Structure and Procedures
Mark Brown
May 17, 2022
Discipline does not have a completely rigid structure. If it did, it would be nigh impossible for the vast majority of people on this planet to hold to a “relatively good” discipline. The gym ultimately just a small part of a lifter’s life. That’s shocking news, I know. However, the intensity more than makes up for the fact that it’s only a fraction of the day. The structure of discipline needs to adjust with all of the parts of one’s life. I will explain what exactly that means and some of the consequences that comes with the decisions that have to be made. Following procedures help to refine the ever changing nature of the structure discipline has. Understanding why decisions are made and in what order helps discipline grow harder to break in the face of changing circumstances.
Discipline functions the same way a power rack does for barbells. It provides the rigidity the heft of a barbells require to safely be used and is open enough to make a variety of lifts possible inside it. The chaos of life makes proper, good discipline tough to actually attain and retain over the years. Any structure that will actually stand in such an environment has to be able to deal with the ebbs and flows of everything around it. A strength training program is just a small part of any fitness plan. As such, it responds to all of the other part of the bigger plan that includes nutrition, rest, emotional and mental stress relief. For disciplined lifters the thing that will cause small adjustments to the program the most is their physical condition. It is widely held that muscles need about 48 hours to recover for the most part. That isn’t always the case. It is especially true when lifting in the 90-100% 1RM range. Some muscle groups are also prone to needing more recovery time than others. It doesn’t a lifter any good to hold to a lifting schedule when they aren’t in the proper condition to do what is called for on that day.
Let me give an example of what I mean. I started my current lifting program in mid-March. The intent was to lift 5 day a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesday, Fridays and Saturdays. Tuesday was to be for hypertrophy and isolation but the rest were to be power movement sessions. I followed that well for a few weeks before I needed an extra day to recover from a leg day. That meant a change the schedule of lifting that week and the following ones to get accommodating rest. That hasn’t just meant changing the days that I lifted but also what muscle groups got lifted when. Since December I have lifted isolation based exercises like tricep pushdowns, curls and lat pulls on their own day. I discovered in the months since then that doing that the day before a pressing session makes it harder for no good reason. I’d much rather my triceps be more beat after pushdowns then big presses. In the last few weeks I have taken Monday as a rest day and lifted both days of the weekend leading to one of two scenarios. First, Tuesday press, Wednesday rest, Thursday back/legs, Friday press, Saturday isolation, Sunday back/legs. Second, Tuesday press, Wednesday back/legs, Thursday isolation, Friday rest, Saturday press, Sunday back/legs. It took about 7 weeks to go from what I intended it to look like to becoming what it is now. All 3 scenarios I laid out still work because I still get 4 power days, 1 hypertrophy day and 2 rest days. It also allows me time to get drafts started, done or edited on the days prior to them going live on the blog. The writing is harder than the lifting. Honestly.
Short term goals like competitions can cause an adjustment in the program and overall plan. Training for the general “stronger” and a specific weight goal or tested lift are two entirely different things. A lifter can get to the former at their pace but the latter is an artificial time constraint that forces the lifter to adjust in its direction. Strongman competitors are much more acutely effected by this than powerlifters or Weightlifters because the events could be anything. There are staples for Strongman competitions but there are nigh endless variations of them without even touching the weight part of it. Training for these competitions, as well as the shows themselves, allows a lifter to strengthen the structure of their discipline by forcing them to work on an accelerated time table. That forces different decisions to be made than normal ones. It will become the building blocks of mental and intellectual development that every lifter needs to accomplish. It helps refine the structure itself and illuminates better procedures along the way. If done safely, it could spur a big jump in development when they return to “normal” strength training for a lifter by merely giving them a reason to really test their limits.
A good chunk of strength training is about viciously hunting down weaknesses and making them stronger. That can’t be done if a lifter only does lifts or muscles groups they are strong in already. Part of any good strength training program is an element of change. I have heard Dave Tate talk about working main lifts in 3 weeks waves for awhile now but only over the last 7 weeks have I put it into practice in my lifting. I have found that is does really help keep me mentally up to date and actively seeking to improve weak lifts and muscle groups. The supplemental and accessory lifts don’t necessarily need to change so long as they are benefitting the main lifts as they should be. What this means is that being willing to change then execute said change well while maintaining a solid base is essential to the structure of discipline in a powerlifting type program. The change to the program has to make sense and be done for reasons that aid progress, however. Changing lifts or programs that are successful in one’s overall success for the sake of boredom relief definitely falls outside the structure. It’s important to challenge oneself and bounce different things off the structure and see what happens. If a lifter doesn’t, they could become a prisoner of success. Moving to 3 week waves has had the effect of forcing me to get better at weak points and lifts. Seeing slight progress in those lifts has felt really good mentally and physically.
An element of a strength program that can really benefit a lifter is working with a training partner. I already have a post up about this so I won’t rehash it here but there’s some things that lifters should be aware of when they do decide to team up. The lifters might have different goals for weight lifted but the goal is still the same: Get Stronger. In the case of bodybuilders: Get more muscular development. Having 2 parties involves means twice the adjustments that need to be accounted for. It is a true team effort so when 1 of the lifters consistently misses sessions, the partner will be effected by it. That could mean a lot of different things. A lifter in this situation cannot let another’s slip in discipline, assuming it’s not for serious “real life” reasons, cause a dip in theirs. Both lifters need to be committed to the joint goal so they both have a stake in the success or failure of the joint venture. This falls under the “artificial time limit” part of training that is used by lifters to spur themselves into action. By agreeing to lift on certain days and/or times, they are putting that time aside to get that work done. In so doing, they are working on all the other non-gym work like family, work, etc so they can lift at that time. When a training partner starts missing those sessions or needing to change them increasingly often, the other lifter must choose to roll with it or find a new training partner. That, of course, is much easier said than done. I’m single. I golf with guys who have kids and wives most of the time. I defer to them on when we golf for that reason. Consistency is the biggest key to slow linear progress. The other option is to lift alone, but that also has consequences as well.
I’ve already alluded to one part of a lifting program that is an important part the structure of a fitness routine. It’s important to establish both specific and general goals first because that will indicate the nature of the discipline structure and overall plan. Developing the procedures to get to those goals is the second part. Procedures can refer to a lifting program solely, but that’s not necessarily always only the case. Preparation time outside the gym sleeping, eating, etc are all parts of the procedure. The order in which someone does what they do matters because it will change the end product. In this way, executing a lifting program isn’t that different from pouring a proper cup of hot tea. They both require steps to make the desired progress. Skip steps or mess a step up and an unsatisfactory result is all but assured. It’s up to the lifter or the drinker to start over or just be okay with the results of the day. A proper powerlifting type program, one geared more towards moving weight than muscular development, has the steps all but put before the lifter. If they make a concentrated effort while doing it, progress is almost inevitable. The character of that progress will be different person to person through. When a lifter gives the program a fair chance to succeed then sees success with it, the procedures of it become ingrained in them. Hence the phrase “training is about turning thought into instinct.”
Once the procedures start to become part of one’s instincts, learning can be done at an accelerated rate. The walls off structure build faster and seemingly on their own. I always think of baking when I write or talk about this. I’ve done enough cooking in my life to build a base set of knowledge, especially in barbecue, that allows me to do it in all situations. I’ve learned how to make yeast breads 8-10 years ago but have always been slave to a piece of paper with baking in general. That experience leaves me with a deep respect for instinctive bakers. It’s more than knowing what 2 cups of flour by weight or a teaspoon of baking powder look like, memorization of a piece of paper and baking time. It’s that they can just do it. It’s the essence of what I write the vast majority of my essays about. “Training is about turning thought into instinct.” When an instinctive baker is introduced to new sweeteners, they have a much better chance of understanding how they will effect a recipe than I do. The structure of discipline acts like a force multiplier for learning. People who learn something through experience are far more likely to get something out of supplemental learning materials than vice versa. Experience creates the structure of learning that new information can funnel into in. Understanding specific procedures fully is where this all starts.
I mentioned above that challenging the structure is important to avoid becoming a prisoner of success. People who challenge structure of their discipline are the ones who are able to get the most out of it. It makes them more situationally viable. Most of the circumstances one comes in contact with will fall under some established category but the minutiae of it is the difference in them situationally. This was famously on display by the New England Patriots under coach Bill Belichik and quarterback Tom Brady from 2001-19. The ability to game plan differently every week successfully for 2 full decades in a sport where a 3 year run is “good” is proof of concept. One can become very dogmatic if they don’t consciously attack their weak points. If they are not apparent to everyone at first, they will be. Colin Cowherd’s line about people telling you who they are all the time will become true at some point to people whose life is finding other people’s weaknesses. Being a prisoner of success will eventually lead to catastrophic failure. The dependencies involved with the dogma will be the root cause of them.
Forming a viable structure is essential to creating a discipline that won’t break. That structure is created by understanding the procedures of any given task to a degree that one can just do them without even thinking about it. It helps build a base through which supplemental learning can be done to further enhance the knowledge gained through experience. The trap of success if very real and can lead to catastrophic failure if the walls of the structure aren’t tested through change. One needs to work very hard to avoid becoming dependent on any one factor that makes up that success.
Life Through Lifting 