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A little light reading on a Saturday morning.

This is something we come across quite often on this particular forum maybe not so much now...where young and old find a program and try to do it to the letter, without any consideration to their lifestyle, as I've said before find something you enjoy getting results from and it will work for a long time, the following is from Dr Ken Liestner, I've read all his stuff, but this is the first time I've read this, it's so relevant.


One of the problems that many PL USA readers have is the tendency to latch on to a training philosophy that they really aren't committed to. This is easier to do than one might first believe, even for experienced trainees. If one's training is not going well, or as well as anticipated when beginning a new program, it is easy to look at a new layout, transpose oneself into the training environment of the author of what appears to be a well written schedule, and then assume that the training program will work just as well as it has for a champion or up and coming lifter.



The lifting world is full of good information. The trick is to understand that while much of it is beneficial, it might not be beneficial for you in particular, or you at this particular time. This includes, of course, any information that my own columns might hold.


Louie Simmons, Doug Daniels, and I, as obvious examples, have had many, many articles in PL USA. As a long time friend of Mike Lambert, I have had the longest standing column in the magazine. When you read Louie, Doug, and me every month, it's easy to think that we know what we're talking about, even when the three of us have diverging viewpoints and philosophies. It is my opinion that Doug offers very solid, useful, beneficial information monthly and not just for beginning or lower level lifters. His stuff is generally very good and very applicable for any lifter. Louie, of course, is a genius. While I don't agree with all, or at times, many of his ideas, he is the sport's "tinkerer," it's innovator, it's shining light in terms of pushing the envelope on varied training ideas and obviously, looking at the results he gets, he has the horses to prove his theories. I'm a traditional guy who pushes the basics and lots of grit and determination. From the three of us, as well as the monthly contributions of the various lifters in the program of the month and via the interviews, there's a lot of training information that one can choose from.


Many lifters change their program and worse, their entire philosophy, month to month, depending upon what they read in the magazine. Common sense would dictate that this just isn't going to work and yield optimal results. First, look at the situation realistically. Yes, strive to be a world champion, but if it just isn't there, aim to be the best you can be -- which is the ultimate goal anyway.


How many days training per week is realistic? Think about work hours and responsibilities, school, what it takes in time and energy to fulfill family responsibilities. Right off the bat, if you're working a nine-to-five, five or six days a week, forget training five days per week. Realistically, it's not going to happen, not productively. If you're married, and especially with children, time with the family comes first, or at least it should. I'm sure the divorce rate is higher among lifters than the national average, unfortunately.


If the job requires a great deal of travel time and it is impossible to set up a home gym, training may be sporadic and a program to be done "exactly as written" will not work, not if you're in a different city each week, or more than once per week with varying hours.


If you don't have the patience to do a program that calls for a lot of calculation, such as a percentage based routine, then don't make yourself uncomfortable mentally and attempt it.


If you know yourself, and understand that doing the squat once per week and deadlift once per week "just isn't you," that you want and need more time in the gym for whatever reason, don't attempt a "simple, Leistner type" program.


If you don't enjoy, or previous injuries won't allow a lot of dumbbell or other work, don't choose a training philosophy that requires a great deal of assistance work.


If you're sold that power rack work is the way to go, either as the primary part or an off season program or as an adjunct to what you now do, make sure you have regular access to a rack!


Let's face it, all of my above statements are self evident, but I am never, ever shocked at anything I hear or the mail I receive. The following is more typical than not (believe it or not):


Lifter: I really think I would get stronger doing partials in a rack, but I don't have a home gym and the gyms near me don't have a power rack.


Doc Leistner: Is there any way you can build or otherwise get access to a rack?


Lifter: No way.


Doc: Okay then, do the best you can do using heavy boxes or crates for partial pulls or deadlifts and maybe some chains hanging from the rafters to do partial presses, benches, and squats.


Lifter: No, you don't understand. I can't have any weights where I live, there's just no way it can be done, and the gym would never allow the chains hung from their ceiling.


Doc: Okay, then do the partial deadlifts as you can and do other things using reliable spotters for any other limited range work.


Lifter: With my work shifts I can't keep training partners.


Doc: You don't and can't have a rack, don't have training partners, and otherwise can't do the stuff you would do in a rack, right?


Lifter: Right.


Doc: Fine, then you'll have to do other exercises.


Lifter: Yeah, but I want to build my program around rack work.




This is a normal conversation? Use your common sense. Do the things you know have been successful in the past, that are comfortable and safe to work hard on for you, and that can be done on the equipment that is available to you. Train in accordance with your responsibilities and energy levels, the time you have, and then do so as intensely as possible.


Don't be a fool and drive yourself nuts!



 
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I choose or devise a program where I can train everyday if I choose to or have a rest day when I choose to. I dont like training more than 60-70 mins.
Also I reserve the right to change anytime I want. ?
 
I choose or devise a program where I can train everyday if I choose to or have a rest day when I choose to. I dont like training more than 60-70 mins.
Also I reserve the right to change anytime I want. [emoji2]

Similar here.
 
It all sounds good, but for someone that thinks a little different (me for example), things like the above make it even more confusing rather than adding clarity.

Here is the Section I am referring to:

It is my opinion that Doug offers very solid, useful, beneficial information monthly and not just for beginning or lower level lifters. His stuff is generally very good and very applicable for any lifter. Louie, of course, is a genius. While I don't agree with all, or at times, many of his ideas, he is the sport's "tinkerer," it's innovator, it's shining light in terms of pushing the envelope on varied training ideas and obviously, looking at the results he gets, he has the horses to prove his theories.

So in your opinion, the things Doug talks about are beneficial and useful. However, at the same time you do not agree with all, or at times many of his ideas.

So here is my problem.

1000 workout programs to choose from. Everyone believes everyone has useful information even if they (like in this case) they themselves don't agree with it. Since it is not agreed upon, then it is can not be useful. All it does is add confusion.

1 guy says this, the other guy says that, someone else says something else, they all say its all useful but none agree with the other.

So what the hell?

If it was good and useful you would agree with it. So there must be a reason why you dont agree with it, making it perhaps not useful information.

So then the person reading (myself in this case), wonders what program would be best suited... I mean, physiology is physiology, what stimulates muscle, stimulates muscle, what works, must work. Its not like those things are totally different.

So really there should be a simple program that everyone agrees on because the body works the way the body works and therefor there is no need to add 1000 programs out there just to confuse the hell out of beginners.

Instead, theres 100000000 things to choose from, nobody agrees with anyone, and then they expect people who are new to just randomly choose 1 out of a million and hope he is not wasting his time because he just managed to pick the right one...

I mean... stuff like that does more harm than good.

Give me one program, not confusing, give me 10000 programs, and then say everyones is good but you don't agree with theirs... and them all saying the same thing... who do I believe then?

I wanna go into a Gym and do what works, most efficiently with the fastest gains NOT stuff around for years trying to figure out what works, what doesn't, what wasted a lot of my time, what could of been more efficient etc.

Little hard to make that decision when theres 10000s of things available and nobody agrees with anyone. So which one is efficient and which is a waste of my time?

Can you see the point?
 
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Gman
anyone (a beginner) can increase their strength at an incredible rate using a simple generic plan, what he's telling you is don't change your philosophy too quickly before considering your lifestyle, don't just change because of what you have read, don't go out and buy stuff you don't need.
 
Where most programs fall down is commitment, it would be silly for me to pick something that requires 5 days a week of 1.5hrs when there is no chance of me sparing the time and less chance of being able to actually do it due to recovery constraints.

People's inherent bias must be taken into consideration when accepting advice (apart from the obvious re: diet and base training principles) but at the end of the day the article makes an excellent point regarding deciding how your lifestyle fits with the requirements of a training program and far too many people are looking at the next program rather than the one they are currently on.

I make short term goals because I'm very much a forest/trees guy, it takes some effort to ignore what might happen in 6 months instead of 6 weeks but I'm enjoying short term thinking for a long term game and there would be no point committing to a program that requires more time than I have to give.

Everyone responds differently, blanket recommendations and N=1 data should be disregarded.
 
Where most programs fall down is commitment, it would be silly for me to pick something that requires 5 days a week of 1.5hrs when there is no chance of me sparing the time and less chance of being able to actually do it due to recovery constraints.

People's inherent bias must be taken into consideration when accepting advice (apart from the obvious re: diet and base training principles) but at the end of the day the article makes an excellent point regarding deciding how your lifestyle fits with the requirements of a training program and far too many people are looking at the next program rather than the one they are currently on.

I make short term goals because I'm very much a forest/trees guy, it takes some effort to ignore what might happen in 6 months instead of 6 weeks but I'm enjoying short term thinking for a long term game and there would be no point committing to a program that requires more time than I have to give.

Everyone responds differently, blanket recommendations and N=1 data should be disregarded.


Here is is one out of two that actually seems to understand
A well thought out response, thanks.
 
1000 workout programs to choose from. Everyone believes everyone has useful information even if they (like in this case) they themselves don't agree with it. Since it is not agreed upon, then it is can not be useful. All it does is add confusion.

1 guy says this, the other guy says that, someone else says something else, they all say its all useful but none agree with the other.

So what the hell?

If it was good and useful you would agree with it. So there must be a reason why you dont agree with it, making it perhaps not useful information.

So then the person reading (myself in this case), wonders what program would be best suited... I mean, physiology is physiology, what stimulates muscle, stimulates muscle, what works, must work. Its not like those things are totally different.

So really there should be a simple program that everyone agrees on because the body works the way the body works and therefor there is no need to add 1000 programs out there just to confuse the hell out of beginners.

Maybe the salient point is that it is not so much what, but just that you are doing something (and then how you perform that something). But there are, as you said, many different programming options, and while you travel the long path which is looking for that routine which is perfect for you, the most important thing is that you continue to do what you think is best at the time along the way. You will realise that every different strategy is a trade off of some sort, and as your training needs change over time you will realise that there is no holy grail program and what you need is the program that best suits your needs and ability at that point in time. The single biggest factor in building size or strength is consistent activity over time. A crappy program performed well will give you 100% more gains than no program.
 
The salient point for me is; it's all blues man, just variations.

a lift a day versus a full body every two days versus a 1 1/2 hour split is going to garner similar results if you put in the effort and intensity of work.
 
The salient point for me is; it's all blues man, just variations.

a lift a day versus a full body every two days versus a 1 1/2 hour split is going to garner similar results if you put in the effort and intensity of work.

Over the long term.

Isn't that basically what I said?
 
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You bloody weirdos, I'm just saying what I got out of it

im personally just a dumb fuck who likes to keep things simple, lifting ratios, %, splits, supplements and all that is too complicated for me, hell I even lose count of rep's.

speaking of which, I had this young bloke going through a workout, and in most cases I lose track of reps, I realized I get so focused on the rep making sure they do it right.
i told him to just focus on the rep, maintain the 2-1-4 speed, constant tension....which frees me up to count and motivate.
he said it was the hardest workout he's had to date.
 
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