When I was reading this morning, I saw a blog post that listed five reasons you are not seeing results. As I was reading the post it got me thinking. I have over 10 years experience in the field of training. Most of the guys that we come in contact with are baseball players. Most of the guys that we talk to are having similar training issues. The one thing all of these guys have in common is they're all trying to get better.
I wouldn't disagree with anything the post came up with, but I would say a lot of the guys that we see have been struggling with something different.
The fall is an exciting time for us at Athletes In Motion because it gives us an opportunity to work with a lot of new guys for the first time. During our initial assessment, one thing we learn about is what they’ve been struggling with in the past. Here is a list of some of the common issues:
1. Poor programming If you are on a program that you got out of a magazine or from the football coach in high school, then you are on the wrong program. Similarly, if you haven’t had an assessment, you are on the wrong program. What kind of results do you expect to get from someone else's training program?
2. Your diet sucks If your morning starts out with a bowl of cereal, your diet sucks. A lot of kids we initially meet, aren't getting enough protein in their diet. How serious are you really if you're skipping meals? Don't tell me you eat like a horse when I see that you’re stuffed after eating just half a sandwich. Don't tell me you're serious about getting better if you're skipping meals. The fact is, you aren't getting enough protein. The first thing you need to do is fix your diet. If you are 6 feet tall and 140 pounds, I’m talking about you. Find out what works. Get help. Plan ahead. Learn to snack. Get creative. If you are serious, you'll do what it takes.
3. No regression First of all, I’m gonna say this, I've been working in gyms for a long time. I spent about 15 years in a gym before I opened AIM. As a member, trainer, and also a manager. I've seen what people do when they're left on their own. It was not uncommon for me to see guys try to learn how to squat under a fairly significant load. One problem with this is that they’ve learn how to do these exercises from their friends, who had learned from other friends, who had learned them from either a magazine or an old football coach. You can imagine the results. We call it the blind leading the blind. But the bigger problem here is that these guys are so concerned about progressing the program or exercise (i.e., squatting under a significant load) and not at all concerned about regressing it (i.e., squatting under less weight to ensure the mechanics are good).
4. You've been strengthening dysfunction If your movement patterns are faulty and you progressively add resistance, you are part of the problem, not part of the solution. It’s imperative you fix the movement pattern before you add weight otherwise you're asking for big trouble. A lot of times this is more of the blind leading the blind. If you don't have somebody looking at your movement patterns and you're a newbie, then you’re an injury waiting to happen.
5. No deload This can play into the poor programming department but regardless, if you constantly load and never deload, you're asking for trouble. I saw it all the time when I was at gyms. People will progressively load more and more weight week after week without thinking about taking a week off. Not only is this a good way to get hurt but it’s also a good way to stop making gains after a period of time. So how do you deload and when? Well there are several different options available and depending on different factors, one way might be more appropriate for you than the others. A good program will have this built in for you.
