M5:D7 (D415) Working the plan?
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 As I go through and read various blogs something always strikes me. You will always see that one person (actually more than one) who has found a great plan and is going to work it hard. That plan is going to produce massive results. They start along the path for that plan. At some point I come back to their blog and the plan is completely different. They have failed to complete the original plan. Why? Obviously everyone starts out with good intentions. They sincerely plan to complete whatever plan they are currently working. Along the way the encounter some unexpected circumstances. Their reaction to this generally causes them to change direction. There are other reasons that occur as well, but this is the most common one. Without a doubt I am always a little disappointed when I see this going on. Everyone wants to use Adam: RTP Blog 2.0 as an example, but they miss a key point. One reason Adam is so successful is that he sticks to his plans. You rarely see him change things up midstream in a drastic way. He remains consistent and gets things done as planned. To me, this is how it is supposed to be. I agree that at times during a plan (depending upon the length of the plan) we need to change directions a little. However, we rarely require such a drastic change that we can no longer complete our original mission. I see this problem most commonly with our training plans. We make such a drastic change that we can no longer complete the original plans. Perhaps we planned to do a 4 day split and somewhere along the line decided we needed more gym time, so we upped it to a 5 day split. There are many possible combinations of this concept, but I think you get my point. The plan gets changed to the point that it no longer even resembles the original plan. I implore all of you to stick to your plans. Make small changes where needed, but stay the course. Your body takes time to show evidence of the changes you are putting it through. If you are continually jumping around from one plan to another you will never get the opportunity to see the changes manifest themselves. Drastic changes to a pre-made plan are a bad idea. If you planned to workout 3 days a week, stick to that plan until it is completed. There is a reason you came up with the plan in the first place. Give it a chance to work. Small adjustments can always be made as the plan progresses. Even NASA has to make some flight adjustments to be sure that a spaceship that has traveled a long way stays on target. I am going to point to Adam: RTP Blog 2.0 as living proof that sticking to a plan works. I can also point to my M4 and state plainly that sticking to a plan works. I gained alot of muscle during that mission by sticking to my plan even when it didn't seem to make sense to me. I trusted the principles and worked them. You need to do the same. Video Podcast Update: You have all voted and the voting was close, but the video podcast topic will be nutrition. I have been working on that today and will release the video podcast on Sunday and will follow every Sunday thereafter with a new video podcast on a topic my readers choose via online survey. With that in mind:
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 My workout log:  Matty's workout log:  Week 1 of the new training plan is in the books for Matty and I. We have progressed in all of our exercises as was the plan. I am finally getting used to the deadlifts so early in the workout. They definitely make the rest of the workout harder, but it is harder in a good way. Matty managed to get up 160 lbs. x 10 on the deadlifts, matching his personal best on this exercise. Later today was a steady state cardio session. I went for 45 minutes in an attempt to avoid adaptation by my body to the 60 minute session. | ||
 Work the plan you create or you won't ever work to the solution you seek to find. | ||
 Do you work your plans to completion or are you guilty of changing plans mid-stream? What are you going to do about it? Comment this post to answer the question. | ||
Until tomorrow...GET BACK TO LIFTING! |
Posted by Michael Mahony at 12/13/2008 9:46 PM 
Categories: Weightlifting Logs,Nutrition - Carb Cycling,Mission 5,Nutrition - Bulking,Mission 5: Weightlifting Logs
Categories: Weightlifting Logs,Nutrition - Carb Cycling,Mission 5,Nutrition - Bulking,Mission 5: Weightlifting Logs
Hi Michael. I think I am guilty of changing midstream. but the thing with me is I have still made progress...except for the last few months. I have been very inconsistent the last few months. but at least I have maintained my weight. Adam is a true testament to sticking to the plan!
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Hi Mike.
Back in 2002 some 200+ executives from as many Fortune 500 companies were interviewed and asked what was more important, the strategy or being able to execute the strategy. 85+% voted the ability to execute the strategy opposed to having a cutting edge strategy!!!
I think if someone changes their plan, either the duration of time was too long, they were too ambitious or simply didn't do enough research.
Unlike business, training success is based on feedback, daily opposed to the end of fiscal year results. With this in mind, I think for people who are new to this or still working out how their bodies tick, the length of time to execute a plan should be no longer than 8 weeks, but regardless if it was wrong for that person, stuck to as I believe this to be the true discipline of training, what do you think?
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Execution is most definitely important and it is no different when planning for a physique transformation. You have to create a plan that considers any roadblocks and how they are going to be handled. You then have to jump in and execute the plan. I disagree about the duration. Alot of people change their plan weekly. I personally believe in 100 day plans. I've had alot of success with them. That's 14 weeks plus a little. The key is that I plan for the roadblocks I may face and I have contingency plans in place to keep me on track. A plan is nothing more than a series of daily events that you plan to follow--disciplines that you instill into your life. The true discipline of training is to be consistent and you cannot be consistent if you are continually changing your plan.
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Thanks for the reply.
2 weeks, 8 weeks or 100 weeks is a matter for the individual. but the longer the plan, the more determination needed, so good for you.
I do however think that in the EARLY stages for a beginner, a shorter period would be more beneficial. I say this as firstly, if the original plan wasn't exactly right in some areas, not too much wastage would occur until the next plan is formulated. Secondly, sticking to a plan for beginners and following through will give them a sense of accomplishment. Perfect practice makes perfect but self belief is the most important aspect when starting out. Anyway, only my thoughts on the duration for people new to training.
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Hi Michael, I really, well, completely agree with you! sometimes though, we encounter problems that make us chance the original plans, but I do think and believe on progressive overload, and totally that the best changes come when you have invested enough time on the same path! some people think they need to chance things very often for the body to be guessing but, the body is just like us, if you guess a lot, then you just sit there doing that GUESSING without taking a direction.. well... I really want to stick right now to the plans... so, I'll better think about it... haha.. good workouts with your son!
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Celina, what sort of problems make us change our original plans? Why aren't we planning for roadblocks ahead of time? Are you sure that investing "enough time" on the same path is good enough? That actually sounds like some of the confusing information I've read on the internet. When we plan we need to think about the things that could get in our way and have a plan for handling that as well. We have to stick to the path we've chosen until it is completed. It requires more than "enough time," it requires completion.
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Mike, Adam certainly is a great example of a person sticking to a plan.
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Hi Michael, I agree with you mate. Follow through and compliance to your plan is critical to success. I would also add that research is a critical component into coming up with the right plan in the first place.
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Adam, research is extremely important as it gives you the correct path to follow.
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