How to Set Expectations
The science of exercise is a weird one. Science requires that an experiment be repeatable in order to draw any sort of meaningful conclusions. The problem lies in that despite what may work best in a controlled environment, individuals are not consistent over larger sample sizes. Far from it, in fact. Take yourself for example: your level of motivation, what drives you, and your outlook on training has evolved over time. You are being drawn in a different direction than when you first started. Depending on your stress level, injury history, or any other variable life throws at you: what drives you has, and will continue to change.
The purpose of resistance training (or any exercise) is to demand an adaptation. Exercise sends the body a signal that it needs to be prepared to perform a task: lift this much weight, run this far and this fast etc. Both our brain and our body are in an ongoing search for the path of least resistance**. Another term for the path of least resistance: efficiency. Our brain looks for the most efficient way to perform the tasks we tell it that it needs to be ready to perform: both from an energy and an effort perspective. To the contrary, if we aren’t telling it it needs to perform a task, it will eventually lose (or push deep into a corner) the ability to do so. “Use it or Lose it” as we say.
Each of our individual fitness journeys are an ongoing experiment. If we stick to 2 sets of 12 of this, 3 sets of 8 of that, eventually our body stops adapting to the same stimulus. We have to train the body to be able to handle and perform a specific task, while also providing periodic novelty in order to trigger new adaptations. This balance isn’t always easily navigated. My main three variables when considering exercise selection are as follows:
1) Client’s injury history. Is this movement safe for them to perform repeatedly, under load?
2) What outcome(s) (adaptation) are we trying to elicit? What other movements are we performing/not performing that elicit a similar outcome? Why or why not are we performing those specific exercises?
3) Is this exercise an exercise that the client can perform regularly, while incrementally increasing the load? Do they enjoy it? Do they hate it? Is this something they can do on their own? How safe would it be for them to do on their own?
We need an understanding of how our body moves, and what we are trying to gain from specific movements in order to determine exercise & program selection, before we even begin to put together our expectations of a program.
Now that we understand how programming influences results, we can begin to set expectations based on our goals and current programming capabilities. By now you’ve realized I’m not a hare guy (tortoise all the way), but at the end of the day: results are what keep us coming back. We’ve talked about incremental progress: pants fitting better vs the finished product (6 pack or lifting this much weight). We know to recognize the signs that suggest we are getting closer to our ultimate goal, but how much longer? Oftentimes, and especially when it comes to fitness influencers, the goal posts keep moving. Be aware of that. A quote I heard recently really stuck with me: “you’ve already achieved goals that you said would make you happy.”
If what will truly make us happy is that end goal, talk to a trainer. Any trainer can calculate your caloric needs to reach a certain weight (I offer a free calorie tracker on my site, and there are free calorie calculators just a google search away), most of us can program your way towards losing the desired fat loss and muscle gain you're after. I caution people to be wary of goals like these, as it can easily take the joy and fun out of training (and eating). Let the process play out. More exercise tends to (don’t ask me how) lead to better food cravings, more discipline, better sleep, all things that lead towards better outcomes without having to re-structure life around them. Make sure you are ready, and that it truly is what you want. When it comes down to it, most people enjoy the incremental progress more. Clothes fitting better, putting shoes on becomes easier, walking up and down stairs without getting winded. Doing these things because you love your body, not because you hate it. It is funny how working towards goals like 'always getting stronger', actually gets you closer to the goal that we say we want, as oposed to working towards our one and only goal- the 'Xlbs' weight loss.
Sustainable training that you enjoy. 99.9% of people get too miserable on their way to a 6 pack that they quit, that’s why only 2% of the population has visible abs. 95% of people who lose 25lbs or more put the weight back on in 3-5 years. Celebrating your shift in mindset, diet & exercise habits, and incremental improvements in your health lead you to identify with a new and healthier you. Chasing a number on a scale leads you to check off that goal without realizing the different person you've become, making it more likely you revert back once that goal is 'achieved'.
What if re-setting your expectations was the key to you getting to and sustaining your goals? Focus on moving more, getting stronger, and enjoying your routine. If you do, the goals that most people are miserable achieving will become a bi-product of your lifestyle.
