One Training Mistake That I Used To Make That Could Be Costing You Progress
Have you ever spent a significant amount of time weight training and not seen much change in your performance or how you look?
Everything was staying more or less the same day-to-day, week-to-week, month-to-month?
If so, you're not alone.
There was a time in my life when I was stagnant in the progress I was seeing inside the gym. I wasn't achieving any breakthroughs or positive changes in my performance. It was disheartening and made me question if what I was doing was right.
What I came to find out was I was spending the majority of my time with the weights accumulating what's called junk volume.
Junk volume is work done in the gym that doesn't provide any value, it's a waste of time and energy.
Work done in the gym, measured by volume, is calculated by multiplying sets x reps x load. For example, performing 4 x 8 with 45lbs. on a Goblet Squat exercise totals a total volume of 1,440lbs.
How and why does particular work we do weight training become considered junk? Isn't any work I do worthwhile?
How Junk Volume Is A Waste Of Time And Energy
Not all work done in the gym is created equal.
This is because what we ultimately want from our time spent lifting heavy things, moving quickly, jumping, and crawling is an adaptation response.
A positive adaptation occurs when just the right amount of stress is applied to the system so that the body can absorb and utilize the stress to create a general adaptation response.
This happens when we hit that sweet spot where we push our limits AND follow that up with proper recovery. This creates an outcome where if that same stress was applied to us again (say, 4 x 8 with 45lbs.), our body is better prepared to deal with that stressor.
This is best demonstrated through the graph below.
The blue line: Too little stimulus
The green line: Just right
The red line: Too much
Most times, junk volume is spending too much time in the gym with the blue line.
Yes, you're working.
Yes, you may be breaking a sweat.
Yes, you are spending energy.
However, you are not challenging your body enough to get it to respond positively. It's simply too low of a stimulus to drive a response by the body to adapt.
This phenomenon is also not unique to the gym. This was first explored by Hungarian Scientist and Researcher Hans Seyle, who today is known as the father of stress theory.
He experimented with rats in search of how the poison could be applied in small, progressively increasing amounts to develop a higher resistance to it. This, in theory, would allow the rats to be exposed to a high dose of poison over time that, if exposed to initially, would kill the rat.
What he found was that by starting with smaller doses and giving the rats time to fatigue, recover, and then adapt to the stress - they were in fact able to handle higher doses of the poison over time.
This applies directly to the gym by how much stress you apply to your body via volume.
The trick is in the balance and the timing.
Why Junk Volume Is A Waste Of Time And Energy
Let's say you've been working out for 8 weeks, and, over that period you haven't made much, if any, progress. This could be continuing to do 3 x 10 with 30lbs. on a Goblet Squat for weeks on end.
Your body would have adapted to that stressor in a week or two. Any more time sticking around that weight for that amount of work is no longer creating the adaptation response, so it would be considered junk volume. (There is nuance here when it comes to advanced lifters, they are working with a different approach which I won't dive into today).
Why is this a cause for concern? Why should you be alarmed if you are this person?
Easy. Your body will not change.
You won't get any stronger.
You won't build muscle for better function and movement.
Your appearance won't change.
Your pain and discomfort won't lessen or subside.
You will not see progress.
This should fire you up to want to make strides in the gym! There are so many people that before I worked with them, were living in this zone of boredom and stagnation.
Bonus: What If You're The Opposite?
The truth of the matter is, that not everyone makes the mistake of living in the blue!
For some, their issue is spending too much time in the red, overtraining, and overexposing themselves to stressors that lead to pain, discomfort, and injury.
The thing is, these individuals deal with the same lack of progress as those who do too little.
So, naturally, the solution remains the same - managing and applying the proper amount of volume - only this time, trying not to overdo it.
We're continuously working with our clients inside the gym, both those too much in the blue and too often in the red, to meet their personal needs when it comes to managing their volume.
Get the right load, for the right amount of sets, for the right amount of reps.
Doing this is one of many vital skills required in the art of coaching.
So, what can you do today to quit spending your valuable time and energy staying and doing the same?
Get on a detailed, progressive training plan built by professionals who understand how this works and can individualize it to your needs.
Work directly with a coach to both expedite and enhance your training experience.
Educate yourself on how to measure your effort and progress inside the gym so you get stronger, leaner, and more confident over time.
To your progress!