Posted on Wednesday, 15th July 2009 by Eric Cressey
Avoiding the Training Overhaul
Day in and day out, I see loads of athletes and regular fitness enthusiasts who have hit plateaus and/or run into injury issues. Each situation is unique, but one thing that I am always especially attentive to is learning whether someone has recently altogether overhauled their approach to training.
As is the case in so many things in life, “Slow and steady wins the race,” “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” and “Don’t run on treadmills with stilts.” Actually, that last one wasn’t all that applicable to what I’m getting at, but it’s probably still good advice to heed for some of our teenage readers.
I come across a lot of “program hoppers” in what I do. These are individuals who might do eight weeks of Sheiko, eight weeks of Crossfit, eight weeks of German Volume Training, and then eight weeks of Tae-Bo DVDs in spandex. At the end of this eight month journey, they are somehow more fit - but literally have no idea what priniciples were key in them achieving that end. Everything was too muddled; they overhauled the entire program rather than keeping the valuable stuff.
About 8,000 strength coaches before me have used the line, “The best program is the one you aren’t on.” Well, I would agree with that - unless, of course, it means that this new program leaves out all the important stuff that you learned from previous training experiences.
I mean, honestly, I’ve heard of guys going to training programs where they only squat, bench, and deadlift. They don’t even do warm-ups; nothing else stays! Then, after six weeks of this program, they email me to ask why their shoulders, back, and knees hurt. Uh, maybe become the only thing they kept from your old program was specificity? With no single-leg work, no horizontal pulling, and no mobility work, it’s a surprise that they have only been diagnosed with a musculoskeletal injuries - because they probably should have been institutionalized for being so dumb that they’re a harm to those around him.
For instance, rather than tell this individual to stop squatting (he kept a good neutral spine on the way down), I’d encourage him to a) get a squat rack, b) get a training partner/spotter, and c) put on some clothes.
Major kudos for rocking “The Final Countdown,” though; seriously.
Where am I going with this, and how does it apply to you? Well, the message is very simple: never overhaul. Instead, tinker, fine-tune, adjust, or whatever else your thesaurus recommends as a synonym. Good programs all share certain things in common, and anything that deviates from those qualities isn’t worth it. It’s something that I really tried to take into account when I wrote Maximum Strength.
To take it a step further, I encourage you to be leery of those who encourage you to adapt an entire discipline and change everything that you’re doing. I find that even in the most injured and hopelessly weak folks that come to me for help, I can always find several things that they’re doing correctly that deserve to stay. This is something I’ve seen in some of the best physical therapists and strength and conditioning coaches with whom I’ve worked in the past, too. A good professional should work with athletes and clients to meet halfway on what works, not simply pass judgement on a program and overhaul it altogether.
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Have a great week!
EC
Tags: Back Pain, Crossfit, Knee Pain, Rotator Cuff Exercises, Rotator Cuff Rehab, Sheiko, Shoulder Exercises, Shoulder Health, Shoulder Impingement, Shoulder Pain, Shoulder Rehab, Weight Lifting Program
Posted in Newsletters | Comments (2)
July 15th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
Eric,
I think that was the funniest video I’ve seen in a long time. I’m still LMAO.
I enjoy the humor and insight.
Best!
July 23rd, 2009 at 7:03 pm
Eric,
First, I would like to Thank You for educating me in a practical, logical way of strength trainning. For all the unbelievers out there… Eric Creesey’s book Maximum Strength is real and it reaps results. Here are my results after finishing the program.
Max standing broad jump Packing Day: 80″
Max Moving day:89″
Max Squat Packing Day: 315 lbs
Max Sqaut Moving Day: 355 lbs
Max Bench Press Packing Day:200 lbs
Max Bench Press Moving Day: 230 lbs
Max Deadlift Packing Day: 380 lbs
Max Deadlift Moving Day: 435 lbs
If you want too get stronger,then this program is for you…I openly testify that it is real. Oh..
my body weight on Packing Day was 196lbs, and on Moving Day 206 lbs.
Huge guys in the gym look at me in disbelief when they see how much weight I can move..without all the muscle mass associated with moving heavy loads.