The problem with hard work
Hard work. It’s a quality that’s importance is driven into our minds nonstop. From TV shows like The Biggest Loser, to parents and teachers… we’re told that a strong work ethic is prized above all. In most circumstances, a lack of hard work gets you absolutely jack in life.
“If I work harder, I get a bigger paycheck”
“If I study harder, I get better grades”
The notion of “more work = better results” is also highly prevalent in none other than the fitness and sports industry alike. Look no further than this. You won’t be able to find a place that harbors more “hard work” cliches than a football field or high school weight room. From the likes of YouTube fitness sensations such as Rich Piana and CT Fletcher, to cheesy Instagram and Facebook posts, the idea of hard work being intrinsically tied to better results has never been more prevalent. According to these gurus, overtraining does not exist. No pain no gain, right?
For many, this approach seems to work. At least at first. We’ve all seen it a million times. John, the fat lazy guy finally decides to leave his couch, and go for a mile jog everyday. Each week, he increases his millage, and also hits the Iron sanctuary on occasion for a good “chest & arm pump”. Everything seems to be going great. Although the form on his curls looks awfully similar to someone who dropped too much acid at a music festival, all of John’s lifts are going up, his waste line is shrinking, and he’s now sporting a small bicep vein that Instagram probably didn’t need to see.
One day, John finishes his last set of bench press and notices a little shoulder pain. Thinking nothing of it, John loads up the barbell to take the overhead press for a ride. “Gotta push through it” John says. After all, no pain no gain, right? After his workout, John goes to step on the scale, and notices his weight has plateaued. Up to this point, John has lost a significant amount of weight, but still has a decent way to go. Finally, John reasons that he’s going to DOUBLE his weekly running and lifting volume. Why? Because he’s a hard worker, and hard workers get results, right? Duh. After a week on his new program, John is both mentally and physically fatigued. His metabolism has dropped, he’s having a hard time recovering from the brutal workload, and his shoulder is now killing him. Worst of all, he’s gained 5lbs! John continues this process for a year, making gradual improvements, and then losing them again. Instead of being driven by RESULTS, John takes pride in his work ethic.
“Who cares if they look better than me! I work harder”
“Who cares if that guy is stronger than me, I bet I work harder than he does!”
The scenario mentioned above happens to EVERYONE who’s trained for a sport, or even just for general fitness purposes. It’s just the way it goes. When analyzed intelligently, training plateaus give us constructive insight into how to appropriately manage training volume, intensity,as well as the lifestyle choices that can effect our performance. When treated as simply the product of “not working hard enough”, we take the science right out of training, and halt long term progress. What’s even worse is that often times, coaches and trainers are the ones making these mistakes the most! How often have we seen the football coach who tries to make his players purposefully puke? Or the meathead personal trainer who takes his/her client through a crippling workout to make them “feel” like they did something productive? Are you getting results, or being entertained?
Sure, it might work for a while, and maybe even a little longer for the genetically elite and those secretly taking performance enhancing drugs, but at some point the “just work harder” school of though will leave you an injury prone ticking time bomb, riddled with aches and pains, and enough stress hormones pumping through your blood to permanently damage your health. Training, and life in general is not a linear process.
So crack open a book, or maybe hit Google and do a little research. Find a program online and follow it, or search out a qualified coach. Living in the information age, you have no excuse for a lack of progress. Train hard, but train smarter.