There are tons of resistance training programs out there with extensive supporting research and proven track records. The tried and true Push Pull Legs and 5x5 programs will always beat any training program an app, algorithm or influencer comes up with. The knowledge is out there if you know where to look. But picking the right program is only the first step. You still need to do it.
An article in Scientific American summarizes a study set up to get to the root of what creates sustained motivation. Psychologists Edward Deci and Richard Ryan of the University of Rochester define three essential components to creating sustained motivation: competency, autonomy, and value.
The Lift League, as a comprehensive training program, addresses competency by simplifying the process of tracking workouts and ensuring athletes maintain progressive overload. Progressive overload is the process of increasing the volume (reps/sets), workload (weight), or intensity (time) of a training program so that it induces the necessary amount of stress required for the trainee to make gains continually.
The only drawback of progressive overload is that, eventually, the stress level required to cause muscle growth becomes so great that your body can no longer keep up. To continue to make gains, individuals must incorporate “change” into their training program by varying the reps, sets, weight amounts, rest times, and lift order of exercises.
This change prevents athletes within The Lift League from plateauing and is known as nonlinear periodization.
The Lift League may appear like a collection of many programs, but it is one giant neverending program built within the guidelines of nonlinear periodization. There is no wrong way to attack The Lift League, which is how we provide our clients with autonomy.
You have the freedom to choose which programs you run and in what order you wish to run them. We went ahead and hid the good stuff throughout all of the programs, so no matter what, you benefit from the appropriate amount of change.
Value is such an intrinsic aspect of fitness. We could argue that we spent X amount of hours creating a superior product and that by providing that product for a minimal price, we maximize blah blah blah. The truth is that the benefits of becoming a more fit person vastly outweigh the value of any tangible item. Improving one’s fitness leads to better sleep and reduced stress and anxiety, thereby improving your interactions with the world around you. It boosts confidence, improves self-esteem, increases heart function, and strengthens bone, ligaments, and connective tissue. Fitness increases life expectancy as well as the overall quality of life. The more room you make for the good parts of life, the less space you leave for the bad. Focusing on fitness is concentrating on your well-being, and in the end, your well-being is all that matters.
Comments