Good Workouts, Bad Workouts

by Keith W. Wassung

Ever have one of those workouts that exceed all expectations. On just about every

exercise, you break your personal record for weights and reps used. The feeling is

exhilarating and you leave the gym completely invigorated. On the flip side, you

have those workouts where nothing seems to go right.

Instead of gaining, you actually lose ground and you leave the gym, tired, sore

and frustrated. If you do not have a long-range game plan, that frustration can

lead to a search for new program, a new supplement etc., and the cycle repeats

itself repeatedly.

Workouts are a lot like the kick-off return team in football. You line up for each

kick, stay in your lanes, and block your assignments and the kick returner runs as

hard as he can. In most cases, you end up around the 20-yard line. Occasionally

you reach midfield and once in a great while everything falls into place and the

return man finds the seam and runs 100 yards for a touchdown. Sometimes, no

matter what you do, you end up on the 8-yard line or even fumble and lose the

ball.

I believe that progress is often a matter of working hard and smart on a consistent

basis long enough for most of the workouts to be productive (20 yard returns) have

a few really good ones (30-50 yard returns) the even rarer outstanding ones

(touchdowns) and realizing that the bad workouts (8 yard returns and fumbles) are

all part of the game. It is important to always keep in mind that progress is almost

never linear and or constant except perhaps in the first year or so of training after

which gains often come in isolated batches and often at unexpected times.

This reminds me of when I was a boy and had to split logs into firewood. I would

place the steel wedge into a seam in the log and then begin pounding it with a

sledgehammer. After approximately 14 hard blows, there was no visible evidence

that the wedge had penetrated the log in any way. However, the 15th blow would

result in the wedge cleanly splitting the log into two or more pieces.

The first 14 strikes did not appear to do much, but they were slowly breaking down

the resistance of the wood.

I have done some reading on biorhythms and athletic performance and though I

am not sure of the validity of everything I have read, it would difficult to deny that

there is a certain cyclic element which can affect strength and athletic

performance. This is one of the problems with many of the 12-16 week programs,

where each workout is calculated based on a set percentage of your starting

maximum weight -you end up being locked into lifting what the paper says, rather

than in following the natural strength fluctuations of your body. You have to be

patient and work for long term results, rather than in judging performance on a

workout to workout basis.

Generally, an occasional bad workout is nothing to be concerned about. Bad

workouts have a way of making the good ones seem even better by comparison.

Anthony Ditillo, a noted strength author, once said that a bad workout is a sign

that your body is in the process of rebuilding and repairing and there may be some

truth to this. The worse thing about a bad workout is that is can cause you to

question and doubt your program.

You must have confidence and certainty in your program or you are destined for a

lot of frustration and stalled progress. If you have a string of consecutive bad

workouts, or have just hit a sticking point in your training, then there are several

steps you can take to get back on the track to progress.

The first step is to analyze your workout recovery. Have you been getting enough

quality rest, enough quality food and water? Adding some high quality protein and

fresh vegetables, an extra hour of sleep each night or even performing some extra

flexibility work will often be enough to get you back on the right track to progress.

Remember that not all recovery days are equal, meaning that just because three

days have passed since your last workout does not necessarily mean you have

recovered. Those days might have been filled with extra physical and mental stress

such as sick children, which keep you up half the night, family matters, travel,

eating on the run, final exams, all of which impede your recovery.

Never be afraid to take some extra days of rest. Make the necessary adjustments

as needed and when ready-attack the weights with renewed physical and mental

energy.

The second step is to analyze and improve your exercise technique. I don't believe

that the average person fully appreciates the skill and discipline that it takes to

correctly perform most weight training exercises, particularly compound

movements and especially when those exercises are pushed to the very limit.

Swinging a golf club, tennis racquet or a baseball bat requires coordinated motor

skills which take time and practice to develop. An Olympic weight lifter and a shot-

putter require intense coaching and many years of practice in order to perfect their

movements. Weight training exercises are no different. Some are more difficult to

master then others, but all require some degree of skill to perform and this takes

practice, time, discipline and attention to detail.

I say this because often people make a decision to add an exercise to their

program. The trainee performs the lift and it feels uncomfortable or even painful

and as a result they either discard the movement or they adopt a very sloppy

technique when exercising. In either case, there are virtually no benefits and if the

movement is included and performed incorrectly, it often leads to injury. In my

early years of training I made this error repeatedly, but I eventually learned from

my mistakes.

It is beyond the scope of this article to describe specific exercise technique. You

can learn that from books, videos, this web site, personal coaching and strength

and conditioning seminars. You might be thinking that exercise technique is an

individual matter and that there is too much disagreement on what constitutes

proper technique.

Although there is some difference of opinion on certain exercises and topics such

as cadence and range of motion, for the most part, there is a consensus on correct

technique. You may have to make minor modifications to suit your individual

needs, but the general principles apply to just about everyone. Walk into any

bookstore or library and select any ten weight training instruction books off the

shelf and I would wager that 95% of the exercise techniques would be described

in a very similar manner. The trouble is that very few people actually do the

movements the way they are described. Visit most commercial gyms or health

clubs and it's a safe bet that almost no one is lifting with correct form. You see

partial movements, bouncing, severe body English, fast slamming movements,

cheating movements and a total lack of concentration.

It's no wonder that so many people are frustrated with their lack of progress. If

you want to maximize your own strength and development, then it is important to

develop near perfect technique in all of the exercises in your program.

Write down all of the exercises you use in your program and then create a list of

"check-points" that are important for each lift. Develop a habit of mentally

referring to those checkpoints on each and every repetition and eventually they

will become second nature to you.

Larry Bird used to do this when shooting free throws. He had a mental list of things

to do when shooting and he would go through them over and over in his mind until

he could make long strings of consecutive shots. There is a story that when Larry

was playing still an NBA pro, he was hired to appear in some commercials for

McDonalds. The first commercial called for him to shoot and miss a free throw in

practice. The first 22 takes were failures because he was unable to miss the free

throw. This is a good example of proper mental conditioning and discipline.

If your progress on a particular lift has stalled or reached a plateau, or if an

exercise is causing some non-growth related discomfort, then consider analyzing

and working to improve your form. Break down the lift into smaller parts and

analyze any weaknesses or trouble spots and then work to improve them. This can

be done via adjunct exercises, power rack training or simply fine-tuning the

technique involved. You may have to experiment with variations of each movement

in order to find what works best for you.

Even when you have developed extremely good form, it is very easy to fall into

minor habits that cause form deterioration. A little bounce here, a slight heave

there, you don't notice them at first because they are subtle and because you are

adding weight to the bar, but eventually it catches up with you either in the form

on injuries or halted progress. The wise lifter is constantly checking and re-

checking their form.

You can make a tremendous amount of progress by routinely having your workouts

videotaped and then reviewing them later, either alone, or with someone that has

the experience to critique your performance. You will always spot things on the

tape that you just don't see in the mirror during the actual performance. We can

all learn from anyone with wisdom and experience, but I have always learned the

most about exercise technique from individuals with whom I share a similar

structure.

The third step is to modify your training program-notice that I said modify, not

change. If you have a decent program, based largely on the fundamentals, then

chances are you just need to mix-up either your repetition scheme or the order of

your basic movements. If you have been doing mostly low-medium reps, then

perform higher reps for 4-5 sessions.

If you have been doing nothing but high reps, then consider working in the lower

rep range for a couple of weeks. Try rest pause training, the total tonnage system,

power rack training, or timed sets for a couple of weeks to break the plateau, and

then resume your normal routine. You may need to change the priority or order of

your exercises.

For example, if you have been stuck on the overhead press, and you always

perform them after bench presses, try putting them first in your program for a

month or two. All of us are somewhat greedy in that we want all of our lifts to be

going up simultaneously. Many of the lifters of the past, such as Louis Abele would

often spend 3 months at a time focusing on just one lift or one area of the body

hammering it with reckless abandon, over and over again, making tremendous

gains and them moving onto another area. I have done this on numerous

occasions with great results and will share one example.

When I was a competitive powerlifter, my deadlift was always the weakest of the

three lifts. Having short arms, I was structurally at a dis-advantage for the deadlift

(or so I was told and I believed it and used this as excuse to have a poor deadlift.)

Since my deadlift was the poorest, it received the least attention in my program. I

trained it, but never with the enthusiasm of the squat and bench.

After growing tired of losing close competitions, I spent just over 5 months

specializing and focusing on deadlift and back training. I really did not train it with

any greater frequency then I had previously, but it became the top priority in my

training. I broke down and analyzed my technique and worked hard at my weakest

portions of the lift and they soon became my strong points!

My number one assistance lift became the barbell row and I attacked this

movement as if it were a lift itself. After five months of focused training, I gained a

tremendous amount of back development and added 70lbs to my best deadlift

single, which was more than I had gained in the previous three years combined.

The strength and development also laid down a foundation for increases in my

squat and bench press in the following year.

The fourth step is to intensify your leg and mid-section training. Lower body

workouts, and more specifically, squats will do wonders for your overall strength

and development and are an excellent way of breaking plateaus. If you can squat,

then you should squat, hard and heavy with a variety of repetitions and a solid and

precise technique. If you need do perform something other than squats, then do

so with an all-out approach.

All force generated by the musculoskeletal system in the upper and lower body

originates, is stabilized by, or is transferred through the trunk and the lower torso.

Given this fact, if you are going to develop your full strength potential, then this

area must be worked. Intense abdominal training is a great way to break plateaus

for the simple reason that it is very easy to neglect it in the first place. There a wide

variety of exercises to choose from and virtually all are effective if performed

correctly. Here is one of my personal favorites: Lie on a flat bench and hold either

a barbell or a pair of dumbbells and arm’s length just like in a normal bench press

and then perform a set of stomach crunches, holding the top movement for a

count of 2-3 seconds. You will not need very much weight to make this an

extremely effective exercise.

The last area is your mental attitude and preparation towards your training. I

believe that your attitude, enthusiasm and expectations towards your workouts

pretty much dictate the results you achieve. Henry Ford summed it up when he

said, "If you think you can, or if you think you can't, either way you will be right."

This has pretty much been demonstrated and reinforced by just about every great

human achievement in history. The good news is that you can control your attitude

and expectations to a large degree. The mental preparation and expectation

begins shortly after a workout is completed.

Take a few minutes to evaluate the training session and then jot down some

specific goals you wish to accomplish in the next session. I continue to be amazed

by how few people will take the time to use written goals in their training program.

Write the goals on an index card or a post-it note and stick it on your bathroom

mirror, your refrigerator or some other place where you will frequently see it.

The human mind cannot distinguish between what is real and what is imagined so

it's important to spend some time mentally rehearsing your workout. When you

enter the gym, you must expect and literally demand a good workout, rather than

in just hoping and wishing for one. You have to develop and maintain the proper

mental toughness and discipline which is necessary for you to reach your own

potential.

This toughness is largely the ability to deal with pain, fatigue and discomfort

associated with hard and progressive training. There are tens of thousands of

people who want better strength, development and conditioning and they are

totally committed to spending two or more hours a day, six days a week in training,

they are willing to buy supplements, equipment, they are willing to do just about

anything……except to include and embrace pain, fatigue and discomfort as

necessary in their training. In fact, everything they do, everything they buy, every

excuse they make is to avoid pain, fatigue and discomfort at all costs.

The closest thing that I know to a "lifting secret" is this: Once you are willing to be

uncomfortable at times in your workout, it does not take long for you to get used

to it, in fact you may look forward to it and thrive on it. This is when you will embark

on the journey to achieving the potential that lies within you.

KW

www.keithwassung.com

1.843.743.8351

Kwassung@gmail.com