Elite Physique The New Science of Building a Better Body

36 Elite Physique
Training at Home Versus at a Commercial Gym
Given the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have expanded their home gyms to
include a variety of training equipment. Commercial gyms, on the other hand, allow
access to a vast array of equipment, from power racks to sleds to pull-up machines
that provide assistance. The one challenge with a commercial gym is that other
people can occupy a piece of equipment you need. This can be especially problematic
with the circuit style of training recommended in this book, which requires you
to constantly transition between different exercises. If someone is using a piece of
equipment you need, with no plans of leaving anytime soon, you can break up the
circuit. For example, if a guy is hogging the pull-up bar, complete your sets of the
deadlift and dip, and then return to the pull-up bar when it’s free. At that point, pair
the pull-up with another exercise that works other muscle groups (e.g., dumbbell
bench press). In any case, just be sure to rest at least 3 minutes before repeating
an exercise. If you’re short on time, perform your pull-up as a drop set, which will be
covered in chapter 8. For example, if four sets of the pull-up are programmed that
day, perform all sets at the end of your workout, with 30 seconds of rest between
each set.
consistently follow from week to week, because consistency is one of the most
important components of success in the gym.
Another important factor in choosing the right program is the amount of time
you can devote to each workout. Many of the recommended workouts in chapters
8 and 9 take around 30 to 45 minutes to finish, which might be more time than
you have available on a hectic day. If your day gets jammed up and you have
only enough time to do three rounds of a circuit instead of five, you will still get
a positive result. Conversely, when you have more free time than normal to train
and sleep, you might want to train twice each day or add high frequency training
(HFT) to build a lagging body part or two. In chapter 8 we cover strategies
to get the most out of your workouts when training time is limited or when it’s
plentiful. For now, just determine how much time you can realistically devote to
each workout throughout the week.
Step 3: Determine how you will gauge progress.
In chapter 1 we cover ways to assess your current level of mobility, performance,
and body composition. You will use those same tests and measurements to gauge
your progress. For example, if your primary goal is weight loss, use your scale
weight, abdominal circumference, and photographs as your guide. Remember,
photographs are valuable because they don’t lie. Neither do your clothes. If it’s
difficult to see a slimmer version of yourself in a photo, but your pants are fitting
more loosely around the waist, you know progress is being made. The same can
be said about muscle growth. Maybe your arms appear the same in the mirror
after four weeks of training, but the sleeves of your dress shirt fit more snugly.
That’s progress.
We all would like to achieve results much quicker than we know is probably
possible. When a guy asks me how much muscle he can gain in three months,
my typical response is “What’s the most muscle you’ve ever gained in three
months?” If you gain any more than that, you’re making excellent progress. From
a research standpoint, significant muscular growth has been demonstrated over
the course of 12 weeks (Hubal et al. 2005). Significant strength gains have been
demonstrated in as little as 8 weeks (Schoenfeld et al. 2019).