5 Tips to Finding the Perfect Program!
As you have seen from many of my previous posts, finding a program that works for you is of the utmost importance. The search for the perfect program may be intensive but it will pay dividends for your success inside and out of the gym. Here are some tips and steps I would recommend for you to try before you ultimately decide to start a program.
Begin with the end in mind
It is extremely important to evaluate yourself and your goals before you begin. You have to know where you would like be after your program to know where to begin. You do not want to start a particular program just because it "guarantees" your arms to grow or it says it will make you "huge". The problem with this approach is that, eight out of ten people will begin these types of programs and bounce to another. This creates this cyclic effect of jumping from one program to another just based off the benefits it promises in the beginning. You can avoid this and save an incredible amount of time by simply evaluating where you are currently and the areas of your fitness and lifestyle that you would like to see the most change.
Commit to a Program and See it Through
Just as it's not a good idea to hop between programs, its even worse to begin programs and not see them completely through. There are thousands of programs out there. You will never know if one truly works for you if you don't complete it because another program seems "better" or you haven't seen the progress you would like to see. Before you make these changes, you need to look inwardly and see where the true problem lies. Most programs rely on something called linear periodization. This is programming your exercises and diet based on the principle that you are doing everything the program requires and you are making steady progress. If you haven't stayed true to your diet and you miss workouts, then is it the program or is it you? Nine times out of ten, it's the latter.
Consider Injuries and Medical History
There may be some programs that you cannot try because of previous injuries or medical history. It is a bad idea to begin a power lifting program if you have a history of chronic lower back pain or recently injured shoulders. You may have the idea that you will "tough it out" and replace exercises here and there for ones you can accomplish. This is a terrible approach because you will only add insult to injury because you are not addressing you base line problems in the beginning of your program. This is not to say you could never do a program like this, it would just be a better idea to focus on your weak areas first before you try to train overall strength. Imbalances will create further injuries.
Pick a Program that Have Been Designed by Professionals
The easiest thing to do is to go to an online fitness blog and pick a program off a list that has been designed by an avid gym goer or meat-head. Regardless of the results they promise, do not put your time and trust into a program that may have worked for the author who is not a certified professional. These programs normally lack in addressing foundation and core problems, leaving you with many imbalances and muscles that are not functional. This ultimately leads to injury. Don't be misled, save your time and energy. Seek advise from those who are professionals in this industry.
Be Diligent
You want to be considered the "best student" of the program. Follow the instructions the professional has provided diligently and work hard to stay on track. It is important to keep the same habits for the duration of your program. Even the tedious things, such as logging your calories, have a big influence on the success of the entire program.
Whatever route you go, take time today to really evaluate what you want out of your goal lifestyle and fitness level. This is will save yourself time, effort, energy, and decrease your likelihood of injury in the future.
Your trainer and coach,
Matt