If I only had the time, money and energy back that I wasted in the early days of training. I followed the best programs and used the best supplements money could buy. I experienced good results, for a period, only to go right back to where I started; thus began the virtual merry-go -round that most people so through when they embark on a physical transformation.
I hate to say it but the fitness industry thrives on the failure and frustration that their programs and supplements bring. I once purchased 10 programs from various well known “experts” and executed them to the letter. What happened in the end …NOTHING….NO CHANGE….. all courtesy of the fitness industry merry go round. It’s not always devious on the part of the”expert”, sometimes it’s ignorance toward his own craft.
Many trainers who write programs and want you to follow their precise guidelines are just trying to look more important than they really are. They want to sound smarter. Many are armchair trainers with no real world concept of how to train themselves let alone someone else. It’s also unlikely many of these trainers do the programs they write about. They act like everyone who follows it will get great results, but the truth is that most won’t.
Nearly all of the programs found online are written to illustrate a concept, not to teach someone how to train. I can create a program in ten minutes, but if you don’t know how to train, it’d be a waste of your time to follow it.
Let’s say I give you directions on how to get to my house, but on the way there you run into some construction and have to take another route. You still have the general plan and know where you’re going, but you now have to find your own way.
It’s the same thing with the program. It’s a template, but you must find your own way. Ninety-five percent of the results you’ll get are going to be from how you train, not the program itself.
The whole purpose of training is to create a physiological response in the body, that is, to temporarily disrupt your body balance or state of homeostasis. It’s this physiological response that contributes to the kind of results you achieve. If your training program can’t get you that response, it’s worthless. And since your daily physiology changes depending on how you’re feeling, your training must change with it.
That’s why group training sessions and bootcamps, in my opinion, are mostly worthless for producing REAL physical development. Sure you can have a good workout, but I’m talking about optimal results. Everyone is different and will require different training stimulus to to create a physiological response. In a bootcamp setting you will have some people getting a great workout and some getting nothing out of it. I guess it’s a fun way to burn some calories though.
My current methods teach people to train themselves and understand the principles to eventually become there own trainer. All of the experience and knowledge I have aren’t worth a dime if I can’t do that.
My advice to anyone looking for the holy grail of programs to change you body; there isn’t one. Learn the principles of exercise science, from a trained professional, and apply them to your own body’s ability and recovery. Experiment and don’t blame a good program for poor results, take a second look at your application.
Craig Simms
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