Patience and Training

[BendtheBar]

It is often mentioned that a new lifter must have patience and stick with a program. I want to ask everyone some specifics...just what does having patience mean to you, and how long should a new lifter stick with a basic routine?

[RickB]

Well, when a program fits me mentally, i have no problem being patient. Patient to me is sticking with it at least 4-6 months. Minor tweaks are okay, but don't change it up too much until you know you've gave it a legitimate "go". I guess that 2 answers/opinions rolled into one

[RickB]

I also want to say...although this mainly applies to noobs, I've seen a seasoned lifter flip flop more than some noobs.

[BendtheBar]

I flip flop my approach quite a bit - but I keep the lifts the same. I think this is a point that should be mentioned, since the topic of intermediate/advanced lifters was mentioned. Never sacrifice core lifts. I go through spells where I'll train the same for 8 month, then I'll tweak a program every 2-3 weeks for 4 months. But during this time, my lifts are always the same, and generally performed with the same frequency. I should also mention that I used the same training routine and approach for nearly 20 years before I began "playing around."

Rick - You bring up a good point about "the right program." Should a young lifter "suck it up", or play until they find a program that fits them mentally?

[RickB]

Ditto on this!

Never sacrifice core lifts.

It's my opinion that it might take some time to form an opinion on what fits you. There is just no substitute for experience, so getting some under your belt helps even for a noob. But a brand new lifter should find a very basic program and go with it a while. Read, read, discuss on this great forum, and then form an opinion.

All the while being on here and IPYU (IPYU much longer), I have witnessed some that just don't get it, no matter how you slice it. Their over-thinking it and that is their biggest issue.

[bwys61]

stick to a program until you stop seeing gains, or you get unmotivated to lift. little tweaks are ok, but stick to the big lifts on the program

[kman025]

as a beginner ive changed everything around a lot, which isnt necessarily the smartest thing. the reason i've still been able to keep wieghts going up, is becuase, as mentioned above, i kept the same main/core lifts.

[BendtheBar]

Originally Posted by kman025

as a beginner ive changed everything around a lot, which isnt necessarily the smartest thing. the reason i've still been able to keep wieghts going up, is becuase, as mentioned above, i kept the same main/core lifts.

That's really how it should be done. Everyone needs to make minor tweaks along the journey. But it's lot like one week you're doing DC training, and the next Max-stim and the next Westside and the next Heavy Duty.

[nighttrain]

here recently i have begun to change things up about every 8-10 weeks... but that is mainly because i have gone from a recomp program to a lean bulking program... before this i was using the same program for 6-8 months at a time, like BWYS said if you are still making gains in your lifts there is no reason to change things up.

[thumpinos]

Nightrain squats over 400. I think once you hit numbers like that you know your body and should be changing things up. I don't post my picture here so I don't give advice. But I still consider myself a beginner-intermediate. I've made a few mistakes and used programs I shouldn't have. There's something to be said about the KISS method.