Came a question from an anonymous reader (I always keep people anon unless they explicitly tell me I can name them):
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I’m curious what the decision-making process / milestones are for thinking about splitting the workout, changing sets or reps, etc (if at all?)
I’m more than comfortable with the current setup but wondering how I should be thinking about any changes (as I presume I won’t be doing this exact workout forever?)
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This is a great question.
Pretty generally I recommend people “pick and stick” for at least four but ideally six months, subject to the obvious caveats that their programme is sensible, they are making some progress, and what they are doing is not causing or worsening injuries. This is because results from sensible programmes invariably come relatively slowly when the trainee is not abusing drugs and enjoying a full life outside of training, meaning the typical eight or even twelve weeks is often not enough to truly know if an approach is optimal (or as optimal as can be).
However, if a programme is working (i.e. producing results) you don’t have to change it at all unless you want to (for example if you are feeling bored to tears by it and are struggling to summon the motivation to hit your workouts with discipline and intent).
More:
When you inevitably decide to switch or modify what you’re doing for whatever reason, it’s worth spending time thinking about what exactly it is you want to achieve, the time you’ve available to train, where you’re at performance-wise, and so on. That way, whatever you select is not only more likely to, at least on paper, produce your desired results, but also something you can reasonably stick to for long enough to actually get those results.
Speaking of selecting something new, I recommend purchasing books/eBooks over piecing together routines via free articles, videos, and suchlike as the latter tend to (understandably) omit much important contextual info that can potentially make the difference between getting sub-par and outstanding results.
This doesn’t have to be any of my stuff (although I’ve a growing library of works on Amazon which are an inexpensive starting point if you are interested in what I teach), but it should definitely be someone you trust, whose philosophy (on training and life in general) and writing style appeal to you.
Another thing you could do, particularly if you are open to the idea of reducing your sessions in the gym or even eliminating them altogether, is pay very close attention to the below-linked audio recording containing a high-level overview of my outdoor training system.
Yes, I know I just implied you should avoid “free”, and you probably should most of the time.
But in this instance, I’ve been told what I share is genuinely useful. Moreover, I know from experience it’s important to put stuff like this out there that proves I know what I’m talking about to satisfy the sceptical who rightly do their due diligence before spending any money.
All right, I’ve rambled on long enough for one day.
Behold your link to the recording:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/outdoor/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman
P.S. If you have decided you want help to get strong and in shape and you think I’m the chap for the job, you’ll find my calendar on the above-mentioned page (scroll down a little if you can’t see it).
You can use this to book a call with me to find out more about your options.