The promises are all the same: one month to exercise results like never before. I’ve tried a lot of programs over the last 40-plus years. Obviously, I must be doing something wrong? Or….
The reality is that the promise of any program having extraordinary results is a lie. Yes, it may have worked (if indeed he or she actually does the program) for the genetically gifted fitness professional who is able to optimize nutrition and recovery (and perhaps take a plethora of supplements and performance enhancers). Most of us, however, have not chosen our parents as wisely.
The reality is that physiology has a major role in our response to the exercise stimulus. “Twenty-eight days”? Well, that is too short of a time period to see any notable results. One may lose about eight pounds of muscle and gain a couple of pounds of muscle (that is, if the diet and genetics are there to support the training). More often than not, gains in muscle mass will come with some increase in fat, rather than a significant loss of fat, simply because gaining mass requires a hypercaloric diet.
The program that is promoted (and fitness magazines seem to have a new one every issue) are typically sound. The problem is that few have the muscle physiology to see the same gains. There is a reason why the professional bodybuilder is used to promote the article and not you or me. He or she is professional bodybuilder because he or she responds well to training—and has the time to train and recover well. They are successful because they have extraordinary percentages of fast-twitch muscle fibers, greater numbers of muscle cells, nuclei-dense fibers that respond to the training stimulus, lower levels of myostatin, etc. In short, they chose their parents wisely. Those of us with more slow-twitch fibers and, essentially, the opposite muscle physiology are going to respond differently to the same training. Some simply don’t respond to weight training.
So, for those of us who are “non-responders” or “low responders”, does that mean we shouldn’t bother with lifting weights? Absolutely, not! It just means we need to settle in to a program we like and not just from program to program hoping for a miracle. Just lift!! Keep it simple and basic. Lift heavy, but don’t go to the mirror every morning hoping to see someone different. You’ll gain strength. You’ll see positive changes (albeit small changes). You will reap benefits. It is worth the effort. Small gains are still gains. Considering that the alternative is losing that which you don’t have over your remaining years, small gains (and even maintenance) is worthwhile.
Enjoy the gains—however big or small!
Be your best today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!