I don’t know anyone who has ever stuck to a training program for an entire year. It may have happened, but I haven’t met this person. Most people do a program for 12 weeks, and IF they even make it to the end they move to something else. Usually they will be all over the place with their goals. First it’s a Delorm Hypertrophy Method cycle for 12 weeks. But then they got too fat so they hop on P90X for 30 days, not quite making it the full 90. During PSUX they screwed up their shoulder, so it’s 4 weeks of light kettlebell get-ups, windmills, and resistance band rows. Back on the wagon again, it’s 8 weeks of Enter the Kettlebell.
And so on.
Most people make piss poor progress. This is an observation I have made, but I have some interns working on some data to demonstrate this fact. Look around though, are you seeing people making fantastic progress? I bet not.
One year and 14 days ago I started my journey of training with the Gym Movement protocol. I already knew that I would never need another program again, but of course only time can truly tell. Many people just flat out said “Biofeedback training won’t work.” Many people said that the gains would stop coming “in a year”. Well, we can now confidently say they were all wrong.
Here are some numbers I pulled out of the training tracker database:
- Total pounds moved in 1 year: 5,030,523
- Deadlift increased from 450 to 562.
- Number of training sessions: 201
- Total working time: 110 hours (pretty small investment if you ask me)
- Average improvement per movement per session via blended metric: 46.4%
- Body composition changes: ~185 at <8% Body Fat. Leaner & more muscular.
- “Cardio” – best KB snatch 3/26/2010: 35lbs 100 reps in 4.6 minutes. Best KB snatch 2/14/2011: 62lbs 101 reps in 9 minutes.
I don’t know if the numbers speak for themselves or not. I can tell you that the improvements are astounding. I do not know of many people who are moving this quickly.
I’ve been on the same program for a year now. I go to the gym, I do what tests well. I make everything easy. I work within my limits. I expand my limits.
But some of things can not be measured. What value do I put on the fact that I never really have a “bad” training session? How much value can be attached to setting new Personal Records every single time I train? Studies have shown that strength training in general has a cognitive carryover – how much greater is the carryover when you are literally becoming better than you ever have been EVERY day?
If you are interested in training with Gym Movement there are a few places you can get started. The road isn’t as well lit as it should be, yet. But it will get better.
I’ve heard all sorts of arguments for why Gym Movement won’t work or why it won’t work for <insert population here> people.
Every day we get emails from around the world from people who are out of pain, stronger than ever, feel better than ever, etc and so on. I now have a gym full of people who span populations from hardcore tri-athletes to middle-aged women who have never trained a day in their lives – every one of them is making perpetual progress with Gym Movement.
What’s your excuse now?
I started your off the floor 5 weeks ago. My improvement in the lifts are constant and, if I don’t feel well for any reason, I opt for a volume or density session and still make my day. I wonder what are your thoughts about finishers and complexes. Do you test every movement that will be in the finisher? Do you do the same for complexes or you try different sequences of them? (Ie.:clean+ press= squat, then test. If not ok, try to mix up or use different moves?). Thanks again.
Absolutely! I’d encourage you to test your finisher movements.
So better test each single movement in the finisher/complex or do the test at the end of all the sequence (either finisher or complex). It may seems micro-management, but it is not.
Really it depends how you want to approach your finisher:
You can make sure all the movements test well, and then do it for prescribed sets & reps & time.
You can make sure all the movements test well, and then do it for eustress sets & reps, but go for a set amount of time.
You can make sure all the movements test well, and only do it for as long as it tests well.
You can NOT test the movements, treating them as distress training, and then do the same combinations of above with sets and reps.
It really depends how eustressful or distressful you are making your conditioning work.
Does that make sense?
I think will follow your first advise, then quit the finisher when the form gets sloppy. Make it simple always wins. Thanks for the answer.