This question will inevitably cross a beginner’s mind at some point. If a program says to do 5 sets of 5 on the incline bench press, do the warm up sets count towards those 5 sets?
Simple. No. You only start counting the 5 sets once you get up to your working weight. You can take as many warmup sets as you need, although I will recommend that you don’t get excessive about it.
A sample progression will look like this. Let’s say someone is performing their sets at 225 lbs on the incline bench press.
Morning rituals and routines are the trendy things to do. Every self-help guru and “entrepreneur” can’t stop talking about their importance. Wake up before the rest of the world. Meditate. Journal. Read a book. Go on a walk and listen to a podcast.
A lot of it is just horseshit and busy work. Morning routines have become a way to make people feel like they’re better than everyone else.
It’s about that time of the year. Gyms will slowly become less crowded. Lines at fast food chains become longer. The highway is riddled with the mangled remains of New Years Resolutions that got tossed aside for an easier life.
I can’t fault people for this. Change is hard.
But I know that you don’t want to stay the same. You don’t want to be the same collection of bad habits, so something needs to change for the better. How do we stay on the path? How can we keep from straying from the Way?
Progressive overload is the foundational basis of strength training. It means that you need to gradually increase the intensity of your training over time. Essentially, make sure that you’re doing more now than you did in the past.
The most common strategy to achieve progressive overload is to increase the weight that you are lifting by a few pounds. The problem is that most advice ends there. If it was that simple, the world will be filled with 1000 pound squatters and 500 pound bench pressers.
Simply adding weight to the bar is a finite strategy. Since we tend to grow muscle and increase strength at a relatively slow rate, just adding weight to the bar will cause us to progress too quickly and hit a plateau.
We must expand our strategies to achieve progressive overload. Here are 3 ways to progressively overload your training that does not involve adding weight.
1. Increase training volume
Training volume is essentially the total amount of work you are doing. While there are multiple ways to determine training volume, it is often calculated by looking at the total number of sets and reps you are performing.
For example, if you are doing 5 sets of 5 reps of a particular exercise (5×5), your total volume will be 25 reps.
If you wanted to calculate the total work of a particular exercise, you will determine how many times you are lifting a particular weight. This is often unnecessary but provides insight about the intensities that are being achieved with certain exercises.
For example, if you lift 200 pounds on the squat for 5×5, you will calculate 5x5x200. This is 5000 pounds of total work.
Increasing your total training volume or work performed is one of the best ways to achieve progressive overload. Simply adding a rep to each set will drastically increase training volume.
In our first example, if you did one extra rep per set, your training volume will be 5×6=30 total reps.
In the second example, your total work will be 200x5x6=6000 pounds of total work.
To implement this strategy, aim to increase your reps per set by one rep for a few weeks. Depending on the set/rep scheme, you may need to climb up to 8 or 10 reps per set. Once you can do the prescribed number of reps for all sets, then you will add some weight to the bar and begin the progression all over again.
Remember that adding weight isn’t the only way to become stronger. Doing more total work is more important. The added benefit is this will force you to slow down your progress to prevent hitting plateaus.
2. Increase training density
Training density is how much time it takes to perform a certain amount of work.
Imagine your typical leg workout session. How long does it take to perform? 45 minutes? 60 minutes? Now imagine if you deliberately took 3 hours to perform the same exact workout. No extra sets or exercises. How easy would that be? This is very LOW training density. Same workout, just performed over a very long period of time.
Now take the same exact workout and imagine trying to do it 10 minutes faster than before. You will be hustling and probably straining hard to get through all of the work. This is an example of HIGH training density.
If you are able to perform the same amount of work in less time, something about your fitness has to have improved.
Of course, this is another finite strategy to implement before it becomes impractical and possibly dangerous, but the point is to perform your training at a challenging pace.
3. Increase tension and improve technique
One of the critical principles of strength training is something called time under tension. It is essentially the total amount of time that a muscle is activated and creating tension. Muscle growth and strength is a direct consequence of time under tension. In general, longer bouts of time under tension tend to yield greater gains in muscle and strength (although this is a great generalization).
One overlooked part of time under tension is the amount of tension being produced. Lifting a heavier weight will naturally cause a muscle to create more tension. However, we can deliberately create more tension during an exercise by consciously tightening the working and stabilizing muscles.
Imagine performing a biceps curl with 20 pound dumbbells. Imagine casually curling them up and trying to expend as little energy on the movement as possible.
Now imagine curling the same 20 pound dumbbell but now brace your abs, squeeze your glutes, and stand tall. Pull your shoulders back. Grip the weights as hard as you can. Slow down the movement and try and actively flex the muscles harder as you lift the weights. In essence, try and make 20 pounds feel as difficult as possible.
This is a technique often employed by bodybuilders to maximize the amount of tension they are creating during any given exercise. Usually when we do this, we need to use impeccable technique to properly control the weights.
When we are intensionally increasing the amount of tension and improving technique, we naturally work harder during the exercise. This is another variation of progressive overload.
Expanding your toolkit
Never rely on just a single parameter to force progressive overload. The three strategies discussed here are simple to implement during every workout.
The pursuit of strength is a long journey. Slow but consistent progress is always favorable to rapid and unsustainable progress. Just focus on doing a little more each time you go into the gym.
I love minimalism. Less is more. Have less stuff. Embrace simplicity. So how do minimalists approach fitness?
Some people don’t want to think too hard about things. They want to get as much out of as little as possible, and I admire that. Work smarter, not harder. In fitness, there are some things that will yield greater results than others.
Let’s apply some lessons from minimalism to fitness. Here are 3 strategies to approach fitness as a minimalist.
Audit every exercise in your workout
Your body has a limited amount of resources to perform and recover from a workout. This is the basis of training economy. It bodes well to spend your time and energy intelligently.
The first thing you need to do is to establish some goals of your training. What are you trying to achieve with your program? Once you establish your goal, make sure that everything you do while you’re in the gym serves that goal and get rid of everything that doesn’t.
For example, if you are trying to increase your max squat, everything you do during a squat, lower body, or leg workout should somehow support your goal. Ask yourself if each of the exercises you do serves the goal of increasing your squat.
Will jumping and doing power exercises improve your squat? Yes. This stays.
Will squatting improve your squat? Yes, of course. This stays.
Will having a stronger posterior chain (low back, glutes, hamstrings) improve your squat? Yes. RDLs, back raises, good mornings, hip thrusts, glute ham raises, etc all stay.
Will having stronger quads improve the squat? Yes. Bulgarian split squats, lunges, step ups, etc all stay.
Will doing 20 sets of calf raises improve your squat? Probably not. Get rid of it. Plus, isolation work for the calf only improves aesthetics and not performance (unless it’s for rehab purposes).
Will doing those awkward glute kick backs in a leotard with 2 pound ankle weights while climbing up a stair master improve your squat? Nope. Get rid of it. But make sure you do it for the ‘Gram.
When you start auditing your training methods in this way, it’s easy to cut out a ton of useless fluff. Only the important things will remain.
Use the minimum effective dose
Louie Simmons always said it best. You don’t train minimally. You don’t train maximally. You train optimally.
May he lift in peace.
You should not be using absolute maximal intensities every training session. This will lead to burnout, overtraining, injuries, and just isn’t strategic and optimal.
The minimum effective dose is the least amount of exercise that is required to elicit a training effect. Any amount of stimulus under this will not elicit an adaptation or training effect. Any amount of stimulus past this may or may not elicit a greater training effect. There will be a point of diminishing returns for increasing your given intensity past the minimum effective dose.
All of this to say: don’t progress too quickly. If you’re squatting 225 for sets today, do 230 or 235 next time. Don’t make unnecessarily large jumps. Get as much out of 225, 230, and 235 as you can. You’ll be regretting that you didn’t when you inevitably hit a wall in a few weeks.
Many coaches will advocate for a slow but steady progression over the long term. This will not only help to minimize plateaus but ensure that you are getting the most out of any given combination of weight, sets, and reps.
Eliminate supplements and focus on eating real food
I’ve said this many times and I’ll say it again: Supplements don’t do jack s*** if you don’t have your basic nutrition dialed in.
Trying to make up for a bad diet with supplements is like using duct tape to save a sinking ship (Unless it’s that flex tape stuff. That stuff is magic).
Supplements should be accounting for less than 5% of your total progress coming from your diet. The other 95% comes from an educated approach to nutrition. Real food will always be superior to supplements, so put forth your effort into the items that are going to yield the majority of results and stop worrying about the rest. The supplement industry is honestly way too big for what it actually offers.
Let me repeat a sentence to make sure I made my point. Real food will ALWAYS be superior to supplements!
If you are adamant about having some supplements to either supplement your nutrition or to have a pre-training ritual, look into creatine, vitamin D, EPA/DHA, and good quality protein. The only supplement companies I really buy from these days are Thorne and Boba Tea Protein. Both companies are incredible.
Go forth and approach your fitness like a minimalist
Minimalism is all about cutting out the unnecessary fluff from your life. When you apply the three of these strategies, you are eliminating unnecessary exercises, volume, and supplements from your fitness journey. When you have less to distract you, you will be able to put forth your energy and effort into the things that truly yield the greatest results.
So here’s my permission for you to do less to get more.
‘Tis another week. Did you jump out of bed this morning, excited for Monday? Are you ready to tackle another week, or did you dread the alarm? Did you daily routine go smoothly or are you scrambling to get out the door in a frenzy?
I get it. I don’t have my shit together every single day of the year. Things can get out of hand and chaotic if we don’t have good systems and habits in place. Here are 5 things you can do everyday to upgrade your daily living this week.
Start each day with a tall glass of water
We all need to drink more water. Hydration affects every process in our body. Everything will get better or worse with hydration. Dehydration can cause brain fog, headaches, decrease our alertness, make us tired, and decrease our physical performance in the gym by up to 20%! This means that if you are supposed to hit a 200 lbs overhead press, you may only get up to 160 lbs!
I relearn this lesson every time I work with one of my elderly patients. Any day that one of these individuals is dehydrated, their balance, cognition, memory, alertness, and physical performance suffers. What’s more, I can almost immediately tell if they are dehydrated upon meeting them.
We are usually dehydrated upon waking. Make it a part of your normal routine to have at least 8 ounces of water or more as soon as you can. Add a pinch of salt or a squeeze of lemon to help your body absorb it. We tend to better absorb fluids that have some sort of solute in it. I like having a small serving of creatine and a pack of Liquid IV in my water (not an endorsement, I just like their stuff). Ever since I started every morning with a big Mason jar of water, my mental clarity and focus has skyrocketed.
Upgrade your brain with books
One of my buddies said it best: reading is like a cheat code to life. Good books are jam-packed with information, actionable strategies, and experience. Why try and relearn every mistake and lesson that other people have already worked through?
It’s no accident that most successful people spend a lot of time reading books. It’s like installing new software into your brain. You will think differently and just know more when you spend time reading.
Set aside some time everyday to read at least for 30 minutes. I’ve been trying my best to get an hour of reading everyday. Replace the endless scrolling of low-quality content on your phone with a good book. You’ll be surprised at how many books you can finish when you consistently read everyday.
Get outside into the sun
Our bodies are governed by the circadian rhythm. The morning sun is one of the most powerful signals that resets our internal clock. This is vital to maintain a healthy sleep-wake cycle.
Getting outside during the morning to get some sunlight will make our brains wake up and be ready for the rest of the day. The sunlight entering our eyes sets off an abundance of processes that prime our mind and body for increased activity. This will also improve mood and sleep quality later in the day.
The best way to do this is to get outside before 9am and face your body towards the sun (obviously, don’t look directly into the sun). Depending on how bright it is, staying outside for 5-20 minutes on a sunny day and up to 30 minutes on an overcast day will work wonders for your health and mood.
For more on the benefits of morning sunlight, read this.
Set down your phone
You’ll be surprised at how much your brain craves silence. It’s unsettling at first. Some may even panic at the thought of not being stimulated for a brief moment.
When we let go of the chaos of the modern world, our brains will finally settle down. The fog and anxiety will lift. Our focus will sharpen. We might even become happy.
The main culprit of this modern overstimulation and overconsumption is our smartphone. Although a marvel in convenience and making our world more connected than ever, it also steals our attention and cognitive resources from more important things.
How many hours of your life has been hijacked by screen time? It’s scary. Some days I look at my screen metrics and see that 5-8 hours of my time was wasted on TikTok, YouTube, or Instagram.
What’s worse is that all of that content and consumption is usually completely devoid of any meaning or quality.
Fight back. Don’t let the Matrix steal away your life and energy. Create a dedicated spot for your phone when you get home and keep it there. Silence any notifications that aren’t important. You’ll still hear if you’re getting a call or text, but otherwise, let it be.
Do one thing everyday that will move you towards your goals
It’s one thing to have goals. It’s a completely different thing to have goals and consciously execute a plan.
What are your aspirations and what are you doing to move towards them? Perhaps it’s to start a business, learn a musical instrument, or organize your finances. What’s the one thing you can do today to move towards that goal?
Maybe you can set up a meeting with a mentor, set up a business checking account, or get a business license.
You can find a music teacher or enroll in a class.
You can find a financial advisor or set up an investment portfolio.
But nothing will actually set you on the right path unless you take action.
No matter how small, if do one thing everyday, you will build the momentum to get to where you want to be.
Maybe your goal is to lose weight or bench 315 lbs. What do you need to do to get there?
You can dial in your nutrition and set up a consistent meal plan. Maybe you need to start getting to bed a normal time so you optimize your recovery.
Maybe you just need to get up and start.
Imagine the possibility of a future where anything is possible. The only thing standing in your way is action.
Nothing will change unless you do.
And maybe that’s just what you need to get excited for a new week.
The best way to treat a hamstring injury is to prevent it from happening. Once they happen, they become a real b**ch to rehabilitate. The best way to prevent injury is to make the muscle as strong as possible but adequately loading the hamstrings can be cumbersome and challenging if you don’t have regular access to a gym. This is where Nordic Hamstring Curls save the day. By their nature, they’re tremendously difficult and require no equipment.
Study after study has shown the value of Nordic hamstring curls in decreasing injury to the hamstrings.
This is exercise is so good that it’s consistently been shown to decrease the incidence of hamstring and knee injuries in populations particularly vulnerable to these by half. That is a hugely significant amount!
The Nordic Hamstring Exercise/Curl
The exercise is predominantly an eccentric muscle contraction, which is where most muscle damage and overload takes place.
You will need a partner or a solid place to wedge your foot.
Set up the exercise by kneeling on both knees. Your hips and torso will be upright. Your partner is going to hold down your feet with their hands on the back of your ankles/heels. Your partner should have their shoulders over your feet to make sure enough weight is applied.
Initiate the exercise by slowly lowering yourself to the floor by using your hamstrings. Try to approach the floor as slowly as possible. You will use your hands like a push up to absorb the impact at the floor. You can return to the starting position by either resetting the exercise or doing an explosive push up to hamstring curl your way back up.
Perform 3-5 sets of 5-10 repetitions.
Conclusions
Taking clues from weightlifting and sports medicine, they best way to make a muscle resilient and resistant to injury is to make it as strong as you can and train it with the greatest amount of tension as possible. Then you replicate game time scenarios with various drills.
The studies that showed the value of Nordic hamstring curls used the exercise in isolation with no other exercise program, but of course including the Nordic hamstring curl in a fully comprehensive program is the most optimal approach. However, if you for some reason had to choose just one exercise to do, this is it.
Further Reading
Vianna KB, Rodrigues LG, Oliveira NT, Ribeiro-Alvares JB, Baroni BM. A Preseason Training Program With the Nordic Hamstring Exercise Increases Eccentric Knee Flexor Strength and Fascicle Length in Professional Female Soccer Players. Int J Sports Phys Ther. 2021;16(2):459-467. Published 2021 Apr 1. doi:10.26603/001c.19452
van Dyk N, Behan FP, Whiteley R. Including the Nordic hamstring exercise in injury prevention programmes halves the rate of hamstring injuries: a systematic review and meta-analysis of 8459 athletes. Br J Sports Med. 2019;53(21):1362-1370. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2018-100045
Cuthbert M, Ripley N, McMahon JJ, Evans M, Haff GG, Comfort P. The Effect of Nordic Hamstring Exercise Intervention Volume on Eccentric Strength and Muscle Architecture Adaptations: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses [published correction appears in Sports Med. 2019 Nov 7;:]. Sports Med. 2020;50(1):83-99. doi:10.1007/s40279-019-01178-7
It’s easy to fall victim to comparison. In a world governed by metrics, everyone will compare themselves to someone else at the gym. It’s easy to let the negativity derail your motivation. No matter how strong, fit, and competent you become, there will always be someone with a bigger bench, bigger squat, and better body composition. There will always be someone bigger, fitter, faster, and stronger.
So why bother?
First of all, if you fall into this nihilistic belief, you started this whole journey for the wrong reason. Unless you’re a competitive athlete, the whole point is to improve yourself and your health, not to outdo others in comparison.
Comparison is truly the killer of happiness, and it’s especially apparent in the world of health and fitness. Someone will always have larger pecs or a better looking ass than you but who cares? Don’t let that get to you. The whole purpose of the fitness and strength journey is self-betterment.
The only person to whom you should be comparing yourself is who you were yesterday.
That’s it. Don’t mind the people who’ve been training for years longer than you or the dude who seems to get strong and jacked no matter what kind of jackassery he does. What matters is if you are progressing forward and learning along the way.
When the sole purpose of training is to be better than others, the pursuit becomes a pathetic and egotistical race on a rat wheel. It’s sad how small their world is. No one gives a shit about these dudes except for themselves, so don’t become one of them.
Let me ask you this.
If you do one thing each day to improve yourself, where will you be next week? Next month? In a year? In 5 years? Each milestone you cross is a victory to be celebrated in the context of your personal life. If you finally squat 100 pounds for the first time, that is a great personal achievement!
The victories of others don’t diminish your own. I am always more impressed by individuals who consistently outdo their previous bests, no matter how small, than the strong and arrogant showboats who become complacent in their training.
Don’t compare yourself to others. Are you growing? Growth is the most important victory in the gym and in life.
The chaos of your life is already enough without having to deal with the arbitrary standards set by other people’s accomplishments. Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to who someone else is today.
Our brain power is the most important biological asset we possess. It controls our thoughts, cognition, and perception of the world. It’s no wonder we spend so much time and resources optimizing brain function and eliminating brain fog.
Nootropics and brain supplements have been becoming all the rage lately. While there is some evidence to support their use, I don’t think they have any value if you’re using them as a crutch to offset bad habits. It’s like trying to make up for an atrocious diet with some omegas and a scoop of protein powder.
If you aren’t doing the minimum of maintaining your body’s function, no amount of supplementation will help you. So, here are 4 easy ways to eliminate brain fog before you even consider expensive supplements.
