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Working out vs Training (or why you’re killing yourself and getting poor results)

I recently saw a comment on a social media page that got me thinking, the conversation went a bit like this:

X: I’m not able to do heavy squats at my current gym.

Y: I know, it sucks not being able to do your big lifts bro!

Z: Why don’t you guys just modify your workout, it’s not such a big deal!

I’m happy to report that X and Y got to do their big lifts, but it got me thinking about ‘Z’s’ response. When two big strong dudes (and I know both have heavier than 2 x bodyweight high bar back squats and +2.5 x bodyweight deadlifts) like these talk about ‘training’ you tend to listen, especially if your idea of a heavy weight is vinyl and comes in varying shades of pink.

X and Y have goals, they want to be as strong as they can be under a certain weight and to be strong they have to lift big. And because they both apply discipline to training AND nutrition, not only are they big and strong, they look athletic. They look athletic because they have to stay under a certain weight, they need to balance out strength and bodyweight.

These two have a plan, and because they work the plan, they get the results. Also, X is a woman (bet most of you never saw that one coming bro!).

The plan that X and Y follow combines nutrition and training. Training consists of a periodised programme that haspeaks and troughs of intensity. This means that they have ‘easy’ days, ‘medium’ days and ‘hard’ days. They also have planned recovery. On an easy day they sometimes barely break a sweet in the gym and hard days can take them days to recover from (fatigue is more than just sore muscles, we have to consider things like the nervous system).

They work the plan and they get the results. One of the side effects of training properly like this is that they get to have more ‘fun’ with their nutrition. Because they are strong, they need to eat more, and so long as they eat within a certain range of food stuffs (eggs, bacon, steaks, fruit, dairy are all allowed) they can get a lot of gourmet nutrition. [A side effect of all this is that they get to eat ice cream twice a week. They both have ‘big engines’ and can easily ‘burn off’ a some Cornish Full Fat Ice Cream made with real cream.]

Now, let’s talk about Z. Z is the victim of the fitness-industrial-complexes media assault. She wishes that she looked like X, and believes that if only she could drink a few less glasses of red at the weekend and put the Lindt down before finishing the box, that she would. She believes the hype about lots of cardio being the route to looking good. When X decides to have a ‘cheeky chocolate’ she can get away with it, because she packs a lot of lean muscle mass and can do three chin ups. One little chocolate barely registers against the backdrop of a V8 engine. Z has also been brainwashed by the fitness-industrial-complex to possess the Neanderthal belief that if she lifts heavy weights she’ll end up looking like Lou Ferrigno.

Incroyable Hulk

Also, Z doesn’t have a plan other than ‘go to the gym and get sweaty/feel the burn!’. It doesn’t matter what she’s doing, she will jump from workout to workout, wondering why she’s not getting any closer to the physique of X. In this instant Z is most likely using exercise as a form of therapy to feel better about herself. This is, kind of, a type of near-instant gratification. Go to gym, get sweaty, feel better about oneself (dopamine is a wonderful thing). X and Y know that by delaying gratification, they can get better results (and a higher ‘final level’ of personal achievement). Also, they don’t feel trashed, broken and guilty all the time.

So, yes. It is a big deal if you can’t follow the plan. Sure, from time-to-time we need to adapt. Work and life throw us a curve-ball and we need to switch training days. Or maybe we’re short on time, someone is using the kit we need and so we do heavy dumbell goblet squats instead of barbell front squats. But these are band aids and in some cases can actually be an nice change of pace/stimulus. Regardless of whether we decide to use barbells, kettlebells, dumbells, sandbags or bodyweight are our primary training modality, the most important thing we can do is to follow a consistent and well designed training plan.

So in essence:

  • Decide the goal.
  • Determine your starting point.
  • Plan the path.
  • Walk the path.
  • Mission accomplished!

Lift big, eat smart, move well, be strong!

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