"The Magic Routine"

You know, for decades, researchers, sport scientists, coaches, athletes, trainers, and the like have been studying exercise. They’ve all been on the quest for the same trophy – to either discover or create the “Magic Routine.” The routine that works so well, so quick, so amazing, that it must be magic.

Well, the can all pick up their pads, pencils, and calculators, and go home. Why? Because I have the Magic Routine already figured out.

The answer: Simple – Everything. Now, I can hear some guy out there grumbling: “Ok, what the hell is ‘Everything’ supposed to mean?” Fine. If you don’t like that answer, how about this one: Nothing. Now, I can hear that same guy out there: “Listen up, smart-ass…” Let me explain.

You see, fellow trainee, there is no such thing as the “Magic Routine.” Why not? Because we’re all different, that’s why. Our bodies, while anatomically all the same, are each completely individual. That is why nobody has the same fingerprint and we all don’t look alike. It is because of this individuality that there is NO “Magic Routine.”

Let’s digress for a moment…when we were in school (and some of us still are), didn’t (don’t) people learn differently? Some people need to write things down. Others are visual learners who benefit from the use of charts and graphs. Some need to talk out loud or recite to themselves (I did that a lot in college…but that’s another story…). Some can hear something and remember it. Then, there are those annoying types that can just gloss over something once and know it for life.

And just as we knew people who learned different ways, we also knew that different people took different amounts of time in their individual type(s) of studying to be adequately prepared or to learn.
Or else, we would all have spent the same three hours per night hitting the books.

Well, training and exercise is the same way. Now, while certain programs or methodologies are most certainly more productive than others for certain people, just as there isn’t a universally “ideal” amount one must/needs to study, there isn’t a universally “ideal” amount of training that will maximize one’s efforts.

Let’s look at another quick example. Have you ever seen somebody who just got a new routine (be it from magazine, internet, friend, etc.),and was all anxious to try it out, only to find that three or four weeks down the road, that he didn’t make nearly the same gains as did the source he got it from did? The reason? We’re all individual, thus we all respond to training differently.

Now, you might be wondering: “What about that ‘Everything’ and ‘Nothing’ comment from before?” Well, I say “Everything,” because just about any routine might be the “Magic Routine” – but just for somebody else. I say “Nothing,” because you may actually never find your personal “Magic Routine.” Again, that DOES NOT mean you can’t or won’t make phenomenal gains…it just means you’re routine may never be “perfect.”

How do you find your “Magic Routine?” The first thing to do is to start with a good, known to work program or methodology for a base. This could be any one of different approaches: my Singles & Doubles, Scott Sonnon’s Circular Training and Clubbells, or any of Tony Cecchine’s material. Using the basic tenants/facets of the program you choose, design and start using a “basic” program (relative to your training experience, of course) for yourself.

Once you’ve “settled in” some on your “base” routine, start to experiment. Add sets, reps, change exercises, alternate training days…see what your body can and can’t handle. Don’t be afraid to “push the envelope” some (more people, I believe, under train than over train, but that’s another topic). If you’re still making gains, then continue to experiment. If your gains cease, go back and analyze your training (a training log can be helpful here) and figure out what changed and when they stopped. Adjust your routine accordingly.

Find your own “Magic Routine.” Once you begin to think for yourself and control your training, then that’s when the really good gains will come.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.