The basics are boring until they make you strong

More and more people get in to strength training, which is a good thing. With this, the clickbait-like content on how to progress with the most advanced programming and gimmicky exercises rises with it.

Eventually, everyone will slow down, or even slightly decline, in their progress when they’ve been training for a longer period of time. This is a normal phenomenon, but for some it feels like failing.  Then the next step is looking for a lot of other ways to keep progressing.

‘Do your pull-up with a big toe twist and see your progress fly.’

‘You’re not using DUP? That’s why you’re stuck!’

In the vast jungle of information nowadays, it’s easy to get lost. While there can be a lot of options to progress, my intention with this article is to narrow it down a bit.

Simple, how?

With strength training, there are tons of options when it comes to exercise selection and technique. Every muscle has its function for a joint or multiple joints.

As you become stronger, your body adapts more slowly to the same training stimulus. Doesn’t mean it is impossible, you just have to be a bit smarter with your training.

Strength training is a bit like an RPG. The first levels come quickly. The higher you climb, the more experience each level requires.

The human body needs proper stimulus. By refining the basics with small adjustments, you’ll most likely see results again.

Example 

For illustrative purposes, an athlete has been training for 5+ years consistently. But the last half year, hardly any progress has been made. The squat went up with just 2.5kg, the dip and pull-up with hardly 5 kg. Aesthetically, no noticeable changes. The discipline is there, but the sessions have become stale and almost boring. This athlete has been swapping exercises too often because Instagram convinced him that the previous ones were ‘suboptimal’. Having tried those new exercises with no effect, the question remains: what is hindering any further progression?

Looking at the programming, it has been the exact same for months on end. This isn’t a bad thing, but changing up a few things might help. Instead of milking the 5x5, we’ve switched to a different setup regarding volume and intensity. For the accessoires, we had to change a few things up since these were too high regarding intensity. Also, they looked impressive but contributed little to his main goal.

So by training basics with intention and actually be aware of what he was doing, the sessions felt stronger and more productive, leading to more satisfaction.

I’m not trying to say that gimmicky, flashy exercises are bad. In fact, it’s nice to do them every once in a while for some play. But do know, if you have specific goals set, it’s important to work with some structure and small variations every few weeks.

Think of it: every craft needs focused and consistent work to improve, so does strength training.

Basics aren’t basic because they’re boring and easy. They are because they solve the biggest part of the problem.

Common mistakes

Just to name a few what I’ve noticed:

-            Trying to copy someone’s exact technique and programming

-            Switching things up too soon or not switching up at all

-            Not putting in the actual work and focus only on unnecessarily optimizing every detail.

What’s in it for you?

Ask yourself: If you feel stuck for a longer period of time, strength and/or aesthetically, is it really because of the exercises or rather how you execute them?

Like mentioned, trying flashy exercises every now and then can help with the fun part of training, but don’t make it the main part of your sessions.

Final thoughts

Everyone needs a different approach when it comes to exercise selection and programming. Just because that elite athlete has done it in a certain way doesn’t automatically mean it’ll work for you.

It will take time to find the right way for you, and that’s where the fun part is.

Progressing sustainably isn’t just about perfect technique and exercise selection. There’s much more to it, but that’s a whole other blog to write about.

Have you been stuck for a while despite trying all sorts of new exercises and programming. The athletes show become exceptionally strong usually aren’t the ones chasing the newest exercises. They’re the ones who keep finding new ways to improve the old ones. Has this sparked your curiosity? Good, I’m just as curious about what might be holding you back.