IF IT WORKS, DONT'T FIX IT!

In a previous post, I told you that in order to gauge my progress, recently I started again to sum my working loads for the squat, the bench press and the deadlift for any given week. This gives me a single number that is easier to track than trying to track everything that goes on my training log. If this number goes up I'm progressing, and I don't care much about which of the exercises are progressing and which ones are not.

I also told you that in week #42 I set a target for the end of this year (week #52).
"To increase this single number (my 'total' workload) by 10 kilograms". Which means increasing it by 1 Kg (I'm able to do 1Kg increases in the barbell).

So that was the goal. And, right now we are at the end of week #46 and I'll already know that I'll make it! In the picture you can see the chart of my progress. The X axis is the week number and the Y axis is my "total workload" (but showing only the last digit of the number).

I think the chart says it all. After plateauing for more than 6 weeks and fixing my goal I'm breaking through the plateau and I'm only 2Kg shy of my end-of-the-year goal.

I'm always looking for ways to improve my training. Even now that I'm progressing at good pace, I'm wondering what I could change to progress even faster.

By coincidence, yesterday's, Bill Hinbern, in his "Free Super Strength Training Newsletter" (which despite the name, is just an e-mail he sends regularly with training tips and motivations followed by recommendations of some of the books he sells) was talking about exactly this question:

"Am I doing enough?"

And his conclusion was that if your goal is to get stronger and your poundages are progressing then don't force it. Don't try to do more, otherwise you could hamper your progress.

In other words:

IF IT WORKS, DONT'T FIX IT!

If your loads are increasing don't touch anything till they stop increasing.

About my current success in increasing my working poundages, I believe it is due to the following key elements:

• Having a good breakfast with eggs. Also bacon (and sometimes even cheese).
  
• Drinking one liter of milk after weight training.
  
• Using my mp3 player with most of the exercises.
  
• Having a little bit longer saunas after training.
  
• Having one day (of my 3 weekly workouts) in which I don't train legs.
  
• My weight-loss has stalled. It was hard for me to try to lose lard and gain muscle at the same time.