A Solution to Pain & No Gain
Pain & No Gain?
I can’t believe I’ve been working out for 30 years and only discovered this now!
After years of training hard in the gym without getting the results I wanted I had to stop and reevaluate my approach. So a few months ago I made an unusual change to my training that is completely opposite of what I’ve been doing and what most people do.
Simply put I am not going hard at the gym anymore. This does not mean that I am not challenging myself but it does mean that I am not killing myself every time I am in the gym.
Hard Work
We have all heard the saying no pain no gain. That you must work your ass off in the gym to get the results you want. And every training guru and book that promises results talks about how hard work is the key ingredient behind success.
But I’m taking that with a grain of salt these days because I’ve discovered what a smaller (and smarter) percentage of people are doing - putting aside hard work for smart work.
The Common Approach
As mentioned, we’ve been raised to believe that hard work is the key to success, that a workout is only successful if we feel the burn, hit failure on every set, experienced DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness), burn 500+ calories per workout or sweat like crazy.
I’m here to say that this common approach is a load of BS and is holding you back from reaching your full potential and is why you are on your plateau wondering why it’s not working.
The Problem Most People Don’t See
When you do reps that are greater than 12, the perception of effort is actually greater than the stimulus that’s needed for an optimal strength adaptation response.
Doing these types of sets releases more lactic acid which burns and creates that perceived effort that we equate to working out hard. But it is not providing the stimulus for strength and muscle growth. Rather it leaves you with sore muscles and needing more time to recover.
The greater the recovery time, the less you can train. Or if you train through it the more likely you will be to get injured.
Don’t be fooled into thinking that a great workout has to be one where you feel the burn, sweat profusely and are sore the next day. Feeling fatigued and exhausted is not an indicator of getting stronger or putting on more muscle!
The Uncommon, Yet Effective Solution
Start by putting the mentality of having to achieve fatigue at each set aside. This will force you into doing less reps. High reps prevents you from applying the proper stimulus to the muscles for strength and growth!
This means reps 12 and higher are avoided. Rather aim to do 5 to 10 reps per set and heavier.
Yup, if you want strength and muscle mass you need to lift heavier.
Reps In Reserve (RIR)
When people think about lifting heavy they get worried thinking they will increase the risk of injury. Here’s the deal - if you are lifting heavy and STILL going to failure with your old mentality of pushing each set to its max then yes you are going to increase the chance of getting an injury.
However, if you practice good form along with Reps in Reserve (RIR), you are less likely to get injured and you will be on your way to putting on more muscle and getting stronger!
RIR means saving a few reps in the tank and NOT GOING TO COMPLETE FAILURE. This allows you to go heavier, do less reps, have less fatigue and get better results.
Rest Between Sets
Not only did I push each set to failure, I would employ supersets and limited rest between sets just to accomplish more in my limited 45-60 min window at the gym. This mindset never allowed me to create the proper stimulus for muscular growth and strength because I did not have enough rest between sets. On top of that, the perceived effort and lactic acid was greater due to limited rest between sets.
When going heavy we must get away from the ‘circuit training’ mentality of limited rest to maximize the workout. This is an old school ‘work hard’ vs ‘work smart’ mentality that holds a lot of people back.
If you are doing reps between 5 to 10, you need at least 2 minutes of rest sometime more between sets. For example, doing deadlifts at 6 reps with an RIR or 2, requires 2-3 min rest between sets.
When training this way, it will feel very different because you feel like you are wasting time but this time is actually benefiting your muscles and your ability to train heavily and optimize recovery. The stimulus is very high on the muscles but perceived effort is low.
Signs That Working Out Hard Is Not Working
- Struggling to hit new levels in strength.
- Not seeing muscle mass increase on the InBody
- Plateau in fat loss (still got that extra 10-20lbs that won’t budge)
- Experiencing one injury after the other
- Feeling exhausted after a workout
- All your workouts have reps 12 or higher
If you said yes to any of these I’m willing to bet that you have bought into the idea that you must ‘work hard’ every time you are at the gym to reach your goals. Guess what? It’s not working for you.
This could be a hard pill to swallow and it was for me too. But if you can be open to a new training paradigm you could experience results that you never have before.
The only thing you need to get clear on is how bad you want to get off your plateau and how willing you are to try something new that at first will feel like you are doing a lot less…
…And you will do less. BUT you will achieve more and feel better through the process!
Looking to switch up you routine to put on more muscle, burn more fat without having to do more? Check out our Transformation coaching programs!
