Over inundated with exercises programs and training concepts can cause, what I call, TDDD– training disciline deficit disorder. This is one of the problems with having access to so much information. Thousands of trainers are all trying to position themselves in the higher ranks of online visibility. The generosity of free information from these enthusiastic folks makes it easy for the general public to learn new ways to train. Along with the generous and often times gimmickery there is a “super mind blowing” creation that one has to do in order to get the results they are looking for. The hook is to sell something that will make the general public go crazy not having. Build muscle fastest, Build HUGE biceps in a week, Drop 50 pounds in 90 days, The 90 day transformation program, Reduce the aging affect in 90 days, The 90 day weak to BEAST program, Lose weight and gain muscle in 30 minutes. There is a gimmick for so many programs, the lure of gaining huge muscles, losing fat,and staying young is a big concern for just about everyone. The thousands of trainers all know this and will always emphasize these concerns in their ads and marketing material. It is all about selling emotion. The more emotionally connected a person is involved the more likely they will follow the program regardless if the program actually has validity.
I once had a person tell me that in order to get more clients I needed to have an emotional connection with people. I needed a “sob” story, like the person who weighed 400 pounds and was depressed and felt like giving up on life and everyone made fun of them, and then they decided to turn things around and change the way they looked and then suddenly they lose 250 pounds and now are an inspiration and they make thousands selling their program. Or the person who was depressed, on drugs, didn’t know what to do with their life, were lost, isolated, alone, and then decided to turn things around and become healthy and fit and a trainer for others in hopes to connect to people who are in the same situation as they were. Regardless of educational background, or experience, people want the drama and want to relate to people like themselves. They want to be inspired by the weak becoming strong scenerio. Unfortunately, I don’t have a sob story or any sensational tale of hardship. My story is based on having tremendous discipline and going through all the stages of life holding on to my belief system and following it through all adversity. I sell honest, realistic, factual, research based, years of experience of trial and error based programs that change the body. I don’t have a magical pill or sell B.S. to just make money. I use real physiology, kinesiology, anatomy, and bioindividuality when I design and sell programs.
The biggest downfall of having so many different opinions on training is that the person looking for the SECRET pill or technique that will change the way they look in feel in as short a time as possible is often led into the training abyss. Here is a typical scenerio of TDDD.
Lenny goes to the gym in hopes to put on more muscle. He really wants to build his chest, shoulders and back. He signs up for a training session to learn some new techniques. The trainer is well educated and designs a substantial program to help Lenny achieve his goal. The trainer tells Lenny that in order to build the body you must adhere to this training and nutrition program for 8 weeks, to build a solid foundation and then we will progress to the next level, do deviate and be patient the results will come. A week later Lenny comes in and has now added a whole new set of exercises to the program that was originally designed for him a week earlier without the trainer knowing. The trainer sees that Lenny is not doing what he prescribed and feels a little taken back. The trainer approaches Lenny and asks what is he doing. Lenny tells him that he went online to a well known bodybuilding site and saw hundreds of programs that promise a huge chest, back and shoulders. Each program were different and they all promised results within 1-2 weeks. So Lenny decided that he should do all the programs in a week to get the results he was looking for. He told the trainer that the guys who wrote the programs were all HUUUUUGGGGGEEEEE and that he wanted to look like them. Needless to say Lenny never saw results.
The reason why so many folks fail at achieving their goals is that they are falling prey to all the hype and instant gratification programs out there that they lose sight of training hard and committed to one program. Constantly changing the program or adding more exercises than what is prescribed sets one up for complete failure. There are many great exercises and programs out there that work, it is important to stick to a plan and follow it before you decide if it works or not. All programs must be follow a foundation phase working into an advanced phase. During the foundation phase there might not be substantial gains, but this phase is necessary for developing the framework for the later phases. There is a physiological process that occurs during all the phases. Over training or over analyzing the programs andd exercises will only result in hormone depletion and no gains.
I will stick with a program for 4 weeks and at the end of the fourth week will decide if the program worked or not. If it didn’t work I will remove it from my inventory and move onto the next program.
Remember there are many programs that claim unbelievable results in a short time. There are many programs that are designed to pull on the heart strings and make people feel that they too will be an overnight sensation and the next big success story, but these circumstances are far and few between the realm of reality.
Over my twenty-five of working in gyms I have seen hundreds come and go. I have seen all the hype, all the gimmicks, the flash in a pan programs, the ban wagon programs, etc… I have seen members who were making great gains just up and leave to go to the “Next Big Thing”, and through it all, of those that jumped “ship” for the latest and greatest, only a small percentage ever achieved any great success in their endevours. In fact, many of them would end up going back to the basics and training like the original plan intended.
So whatever the program is, there must be an attainable goal to achieve. And remember that it takes patience, discipline, and honest workouts to achieve great results. Don’t fall victim to TDDD take control of your ego and follow just one program at a time through it’s normal cycle, and I promise you will see feel and train better.
Daryl Conant, M.Ed.
Daryl Conant, M.Ed.