Is it you or the Program?

 Is it you, or your Program?

You can have the fanciest, most cutting edge program in the world. You could take the 10 greatest minds in strength sports and kinesiology, have them write you a perfect program, and you could still stagnate as an athlete. 

I spend a lot of time ripping on the fad of folks doing one strongman, powerlifting, or olympic lifting show, then charging people for programming… with little experience or credentials. 

This time, I’m going to shift my target, and provide some feedback to those program hoppers out there who can’t seem to understand why nothing they throw at the wall works. 

Signs it IS the Program

Okay, so sometimes it is the program. There are some pretty tell tale signs that you have a lazy, good for nothing “coach”. Here are the signs…

1. You send them videos, and get little to nothing back. It seems like there is little to no changes in your programming based upon what is sent. Even worse, they don’t ask for videos. 

2. They set designated numbers that are far below your threshold… and when you asked to be pushed, their response is “you have to trust the program!”. 

3. You notice that you are doing the exact same movements as the other clientele (better known as the copy-paste coach). The copy paste coach is a specialist in “gaslighting” (as the kids say) and may say something like… “this works for all my clients!” and will charge you ridiculous amounts for said ctrl + V. 

4. You share you are beat up, and instead of modifying the program, they ignore your feedback and keep beating you into the ground. 

5. It isn’t realistic for your lifestyle and hard to fully commit to, and when you explain this, they don’t have an answer besides “you’ll have to make time”. 

6. Your coach doesn’t have you train the events for a show, and just tells you that it’s part of the process. No one wants to zero an event at a show, and not training for the events is like waving a white flag. 

7. Your coach doesn’t have expectations for you.

Yes, all the above happens, and yes, many competitors have reported their struggles with online coaching, often at competitions. So sometimes, it is the program. If one, or most, or all, of the above applies to your situation, time to cut your losses and move one. Coach-client relationships won’t last forever, and once you feel like you’ve absorbed all you can from a coach, it’s time to move on. 

It’s like a job; you aren’t married to it, and eventually you will move on to bigger and better opportunities. Most humans SHOULD get this, and if they don’t, they are likely a turd and not worth maintaining a relationship with anyways. 

Signs that it is, in Fact, You

And of course, sometimes it’s you. At the end of the day, your effort is the biggest indicator of success. It’s like I tell the kids I work with at the school; you can have the best teachers in the world, the best parents in the world, but if you don’t apply yourself, you won’t reach your goals. 

You Cut your Workouts Short, Even though they are Reasonable

Example: 

Push Press, 3 sets of 8 reps 

Close Grip Bench, 3 sets of 10 reps 

DB Military Press, 3 sets of 10 reps 

Pushdowns, 4 sets of 15 reps 

This is a reasonable session, definitely accomplishable within a 60-75 minute time frame. I see this all the time; athletes will take the “fun”, instagrammable exercises, then stop their workout. They got what they wanted; prime footage of their hardcore workout. 

Your accessory work needs to be taken seriously. The effort you put into your compound movements should be matched by the effort demonstrated within your accessory work. Understand the goal, accomplish said goal, and then continue with your day. 

You aren’t putting your Best Effort in the Gym 

Believe it or not, you need to work to get stronger. You don’t simply get stronger by just showing up (although showing up is part of the equation). 

Pushing yourself is important. You should breathe heavily often, you should have to work through pumps, and you should focus on the quality of your movements. All of these elements matter greatly to your success. Cardiovascular fitness is vital to competing. If you are programmed to hit the echo bike, hit it hard… you should have to catch your breath at the end of the cardio session. If you have a pump, don’t quit your workout; a muscular athlete is a better athlete (there is something to be said about mass moving mass, however, and in some weight classes, being extremely lean isn’t realistic). The quality of your movements, especially on the implements, should be a focus of your training. If you are provided feedback and don’t put it into place, that is solely on you, and a reflection of your lackadaisical approach to training. 

Outside of the Gym, you are a Slob

Successful habits matter not just outside of the gym, but will carry over to your effort in the gym. If you aren’t prioritizing your sleep, drinking often, and eating a diet only a 14 year old would approve of, that’s a problem. It’s not just unhealthy, it’s counterintuitive to what you are trying to accomplish. 

Everyone needs to let loose and relax once in a while. But if the above habits are a weekly occurrence... Time for some self-reflection.

Why pay someone to tell you what to do, if you aren’t going to put your all into it? If you're going to insist on getting less than 6 hours of sleep nightly, drinking often, and eating fast food daily, why are you paying to be incompetent? Just be a incompetent! You’ll save money. 

Perhaps slob sounds strong. These habits that you make will contribute to your overall success in many aspects of your life. Professionally and athletically, I have a hard time taking someone seriously who doesn’t take care of themselves. Sleep, diet, mental health… The whole shabang is important. 

If you don’t take competing seriously, that’s fine! Just don’t blame the program and pay someone to not give your all. 

In Conclusion…

If you are consistently hopping programs because nothing seems to work, it’s time to look in the mirror. Self-reflection is vital. Sometimes the problem is me. The great part of this; even if you are the problem, it’s not too late to change. You can change your habits, you can change your approach, and you can change your future. It starts accountability and acceptance; after that occurs, you will be able to alter your path.