget shit technique.
So what happens if you’re constantly changing your training style, and changing the methods of progression? You stop making progress, and you start to lose the potential that you had.
Every program I listed above has some barometer for progress and success.
- With programs like 5/3/1 and Juggernaut, you have rep PRs, where every week and every month you’re trying to beat the number of reps you hit on your top set from prior week/month. Simple and straightforward.
- With the Conjugate/Westside method, you’re trying to beat your 1RM PRs from 6-12 weeks prior, so you’re sticking with the same handful of movements for an extended period of time.
- With linear periodization or 5×5-style programs, you’re trying to complete the prescribed reps and sets with better form than the prior workout.
So where’s the problem? Well, if I start with 5/3/1 and then jump to Juggernaut, there might not be too much of an issue, but maybe after that I make the switch over to a conjugate program. This system is designed around the concept of exercise variation and staying away from the competitive lifts, which the previous 2 programs focus on.
How do I judge my progress now? The answer is that I can’t, I have to now basically reset, and begin anew with a new set of parameters, and a new system of progression to learn and get accustomed to measuring.
Why do I bring this up today? Well, because I’m still guilty of having training ADD, and I’m constantly looking for the next best program, rather than sticking with the one I’m on. It doesn’t help that I don’t have a specific goal in mind with regards to my training, aside from training consistently. This is both good and bad.
It gives me the freedom to simply have fun with my training (that’s the good), but it also gives me the freedom to simply have fun with my training (yeah, that’s also a bad thing).
Anyway, this is just a point that I, and most others, need to keep in mind. It’s good to experiment and it’s good have fun with your training, but it’s also very important to stick with a program for an extended period of time to be able to see the gradual and consistent progress over that time. If you’re going to make a change to a new program, make small changes so you can make the switch in a way that allows you to see that progress occur.
As an example, if I’m working with 5/3/1 and want to switch to conjugate, then I might start using a greater number of variations for my supplemental movement and work up to a 1RM or 3RM rather than doing volume. Or, I might throw in some dynamic squat and dynamic bench on my deadlift and overhead press days.
I’m working with a conjugate system right now, and sometime in the future, I might want to go back to 5/3/1 or Juggernaut. If that happens, then instead of doing dynamic work, I might turn my dynamic lower day into a condensed squat and deadlift workout, and my dynamic upper in a condensed bench press and overhead press workout using the 5/3/1 structure. Or another good option is that my supplemental work will be the big 4 barbell movements. On my ME Lower day, I’ll do my squat/deadlift variation, and then follow up with 5/3/1 squat sets, on ME Upper the same with bench press, DE Lower with deadlift and DE Upper with overhead press.
Anyway, I don’t really know how to end this post, as I’m starting to ramble, but feel free to let me know if you have any thoughts or questions!
Ramble on Fitness 