First, let me be clear, there are no best exercise programs. What I do may not work for others (probably won’t work for many others), and many other programs won’t work for me (and some will). The most important principle of exercise is that something is always better than nothing (within the scope of safe practices, of course). So, the primary factors to consider in planning the exercise program are: goals, time, and availability. The time frame for results? Well, that is going to depend on what you do, how much you do, diet, and recovery strategies.
Goals. The first thing anyone needs to do before starting an exercise program is set goals. Even if your goal is to “get into shape”, you need to be specific in the goals. What does “in shape” mean? Everyone is different. Thus, one must consider what they want to accomplish according to the components of health-related (cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, and body composition) and motor skill-related (speed, power, agility, balance, coordination, and reaction time) fitness, and proceed accordingly.
First, prioritize these goals. Remember: “opportunity costs”.
Personally, I prioritize my goals: muscle strength/endurance, hypertrophy, cardiorespiratory endurance, body composition (fat loss), general motor skill-related fitness, and flexibility. Thus, my exercise protocols follow accordingly. I prioritize my time for weight training, HIIRT, cardio (HIIT and moderate intensity steady-state exercise—or “MISS”), flexibility exercise. Everyone will be—and should be—different.
Further, goals should be specific—targeting specific performance measures such as exercise-specific RMs, body fat percentage, gains in muscle mass (overall, as well as muscle-specific), 5-k time, etc. Set goals and set a timeline for achievement (in other words, have a rate of progression in mind).
Time. If you really want to be serious about your training, every minute of your day needs to be planned around training, recovery, and diet. Realistically, 99% or more of us just can’t manage such a lifestyle. So, we make the best of what we can. Time comes down to commitment and opportunity. Realistically, how much time can you dedicated to exercise? This means time for workouts that you schedule and actually complete.
When it comes to scheduling time, one has to be reasonable and realize that stuff happens. Therefore, block off the time you want to exercise and plan with the realization that some sessions might be missed. Physiologically, some times might be better for specific types of training (e.g., weight training is most ideal late morning and early evening when the body is nourished and warmed), but these times don’t always fit our schedule and lifestyle. So, don’t sweat the details. Schedule when it works for you.
A reason I like to schedule a higher frequency of training sessions is that I know that, if I miss a workout here or there, less damage is done. I have to start early so my wife can work out, too. My window is also small—45 minutes to an hour. I can, however, also squeeze a 30- to 60-minute workout in the later afternoon between work and shuttling the kids around to sports, etc. or my “15-minute check-in” with my wife. There is, however, the possibility that I might not get away from work on time or traffic will be slow (I have an hour commute—traffic is always slow). So, the likelihood of missing an afternoon session is greater. So, priorities dictate when I schedule the components of my exercise program.
Availability. Not everyone has access to the same facilities. Make do with what you have access to. I have discussed this previously. Do what works for your budget and schedule. Personally, working out at home has worked for me for almost 15 years. Over that time, I have accumulated equipment and weights, worn out a used stairstepper, and been up and down with my fitness goals. I have worked out at commercial gyms and corporate/university facilities, depending on my circumstances. I also know that when I travel, I can use hotel facilities, get short-term gym memberships (I have paid to use Gold’s Gyms for a week more than once during conferences and other travel), or do body weight exercise. It is also possible to plan training programs around travel/vacation schedules (e.g., plan a deload week during a vacation). The most important thing is that we don’t allow a perceived “lack of availability” as a barrier to exercise. It is also important that we have a coping strategy in place for when availability changes (and when schedules change). No excuses for not exercising.
Realistic Time Frames. Everyone is different and will progress (and respond to exercise) at different rates. The more aggressive the training strategy (coupled with the appropriate diet and recovery strategy), the greater and faster the gains one might expect. It is important to emphasize that not everyone responds to specific exercise the same. This is why I am careful with how I might generalize exercise science research and personal empirical results. It is clear that there are “responders” and “nonresponders” to specific exercise. We all have different genetic potentials. So, consider how well you have selected your parents. With experience and some trial and error, you will find what works best for you.
In general, there are some general expectations for progress we can expect based on the exercise science. Again, I have to be clear that everyone is different. If you are not achieving the same results as you neighbor—and you are putting in the same effort—it may not be the right approach for you. Adjust. By “adjust”, though, I mean “tweak”. Do bounce from program to program every couple of weeks. Give a program time. Put in the effort. Adjust the volume up and down according to your recovery. Be consistent.
Fat loss. As a rule of thumb, there are approximately 3500 kcal in a pound of fat. So, to lose a pound of fat the body has to be in a 3500 kcal deficit for some span of time. Thus, we can backtrack from the specific fat loss goal and calculate how long it will take given a predetermined rate of fat loss and average daily or weekly caloric deficit.
For fat loss to be sustainable—and more importantly to maintain muscle mass in the process—progression needs to be rather slow. A general guide is about 1-2 pounds per week. This may seem slow, but, considering the volume of a pound of fat, the appearance change will be more significant than one might think. At this rate, it is also unlikely that much, if any of the weight loss will come from muscle. If you are in the habit of watching shows like Biggest Loser or My Diet is Better than Yours, you might be under the impression that losing 10 or more pounds a week is attainable. Perhaps. But, consider a couple facts: 1) this initial weight loss is mostly water, 2) in extreme obesity, losing fat may be more critical than worrying about a loss of muscle tissue (and one might expect a smaller loss in muscle when there is less “excess” muscle mass during extreme caloric deficits), and 3) obesity is the result of extreme and persistent caloric excesses, so cutting calories at this stage are probably going to have a more pronounced effect at the onset. Over time, the body will adjust and the rate of fat loss will slow as the body approaches more healthy levels. So, be patient. Let 1-2 pounds per week be your overall target.
Muscle gains. I have heard a lot of wild claims over the years, but one must be sensible and look at the facts and the science. When it comes to muscle gains, there is much to consider. First is training age. A beginner will typically see large gains in strength before seeing a great amount of hypertrophy. This is because the initial gains in strength are the result of neural adaptation (muscle fiber recruitment patterns, improved synchrony of muscle coactivation, etc.) in response to the training. As the exerciser becomes more experienced and begins to lift heavier and heavier weight, then hypertrophy will follow.
Second is training volume. In the past, when I have responded to the comment (generally from women) that “I don’t want big, bulky muscles”, I have given the rather standard response about hormones, etc. A couple of years ago, a student asked how to respond to this question. I must have been in a feisty mood, because my immediate response was: “Tell her she’s not willing to put in the time.” I thought about it, and this is really the right answer to give. On one level, few have the genetic potential to put on great amounts of muscle mass, so such people would have to work extremely hard to get “big, bulky muscles”. On another level, body builders and lifters who have very big muscles have worked extremely hard for those gains—carefully managing their lifting, recovery, and diet (yes, in some cases, this has been assisted by steroids, but let’s not discount that even lifters who are using PEDs are putting in the effort). If you happen to be the very rare individual who gains muscle easily and does not want to, (first, we hate you—just kidding) you are fortunate. You can dedicate your exercise time to other pursuits.
Diet and recovery will be critical factors. If you watch a bodybuilder throughout his or her day, you will notice that, if the bodybuilder isn’t lifting or sleeping, he or she is probably eating. It takes a careful and hypercaloric diet to gain muscle mass. Food fuels the training volume and the recovery (i.e., muscle growth). The workout is the stimulus, but growth occurs while the exerciser sleeps. Without the right diet, neither the training or the recovery are fully effective. Most of us, don’t want to make the sacrifices to maximize muscle gains.
So, what kind of gains can we expect in muscle mass? The best sources I have seen lead me to conclude about 0.5-1.0 pound per month for the average lifter doing a moderately effective program. Some might gain as much as 2 pounds a month, but more is quite unlikely. Progress is slow, for all the effort. Gains of this magnitude, over time, however, will impress. Remember these gains are cumulative. Six to 12 pounds of muscle over the course of a year will look better than one might expect. Couple this with fat loss, and the body composition improvement is dramatic. Be patient.
Cardiorespiratory endurance. Improvements in VO2max are more pronounces at the onset of endurance training and will tend to taper over time. The overall gains are generally dependent upon genetics and initial levels. Thus, the lower the initial VO2max the greater to potential gains. The exercise physiology text (Powers & Howley) I use for my course suggests that the average increase in VO2max is 15-20% over a 2-3 month training program. Persons with low initial values may improve as much as 40-50%, while those with high initial values may see improvements of 2-3%. There is increasing evidence of “high responders” and “low responders”, and training intensity is certainly a factor (individuals with higher VO2max values will generally require higher intensities (e.g., > 70% VO2max) to facilitate improvements. This is certainly a case for choosing one’s parents wisely.
The key overall is progression. Be your best today; be better tomorrow. How much better? That will depend on you (and, to some extent, your parents).
Carpe momento!