March 1, 2007

Too Much Too Soon Can Slow Your Progress Down

In this section, we usually write about effective workout routines as well as unique, valuable exercises. However, while those items are certainly important, one thing that can’t be neglected is how you implement all of this into your regular training program. After all, there’s not one magic routine or a special exercise that will help get you into spectacular shape; rather, it’s a long-term process that involves creating a carefully constructed workout routine using proper exercises that are right for your body and your stage of development. Therefore, it’s important not only to know what to do, but what you’re ready for as well.

One common mistake I see time and time again that actually impedes progress is trying to do more than your body is capable of – perhaps it’s trying to do too many exercises and sets, maybe it’s a routine that’s too strenuous, or maybe it’s something else. Whatever the case, this error occurs most often with beginners, but it also happens to those who have some training experience and are just starting at it again after a rest or a layoff.

For example, the other day a woman showed me a weight-training routine that a "personal trainer" had made up for her. It was fine, I guess – for someone with many years of training experience and who might even compete! It was an advanced split-type routine that involved many sets and exercises. However, this woman had just started working out and was certainly not in the kind of shape necessary to tackle it. She’s a beginner! I have no idea what her trainer was even thinking when he or she put that kind of routine together. Not only can a routine like that be dangerous for a novice, it will more than likely overtrain the person, resulting in little, if any, progress.

Similarly, I recently observed someone come back to the gym after an extended layoff. The results of his break showed – he looked quite rested, but he wasn’t in the same kind of shape or condition that he was in before he left the gym. However, the day he started back, he tried to jump right into the same kind of workout routine that he was doing before he left. What a disaster! He was weak and shaky, so, obviously, it didn’t take long before he started to get frustrated with the way his workout was going, since he could not lift nearly as much weight as he used to, nor did he have the stamina anymore.

In both of these cases, four words sum up the problem: Too much too soon. The remedy, mind you, is strikingly simple: start slowly and work your way up to where you can partake in advanced-type routines like these. It seems obvious enough, but, for some reason, it’s advice that’s often neglected – and I think I know why.

I believe that it stems from the common misconception that if you do more, you get more. It’s the way North American culture works. For example, if you work longer hours, you usually earn more money. If you study harder, you’ll likely do better in an exam. So, people apply the same logic to going to the gym, thinking that if they do more in the gym, they’ll make faster progress. As a result, beginners are doing advanced routines, and people who have a certain amount of training experience think they should be able to jump right back into things after they’ve taken a long break. It’s all in an effort to get back into shape quickly.

However, your body doesn’t work that way. Moreover, the correlation between length of time in the gym and results achieved has long been dispelled. Quite simply, training for longer doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get better results. Furthermore, this isn’t only true for beginners and people who have taken a break from exercise, but for in-shape folks too. In fact, in July of 2005 I wrote about this topic in an article called "Sometimes Less is More," which I recommend you read if you’re interested in this concept – it might surprise you.

Progress in the gym is an evolutionary thing that takes place over quite a long period of time – it doesn’t happen overnight. Therefore, what you want to do is improve slowly, nudging your body ahead to make improvements instead of trying to do it all in one day. For beginners, or those returning after a long break, that usually means starting out with a limited number of exercises, as well as sets per exercise, and working your way up from there, trying to make a little bit of progress with each and every workout. It’s no more complicated than that.

There are many ways to implement a program like this, but I believe one of the best is the Vince Gironda-prescribed novice routine that I wrote about at the very beginning of 2005 in an article called "Starting Out Sensibly: A Beginner’s Workout Routine." Gironda was a master at getting people into shape fast. He was also one of the first to realize that less, not more, was the way to achieve the best results. In fact, he believed that the best physique champions of the future would train for less time, not more! Once again, he was right.

So, even if you’re tempted to jump into an advanced routine thinking that it’s going to get you into shape quicker, think again. Too much too soon won’t get you there any faster. In fact, it will likely slow your progress down so much that you might not even get there at all. Be smart, train safely, and concentrate on making your progress gradually over a reasonable amount of time. That’s not only the key to short-term progress, but long-term success as well.

...Doug Schneider
das@seriousaboutfitness.com

• Go Back