Consistent Change Means Consistent Gains
Written by: Matt Marshall, PharmD.
In the fitness world, your body is the lab and you are the scientist. As in any scientific setting – its necessary to run experiments, not just to collect data or make advancements, but because it’s fun and keeps things exciting.
But say the experimentation stops – and we are just running the same exact “experiment” over and over again. If you’ve ever taken a chemistry class you know exactly what this is like. After awhile, we are just going through the motions, expending time and effort for the exact same data and the exact same yield. Just as this accomplishes next to nothing in the lab, it’s the same damn thing if your experimentation takes place in the gym.
The point of the analogy is so, so often (and I’m as guilty as they come with this one too), life gets busy, we stop making adjustments to our workout routine, our diet, etc… and we start to stall out until we’ve been plateaued for who knows how long.
Whatever goal we started with may have gone out the window entirely – or was even accomplished and never updated with a fresh one. For whatever the reason – we’re putting in effort without any return on investment.
It’s adapt or die as they say – and a drawn-out plateau is the exact opposite of adapting. What we have then is an erroneous process when ultimately; we all started working out to get faster, stronger, or healthier in some way, right?
Maybe you aren’t there yet, and that’s outstanding. Let’s keep it that way.
The next time you’re at the gym though, consider some fresh goals. It doesn’t have to be new years to make a resolution to improve yourself in some way. Even if you are already following a program, consider some ways to build a little and maybe tighten up some weaknesses.
Examples? How about the most common one – flexibility. Quit being lazy, read up on some stretches, and spend a meager 5 minutes every day working on it. Watch your lifts and your mobility reap the rewards.
Hate cardio? Haven’t done it in a few years? Do it anyway.
Break up the monotony in your lifting routine, and perform some exercises you don’t normally do, even if it’s on a deloading day. The variety will keep your body guessing, keep plateaus at bay, and you may find you start seeing the gym as something more than just a grind again.
Remember, your goals don’t have to be lofty. The point of experimentation is to yield new data and results that you can apply to whatever your main goals may be. Here’s an example: you don’t have to stretch until you’re Jean Claude Van Damme – but maybe just enough to get your squats a little deeper and more comfortable. Do this often enough and you’ll find that it comes full circle when more comfort with no weight translates to more comfort with big weight.
Flexibility goals may not even be an issue for you, and that’s alright. Identify the areas where you are stuck, and you’ll find that the process remains applicable.
Cover Photo by ŞULE MAKAROĞLU on Unsplash
