Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Not just habit but patience


In the old days...pre-internet I got my information from magazines.  I remember an article in the old Ironman or maybe it was Hardgainer which laid out a basic routine.  Then it told you to stick to it until the next issue of the magazine came out in 2 months.  8 weeks of consistency.
Now we do not get new information every 2 months....it comes everyday, every hour as the RSS feeds pump out new stuff.  We are distracted.  Try this, try that.
What we need is not just habit but consistency.  Stick to some basics for a while.  Sleep.  Eat well.  Walk.  Train some basics  Don't swap from programme to programme, diet to diet, approach to approach.  Just keep going...


10 comments:

WoLong said...

I actually find that the over-information on the Internet is helpful in the sense that I now no longer pay any attention to any "new" ideas. I just do what works for me.

Aaron said...

Hey, question! Do you happen to be taking an vitamin/hormone/mineral supplements these days?

Personally I used to take on an off vitamin d/c/k2/fish oil/probiotics and b12 once in blue moon. Kinda interesting that now that I barely take anything and it seems like my skin is better, i sleep better,less dull headaches and I don't seem to get heartburn as much. I really wish they could figure out if we really need to supplement at all if you are basically eating a healthy diet.

Chris said...

All I take now is creatine.

Aaron said...

Interesting -- you ever get your vitamin d levels tested considering you live in a more northern climate?

Im sure you don't worry about the k2/fish oil that much because of butter and real fish?

Amazing how vitamins fade out if you are just eating real food!

Ondrej said...

I am not really sure about the whole vitamin D supplementation thing. If you ask top doctors in my country who specialise in that area, they'll probably tell you not to supplement it.

Aaron said...

very true ondrej, but there are large differences from someone having a 15-17 nmol level and a decent 28-34 nmol level. And those are not even close to some health professionals suggesting 50-60 nmol.

Stuart Gilbert said...

Chris can I just start by saying that you have produced some truly impressive results. A testament to sane, sensible, sustainable and realistic training and dietary practices.
I am in agreement with you that patience and consistency is what matters. After that genetics will let the chips fall where they may. Too many get distracted, and then end up on a vain search for the "magic bullet" either in the next big routine, diet, or worse still, supplement. I can speak from experience, because that was me. As tempting as the "latest" training technique may be, I now give it a passing glance. I'm convinced that most of the "new" stuff hawked on the internet or in the muscle media, is merely produced in order to keep people employed, rather than produce anything that offers results above and beyond. In my opinion, the material by Bill DeSimone is the only innovative stuff that has been produced in recent years.
If I may close by asking a question. You say that you only resistance train once a week. Could I possibly ask you what your current routine looks like in terms of exercises, sets, reps and time it takes to perform? Keep up the good work.

Chris said...

Thanks Stuart. I am not that impressive in the flesh! I totally agree re Bill DeSimone. He is a great guy and very innovative.

My routine is heavily influenced by Bill. This week was:
Dumbell split squat
Dumbbell row
Push-up
Side raise
Lying tricep extension
Hammer curls
Planks

I sometimes do timed static contractions as a pre exhaust.

One set for each move, to failure.

I also walk about 4-5 miles a day and usually more on a weekend

Ondrej said...

Chris
Did you ever do twice a week HIT? I now consider it for improved conditioning and maybe hypertrophy.

Stuart Gilbert said...

Thanks for sharing Chris. It truly is remarkable what such a simple, yey eloquent plan can do for one's health and condition when married with a bit of occasional effort and a whole lot of patience. I suggest this secret never gets out...because if it did then overnight many gyms might close and many in the fitness industry, including experts, authors and gurus, right down to the fad following PT's might be looking for new employment. Surely you wouldn't want that on your conscience?...lol