The views expressed here are entirely from Russ’s moustache. We don’t know yet if it is an evil moustache or a good one. We do know that it has a mind of its own and it’s AWESOME and not creepy like some moustaches. Read on for some interesting viewpoints.

Decision, Fundamentals and Force of Will

Gym Insanity

Ok this month let’s talk about how to combat your biggest enemy in the gym. This article assumes you have already developed the habit of going to the gym consistently. First, let’s define insanity: insanity is doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result.

Have you been doing the same exercises, month in and month out, expecting to get stronger? Has it worked? For most it has not, or the results they are getting are mediocre at best. This brings us to the Law of Accommodation. Accommodation is adaptation. Kinesiology expert Vladimir Zatsiorsky states “This is a manifestation of the biological law of accommodation, often considered a general law of biology. According to this law, the response of a biological object to a given constant stimulus decreases over time. Thus, accommodation is the decrease in response of your body to a constant continued stimulus.”

In training, the stimulus is physical exercise. This means in order to make progress in your training you have to program some type of change into your training. The guidelines are looser for the average gym-goer, compared to an athlete competing in a specific sport. There are many things you can change; some include number of reps, amount of weight, type of bars, variation of exercise, speed and tempo of lifts…etc. How you change these components depends on your goals.

Louie Simmons of Westside Barbell says it best: “Once your body has all the answers you better change the questions” That is what the conjugate method of training is all about—I will discuss this in another article. For now, what simple changes could you implement in your training to keep your body guessing? Could it be as simple as switching from a barbell to a dumbbell press? Try adding more weight for less reps? How about going from a back squat to a front squat?

Yes, all of these things would work! The bottom line is this try something new, but don’t try anything exotic (Like a kettlebell figure 8, nobody needs to do those, EVER! ).

If you do not know where to begin we have got you covered, this is a big month for learning and doing at TPS, as we have the following events scheduled: November 5, 2011: Strongman Saturday at TPS, November 12, 2011: November Strength Seminar at TPS, November 19, 2011: Training Day ( All events are Mustache Approved )

Wishing you the best in your training.

Russ Smith

Total Performance Sports Assistant Strength Coach

WSBB Certified