“There are a few programs that stand out and seem to yield good results for the general population.”
There are hundreds of thousands of workout programs floating around the internet and trending on social media. Some are written by seasoned professionals who’ve studied fitness for decades, while others are put together by fake or inexperienced social media influencers. But how could you possibly know which is which? If you Google “workout programs” it’s virtually impossible to distinguish the good from the bad. So what do you do?
The best workout program is the one that works for you
Everyone who writes a workout program is going to try to convince you that it’s an amazing program. Every program you come across is going to claim to be the “best” program for you.
Programs are not created equally. Some will be very effective, while others will waste your time. So how do you know which one is worth your time? Well, the first thing you can do is read it over and begin to schedule the days in your head. Ask questions such as: Can I adhere to this program without missing days? Is this the right amount of volume, or will I burn out?
What works well for others may not work well for you. Every individual will respond differently and sometimes when a program really works for someone, it’s because they were missing something that the program offered. There is also something called a novelty effect.
Have you ever tried a new exercise or new machine and immediately saw results? This is the novelty effect. What works is what you are not currently doing. Sometimes, when you start a new program, you’ll see almost instant results if the program has you trying new things and stepping outside your usual box. This is a good thing, but don’t be fooled.
When the novelty of the new exercise wears off, that doesn’t mean that gains stop. Sure, they may slow down, but it’s important to stick to a program instead of dropping it a few weeks in just to try another one.
When you do commit to a program and you’re past the “honeymoon stage” per se, you’ll know if it’s working or not. If it feels good, is fun, and not wearing you out, it’s probably a good program for you.
Are you spinning your wheels?
“Spinning your wheels” is just an expression that means you’re not making progress. This is exactly where many hardgainers find themselves. And that’s ok, we all get stuck spinning our wheels sometimes. To solve this, you need to identify the issue and resolve it.
This is often the case when someone has a bad program. Now, just as we said before, individuals respond differently to different programs. Don’t assume that the program should be working for you if it worked for your friend. If you’re stubborn and insist on running a program that doesn’t work for you, you won’t make much progress.
Sometimes switching to a new program can regain traction and you’ll begin to see gains again. This is only if the program solves whatever issue was holding you back. An example of this would be too much or too little volume.
Which program to choose?
Picking a program to run is daunting, and virtually everyone has googled “workout program” before being entirely overwhelmed by the 100,000+ results.
There’s no harm in just picking one, but if you have something to go off of, go for it. Perhaps you have some favorite fitness Youtubers or content creators (Hello there!) that have programs available.
There are a few programs that stand out and seem to yield good results for the general population. For example, a program born on Reddit called “Reddit PPL” is very popular.
People love to review programs, and this is an amazing thing because although you’re reading someone else’s experience, you get a glimpse into the short and long-term process. Just like shopping online, when searching for a new program read the reviews.
Any program is better than no program
If you’re overwhelmed or perhaps you’ve decided to just pick one, don’t worry about it too much. Following a program is way better than not following one.
When you don’t have a program, you can still be consistent in the gym, and this can be misleading. Maybe you go every day and even get in good hard workouts. But how are you tracking your progress? You need to implement progressive overload. That’s increasing the laid or reps over time, in order to get bigger and stronger. This is what all programs are built around, and without it, you won’t make a lot of progress.
Tweaking your program to better suit your goals
Once you have a program and you’re following it, you can make changes to it. This sounds obvious but sometimes it’s not. It’s reasonable to assume that some programs are meant to be followed exactly just like following instructions. However, this is only the case if the program was written specifically for you, by a coach or trainer. Otherwise, the program was designed to benefit a large spectrum of people, not one specific individual.
Give the program a week or two, then feel free to make small changes. If an exercise or machine really isn’t working for you or causing pain, switch it out! You can use Google or Youtube to find similar exercises or equipment that serve similar if not identical purposes.
Scheduling is highly individual and it’s sometimes impossible to find a program that meets your specific schedule. Feel free to split workouts up if you have to, or even move a few things around to accommodate your day. Just stay consistent and make sure that you are actually completing the assigned workouts. It is also smart to never do multiple workouts in a day or combine two days into one as this could lead to injury.
What about hardgainers?
A hardgainer is someone who struggles to gain weight. While lifting weights and exercising is beneficial and healthy, adding on muscle comes from your diet. Most hardgainers are hardgainers due to poor eating habits or poor nutritional choices.
Following a proper program or having a coach write and specific one for you can help boost gains, but a hardgainer won’t solve their root cause by programming. Hardgainers need to address their diet more than anything. The point is, program advice applies to hardgainer just the same as everyone else. There are programs out there specifically for hardgainers and they might even work, but unless they address diet, they aren’t truly for hardgainers.
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