Keep It Simple - Progressive Overload
The way to getting bigger, stronger, faster, leaner or whatever it is you want to do is simple. Many athletes, coaches and general gym goers often miss the mark by over thinking their training and getting a little too creative for their own good. There are many training variables that can be manipulated to continue your progress including frequency, load, volume, exercise order, intensity, rest periods and time under tension - just to name a few! However, if you find yourself doing single arm bench press on a swiss ball in a smith machine in the name of variety, then you sir, have gone TOO FAR!
Of course variety is important in training for many reasons including preventing staleness of the program, ensuring weak points are improved and other areas not overused and also keeping the body guessing in order to stimulate adaptation. Some people are simply too impatient to stay committed to a program but too much variation doesn’t allow mastery of an exercise nor adequate adaption to the training. Progressive overload is far more important, its as simple as that. DO MORE WORK every time you step into the gym by manipulating one or more training variables in your program.
TIPS
Follow a program - keep it simple and hammer the basics, especially beginners.
Be consistent, methodical and progressive in your approach to your training.
Plan you progression rate appropriately - stimulate adaptation without frying your CNS or damaging soft tissue by performing repeated submaximal efforts
Think more long term - spend the time practicing the movement.
Work with training variables (reps, sets, load, rest, tempo etc.)
