Training frequency.

First of all, you have to understand that if your muscle grows or changes, it is because of its ability to adapt to different factors. In fact, your muscle will only grow if you force it to do more than it can currently do. No matter the training objective, you must push it to its limits.

Nevertheless, there is a limit. This limit is determined by your genetics. Not everyone will be able to lift 300 kg in a squat or 200 kg in a bench press. Some will succeed without too much effort while others will suffer injuries. Limits are different for each person for each of these muscular abilities that they can develop: strength, volume, power, flexibility, endurance, and resistance are all limited by our innate ability to deal with each skill set. Some has more red fibres and will therefore be more gifted for doing long distances or long series; some has more white fibres since birth in different muscular groups and will be more inclined to be efficient in strength tests; some has more enhanced muscle attachments that will allow them to take heavy loads more easily. In short, as each person has eyes or hair of different colours, each person's muscular ability will be defined from birth.

Therefore, given the differences in each athlete's basic abilities, each program may have a different impact on the athlete's results and progress.

On the other hand, some individuals, who think they have found the "trick" to progress, keep doing the same program all year long. It's the best way to stagnate in their efforts. Often, these athletes of good intentions do not note their exercise routines or progress. That's also why they don't see that they are not improving or changing. If they had tracked their performance on a sheet or in a notebook, they would see that neither their weights nor their number of repetitions have increased significantly in recent times.

The best way to see if a program is right for you is to set a goal at the beginning, to note what you do at each session such as weight used, rest periods and sets. If you are making progress, then the program is right for you. If you are no longer making any progress, then it is time to change. In general, you can keep doing a program for 6 weeks, after which you may no longer make any progress. In fact, the first week is used to adapt yourself to the weights and get your bearings. If you give it all you've got, you'll gradually increase in power. Usually after 6 weeks of doing the same routine, stagnation can occur. If you give your training a change in repetition and routine, you will succeed better in improving your muscle abilities and, therefore, you will never stagnate.

Some people change their exercise or routine with each training session which is good to prevent the muscle from developing a habit which can slow down its progress. However, this method makes it more difficult to assess ones progress. If necessary, repeat the same program every 2 weeks and note your performance can be a good way. But if the exercises change but the way you are working out remains similar, you can again fall into stagnation.

In conclusion, we can easily test all the programs that can be found on the Internet or in books or magazines, but don't think they are miraculous. You can make progress with these programs but don't forget to change them regularly. Also you need to check if your program is appropriate for your goals. Try to remain objective about your progress: qualify your growth, either in terms of performance or aesthetics.

Lastly, remember that if you do not adapt the way you eat and take supplements, you will not get the growth you deserve relative to your efforts.

The desire to exceed your limits also increases your chances of success...

Yves Bondroit coach for QNT