Optimize Your Progress By Standardizing Your Plan
Here’s how to make the most progress without complicated training plans and yo-yo diets.
Most guys come to builtXyou with a history of program hopping and yo-yo dieting. We get it, with so much conflicting information and enticing offers out there, it’s easy to swap things every few weeks or get drawn in by the next big thing, only to end up with poor/no results.
What to do instead?
For a training program to be effective it must be specific, progressive, and consistent.
This is a simplification of course, but these principles must be met for any guy to make progress.
To get the most out of your efforts, you should standardize your training, changing 1-2 variables at once maximum.
Only once you’ve executed a standardized plan will you have accurate data to help optimize the next stages.
How do you standardize?
There are many training variables to tweak within the bounds of specificity, progressive overload, and consistency.
Below are the 12 of the most impactful training variables and our advice on how often to adjust them for best results.
Weekly;
Load - Adding a few pounds to a lift each week is a classic way to progress. Though you won’t be able to do it forever, if you can maintain your technique this is a great way to build muscle and increase strength.
Reps - Can you do 1 more rep (in total or each set) for an exercise week on week? If so, you’re progressing.
Sets - Can you do 1 more set for 1-2 exercises week on week? If so, you’re progressing.
Density - Can you do more work (sets/reps/load) in the same time without compromising technique?
Efficiency - Can you do the same work (sets/reps/load) in less time without compromising technique?
Monthly;
Exercise order - You might adjust the order of some exercises to give other muscles a chance to be trained at the start of the session whilst they’re fresh. You may also adjust exercise order to train certain limiting muscle groups first. For example, if your back gets so tired during squats that your legs never reach their potential, you might do leg extensions first to help you work the legs and reduce the back fatigue.
Tempo - To spend more time loading a muscle and increasing the stimulus, you might slow the movement down. This is often used for exercises where the local muscle isn’t the limiting factor such as split squats.
Swap 1-2 exercises - You might swap out 1-2 exercises monthly, as some exercises become “stale” or lose their stimulus quicker than others. This tends to be the smaller muscle groups such as biceps and triceps for example. You may also swap exercises that don't feel great on your body, or are hard to access in your gym.
Quarterly/per training block;
1-3 exercises - For the most part, the bigger compound lifts will stay the same from block (typically 12 weeks) to block. This is because the big lifts generate the most muscle recruitment and require the most force production, making them stimulative and efficient. Deadlift, bench press, and squat variations for example. You might change a few exercises to offer new stimulus, maintain training enjoyment and engagement, and to bring up weaker muscles.
Rep range - You might shift to a different rep range (3-5, 5-8, 8-12, 12-20+) to allow for other variables to change. Lower rep ranges allow for heavier loads, and higher rep ranges allow for lower loads for example. Both can provide robust stimulus and have pros and cons. Also consider your goals, preferences, and skills before adjusting this.
Load range - Load and rep range are inversely related so as load increases, reps must come down to maintain technique, safety, and stimulus. Consider goals, preferences, and skills before adjusting this. Load adjustments often come in a longer program block where the trainee has strategic muscle growth or strength progress goals.
Goal - If your goal initially is to lose body fat and maintain lean muscle, your training program variables will look markedly different than if your goal was to grow muscle and increase strength. This again depends heavily on your goals, preferences, and skills. Best practice is to standardize and work towards a specific goal, tweaking and optimizing your plan along the way, for 12-16 weeks. If you change from a fat loss goal to a muscle gain goal and then back again within 6 weeks, you’ll end up achieving neither and feel frustrated at your lack of progress. Physical adaptations and changes within the body take time – especially growing muscle, so give yourself the chance of getting significant results by being consistent for 12-16 weeks.
Ready to transform your physique, health, and fitness?
These are just 12 of the key variables that our coaching team considers when building your custom program.
We’ve been building custom training and nutrition programs that guarantee results for busy guys for over a decade, helping 100s of men get transformative physique, health, and fitness results by taking the guesswork out of their training and nutrition, and giving them a clear and specific plan to follow. Apply to join the Transformation Program or apply for 1-on-1 coaching below.