Less Is More

Transcript

Welcome And Why Cliches Matter

SPEAKER_00 0:03

My name is Ron Maxwell, and I'm an exercise physiology for first time. I'm the other Maxwell's Fitness program, and I've been in business since 1994. The focus of this podcast is to get to the real deal of what really worked and most importantly, why things work. Thanks the name that is a method to the manager. Before I get started today, let me thank Jonathan and Lynn Gilded of the Gilden Group ELT Pros. They are committed to providing the highest level of customer service in home sales. Why don't you give them a shout and figure out what your home is worth? 386-451-2412. The other day I was working with a client and uh we were kind of joking around about cliches, and um they said, you know, they're cliches for a reason. And uh that is so true. And uh, you know, maybe these aren't cliches, some of them are, but they're common sayings that I've used around my gym for a really, really long time. Things like form is everything, and another one I say often, which I'm really going to talk about today. The uh basically the uh whole point of today's podcast is less is more. Another one I often say is quality, Trump's quantity. That's another common one. But uh, you know, less is more is the theme I'm going to go with on this today. So it's a common saying that we have to say a lot because, like the cliche thing, I mean, there's just truisms to short little quips and phrases that we can state. There's reasons we state them often. So I really wanted to focus on less is more today. And I want to give you like kind of some examples

Programming Versus Random Workouts

SPEAKER_00 2:07

of where like people are running into problems with not understanding this concept, maybe why they don't understand this concept, the science behind this concept, and then what we can do about this. All right, so let me give you some examples. When people are coming to the gym to train with me or one of my trainers, they're coming for a program. You know, I I've made that quite clear through the years that it's Maxwell's fitness programs for a reason. It's not just coming to the gym to work out, it's not just, you know, well, that's you know, it's got a very well-equipped gym. I'm gonna go in there and I'm going to do a workout. I mean, that's part of it, but really what people are purchasing is also the program. Like, tell me what I need to do to get into physical condition. Now, everybody has different needs. I mean, you know, some people will not really have a clue about what to do, where to start, or any aspect of their physical training. Like they might not have a clue about their cardio, their strength training, their flexibility, or their nutritional needs. And, you know, they're just kind of like a blank canvas and need to be told everything what to do. I mean, and that's fine. I mean, sometimes those are the easiest people to work with because they don't have all these mixed ideas as far as what they need to do. Now, others will just need the strength training component. Like they're already on a good cardiorespiratory program. And that has changed in the last 20 years, I'd say, because now most people know, like at least to walk and get in their walking every day. Most people are are really, I don't know about most people. Actually, that's not true. Only 20% of our population are exercising enough. But people that will seek out a personal trainer are often already doing some form of cardiorespiratory exercise. So that's going on, and then they need the strength component, and then along with that, sometimes the flexibility component. And that's also makes up a large mix of our population, and that's fine too. I mean, if somebody is on a solid cardiorespiratory program that seems to be working, I mean, we're not gonna try to fix what's not broken, so that's absolutely fine. But we still have programming involved, like just coming to the gym two to three times a week and then basically kind of like doing some sort of chaos physically in between is going to be problematic. So that's really what this is about today is less is more. So I'm about programming, you know, like let's say that I'm teaching some sort of a fitness strength training boot camp on a cruise line or something like that. Um by the way, I would never want to do that. But let's say that I am. Well, in that case, when somebody's coming to your strength class, I mean, they're paying to get in some form of strength training. And I will have no idea what these people are doing for strength training on a regular basis. And in a sense, it is absolutely none of my business either. So the the only objective I would have as a trainer was to make sure that I kind of prepared the class the right way, that I was giving the right amount of repetitions and I was correcting form. Most importantly, like that would be my only objective. But when you're doing personal training, there's a lot more to it than that. You know, you absolutely need to know your client's background. I mean, if you're a good trainer, you've done all of that, you've done all of the health histories, you know, all that stuff. You have a good rapport with them. And, you know, you need to be telling them what to do and on their off days. And herein lies the problem. I mean, we absolutely do that, and and this isn't like stating our clients don't follow, it's just sometimes maybe people don't because of that, you know, that little nasty more is better mentality that just isn't true.

The Sneaky Problem Of Extra Sets

SPEAKER_00 6:50

So let me give you some examples of things that we see often. Somebody will say they might be doing a uh a dumbbell exercise, let's say shoulder raises, and they get a few reps in and and they look noticeably more tired than you think they would be, based on where they are in this set and what load they have. And they might look at us and say, Well, I did these yesterday and might think my shoulders are shot. And we'll say, Well, you know, why did you do these yesterday? Like, why? And they'll say, Well, we do them here, so I just figured it would be good to do. So again, it's harmless, and it's a mentality of somebody wanting to get better. So, you know, that's not a bad thing, but it is a little bit of a misinformed thing, all right? Or somebody will tell us that they destroyed a particular like muscle group, or they, you know, worked their legs super hard the day before they they went and did a particular leg workout or something and they're kind of shot for their workout. I mean, sounds like the same thing, but now we're talking about like doing a whole workout, you know, on a day off, basically, on a day off from strength training, because they thought that if they targeted their legs a little more, they're gonna get their legs to grow. So once again, the the more is better mentality, and then they can't do what you need them to do at the gym, or I should say, what they need for themselves to do, because we're just trying to help them. I mean, ultimately the individual is the one that really needs to and wants to try to get better, so that's just not the way. And it's a really, really hard concept for many, many people to grasp, except especially people that are like real-driven. So let me give you kind of another example.

Why Brutal Workouts Sell

SPEAKER_00 9:03

In our industry, in my industry of personal training, strength, and conditioning, you know, there's this mindset of some trainers who quite frankly aren't that qualified. And they're probably not very busy, which is why they do this. But oftentimes it'll occur at some of the bigger gyms, you know, we like to call the equipment rental places, you know, the places that are just full of all the fancy machines and everything, and people buy the memberships and typically never show up, and they're just going there to use the equipment, which again is fine. That's a great service. And sometimes there's going to be trainers that work in there, typically independent contractors, or maybe they work for the gym. And, you know, they're they're paid on commission, they're paid to be busy. So when they work somebody out, they'll want them to do this incredibly hard workout. I mean, I could take this whole podcast and tell you stories, which clients have told me that people had them do. You know, I I remember one time, I'll just tell you one, it still to this day cracks me up. It was uh, it was an older lady who came in for training with us. You know, she was 70 plus. I mean, look, I'm not calling anybody old, I'm 60. So I mean, it was she was older, and um, you know, she'd been working out a little bit through her life, but you know, that that's the extent of what I would call her fitness level. And uh, she was telling us at one of the gyms that the trainer was having her flip a tire, you know, because that was the thing. I mean, it still kind of is in some cases. I mean, look, tire flipping can be effective in some cases, you know, like I don't know, football players trying to learn how to lift and get out of their stances really quick, you know. But anyway, she was like kind of flipping a tire, and the, you know, the trainer was trying to hook her on like, you know, how hard it is and how great it was. And I'm thinking, like, this was her first workout, you know, and and she's a very intelligent lady. So she was like, uh, this is ridiculous, you know. I mean, I honestly I could not even imagine that as a trainer going, okay, sign your waivers. Now we're gonna come over here and we're gonna flip this tire. I mean, it's so so we kind of call it shotgunning. And what it means is that the person is really just trying to beat the client up to make them think that they got this brutally hard workout, and then they're gonna be like, man, I want to go back because this person made me work harder than I'll make myself work. Look, there's a point to pushing somebody, absolutely, but like you have totally missed the boat if you think that's what you need. I mean, there's an extent that that is just ridiculous. And a good trainer is never going to do that. They're gonna follow the numbers. I mean, there are cases, you know, like um there's a person I worked with this morning who follows this plan really well. And I believe he got like 11 reps or something like that on his leg extension. The when would it have been? It would have been Monday. And so today I was pushing him to try to get 12 or 13. I mean, that's what you do. Like, that's trying to get one more rep. You know, you're not trying to beat the tar out of somebody unscientifically just so they can leave there and think they got a great workout. You're what trainers should be doing is encouraging people to have a lifetime relationship with strength training and exercise. And you do that by trying to get a little bit better whenever you go, and then in some cases, just trying to get better with your form and sticking to your workout and being consistent. You don't have to beat the shit out of somebody to get a great workout. And quite frankly, sometimes that's the mark of a very bad trainer because they don't know how to teach the person discipline to relax and let the body do what it's supposed to do.

Confidence And Coaching Over Chaos

SPEAKER_00 13:00

So, along those same lines, there was a guy that I knew and I didn't know him well, but he was a guru. He owned a major gym in Florida that's actually considered one of the biggest commercial gyms in the entire world, and it's won all these awards. And he's he's quite amazing with his business sense as far as a gym owner goes. Like that was always his goal. He didn't want to be a trainer, he was a gym owner. But like I said, this guy's a pretty famous guy. And uh I met him one day and we had lunch, and he was telling me, you know, we're talking about our different professions, even though we're in the health and fitness industry, we're in very different ends of it. He's in the commercial gym ownership, and I'm a personal trainer. And he we were talking about that. And he said, you know, regarding my trainers, if I ever catch them shotgunning a member, you know, shotgunning one of our clients, like I let them go, I fire them. Like he was so against that methodology of beating clients up just to make them think they had a great workout. And, you know, he could do that because he was top guy, they were top team. I mean, so he could just let a trainer go and go, look, I mean, if y'all don't want to follow our protocol, you can leave. And he would tell the client, if you don't understand that we know what's best for you, and you know, our trainers don't have to beat the tar out of you for you to get results, you know, then maybe this personal training isn't for you. And I was very impressed that he took it to that level of making sure that the trainers were let go, you know, at least worn first, I guess. But it's it's just not a move that's conducive to long-term success for strength training. And I get it. I mean, I've been doing this for over 30 years, and it's hard, you know, when you're working with somebody, and especially when they're brand new and they're eager, and you've got their workout ready. And in some cases, like depending on the individual, when I've done their screenings and all that good stuff, you know, I might have eight exercises that I'm gonna show them that day. And we're gonna do one set of very quality exercises, meaning, like, when they're brand new, I'm gonna kind of introduce them to the program, all the exercises they're gonna do. And then when we get to the exercise, I'll show them, I'll tell them what it's working, and then I'll watch them do their set and we'll move on. Well, some people get it really quick. Like, some people see what you're doing, they have great kinesthetics, and they do it, and they do it in a great tempo, and they're done. And so their workout can definitely be over in in a lot less than 30 minutes, the time they pay for, right? I mean, when I say that, I mean, I always explain to people that it's the workout that counts. But see, I don't have problems with this because uh my clients know that they know that they're gonna get a good workout and they get what they need. So they don't go, what, 20 minutes or whatever. No, they know it's about the programming. So as a new trainer, I could get where that could be tough because you're going, oh, geez, you know, they're supposed to be here this long. And so what will they do? I mean, sometimes they'll go, Well, man, I just got to beat them up more. Let me add this, let me add that. I get where it comes from. It's an anxiety of now what? But a good trainer has to fight through that. Now, if that person did pay for 30 minutes or whatever, and they say, you know, let me pick your brain for 10 minutes, I mean, that's cool. I mean, that's great. And that's usually how I use that time, you know. I mean, I don't seem to have that problem. I seem to be able to fill it up good with questions and stuff like that when somebody's new and they're not doing a lot of exercises yet or whatever. But the point is you shouldn't be adding in just to fill time or to make the person feel like they're getting a good workout. It's just the sign of a very inadequate trainer, a very uneducated, well, not uneducated, inexperienced, non-confident. And that's probably the biggest thing. They don't have the confidence to do the right thing and explain their methodology, they just don't have the confidence in themselves. And I think that's where that happens.

Catabolic Breakdown And Anabolic Growth

SPEAKER_00 17:11

So I want to talk now about like the physiology of why less is more. And less is more is even more important as you get a little bit older. And I would say, pretty much after the age of 40, you really have to start paying a lot more attention to your recovery. And, you know, you're gonna want to push. I mean, I get it. I push myself. I oftentimes have to put on my own brakes, I have to set up safeguards and things like that because I can have a tendency to do too much. And I, you know, left up to my own will on that, sometimes I could potentially get myself in trouble. Now, I don't really do that anymore. I've done a lot better job of making sure that I'm following my own programming on that. So, like, like I said, I get it. You know, we have people that are such hard drivers that you don't want to take that away from them because it's part of the reason they've been so successful. But you have to teach them how to work with it. That'll be the last part of this. But let's talk about the science. So in strength training, in exercise, in stress, and all of these things, we have what's called an anabolic response and a catabolic response. Now, catabolic means breakdown. Without enough stimuli, you can't break something down and it's not going to grow. So the catabolic is the breakdown portion. When you strength train, what's happening is you're actually recruiting all of your muscle fibers, hopefully all of your muscle fibers in a particular muscle belly within a particular muscle group to get results. Now, if you're taking your set close to what we call muscular failure, if you're in, say, one to two reps in reserve, you have recruited all of the muscle fibers in a muscle belly and all of the muscle bellies in a muscle. All right. So by doing that, you have slightly pulled what's called the actin and the myosin within the muscle cell apart. They slide across each other. And when you are strength training, the repetitions, these slight, they're called myofilaments, are pulled apart, literally pulled apart, the actin and the myosin. Now that's called breaking down those muscle fibers. When those muscle fibers are broken down, if they're given adequate rest and nutrition, they will come back and grow and be stronger than next time. Each little tiny muscle fiber, every time it is broken down, comes back slightly bigger next time, and we call that hypertrophy. So that's the catabolic reaction. We need that. You get that in cardio too. Like if you're doing cardiorespiratory exercise and you're stressing your system more than you've stressed it before, you're getting the same thing. You're breaking down your cardiorespiratory system. You're actually strengthening your heart muscle fibers, your cardiac muscle fibers. The same thing is going down. You're working your slow twitch muscle fibers so they can come back and be more responsive. So you're breaking them down too. It's not just strength training, that's the catabolic response. You have to have that. So if your workout isn't sufficiently intense enough, you're not going to get better. And it's the intensity, not the volume, it's the intensity that's going to ensure that you're breaking down those muscle fibers. Okay. So for most people, that's not the problem. They push themselves hard enough. Most people. Now, there's a couple few different ways to get there. Like you can do a bunch of multiple sets at less intensity, and you will still get there. Like you can tear those muscle fibers down. The problem, of course, then becomes time. And I always believe that like less is more. That's what this is all about. So if you can adequately target those muscles with more intensity in two sets versus say six sets, you're going to get the results without all the undue residual fatigue. All right. So again, we get that. I think you get that listening. Anabolic portion happens. You worked hard enough to get results. Here's the problem: we don't grow unless we get adequate recovery and nutrition. And that's what anabolic means. Anabolic means growth. Now, if you've ever heard the term anabolic steroids, that means growth steroids, like testosterone. So what they do is they help the muscle repair quicker. You know, think about it when your doctor puts you on steroids for a rash or reaction or something like that. It helps the system recover, repair quicker. So anabolic steroids, which is a different steroid than you're getting, say, for your skin rash or whatever, your cortisone, it's a different one, but it's still the same concept. Helps people grow. That's why they take them. You know, am I at, you know, am I for steroids? No. I mean, I think it's really, really silly unless this doctor prescribed for a reason. But no, I think people that are taking them for sports and all that, you know, there's going to be a lot of side effects. I say that all the time. That's neither here nor there. But that's why people take them because they help you recover. So therefore, you recover quicker, you can get back and break down the muscles again. Now, a lot of people don't realize some of the pros, and it's a little bit better now, but some of the pros are taking them and they're doing these insane workouts. They try to follow that. Without that, they're not recovering, and naturally they're not getting anywhere close to the results. All right.

Recovery Windows And Atrophy Risks

SPEAKER_00 23:38

So I think most people know you have to sleep to recover. I think most people know when they haven't slept enough, they don't feel very recovered. I think most people know you have to fuel, you have to eat. But we have to look at this recovery and rest thing a little bit further. So every time you're picking up a weight, you're getting in the way of that recovery. So it's not just I'm gonna sleep this off and my muscles are gonna be good the next day. Research shows that they need at least 48 hours to recover. And everybody's a little bit different on that. Some people recover better than others, but it's typically 48 hours for a muscle, and some people a little bit longer. I mean, some people train their muscles so hard they won't recover for like 96 hours. So again, there's different research on that, but it's at least 48 hours. So let's say you go to the gym and you work out with one of us at the gym, and we worked pretty darn hard. You know, we ended up doing like 20 sets for the whole body, and each muscle group got taken pretty close to failure, or within one or two reps of reserve. So it was an intense workout, like we typically try to help people do of all levels. And then the next day, you're doing like side raises, or you're that person going to the gym doing the leg exercises. All right. Let's say you did this on a Tuesday, and then the next day, I'm just gonna give the examples I heard this week. You're gonna do the side raises. So you're gonna pick up your dumbbells and you're gonna do your side raises. And maybe you're not going nearly as hard as you go at the gym, but you still do a set. And then you're the other person that goes to the gym and, in their words, smokes their legs because they thought their legs needed extra work. So that's a Wednesday. Now you come back in on a Thursday and you're gonna work the body again. And then, you know, when did those muscles have time to recover, even if it was less intense? When did they have time to recover? So you had catabolism on Tuesday, catabolism on Wednesday, catabolism on Thursday, and if they're doing that on Wednesday, maybe they're doing that on Friday, who knows? But it's still three days in a row of smoking those muscles. They're not going to recover. So all of a sudden, the person that looks super disciplined because they're going to the gym all the time, a professional trainer or professional strength conditioning coach will say they're not disciplined. They're not disciplined at all. They're not following the program. Again, a lot of times just people don't know. I'm not trying to say like they're doing it on purpose. They just don't know. And that's why we do podcasts, we talk to people. Um, but you're not letting the muscles recover. So they're not going to grow. I mean, if anything, they're going to atrophy. Because if you work a muscle every day, you're going to make it smaller. I mean, you literally are going to atrophy. There's no time for it to recover. Muscles grow at rest. I mean, there are people that take this to extreme, extreme examples. You know, they they go out and they get the hyperbaric chambers and they they get these things that they put on their legs. I mean, there's a whole science of recovery. Don't necessarily know that all that is that necessary. I also don't think it's not horrible either, but whatever. At least they understand the importance of recovery. So, really disciplined trainees and athletes understand that it's more disciplined to take the day off. You know, like runners will run every day. Now, if they're not running hard every day, then they're not breaking those muscles down, and so they can get away with that. But if they're doing a harder run where it turns anywhere anaerobic, that means those muscle fibers are getting broken down. They do that every day. They're not getting better either. And their tendons and ligaments are getting beat up and they're going to get injured. All right. So, you know, that's not very smart either. Less is more. You're going to see your runners that are running into their 90s have learned that and they're not overdoing it. They're not pounding themselves. I know people that like just can never seem to get enough with running. Like you just we watch them. It's like a joke. It's a sad joke. Like, oh, they're going to be injured next month. You know, you see them come off an injury, and then like they tell you they did two or three easy miles, and you see them the next time they did, you know, four or five easy, and then next thing you know, they're telling you they're doing their 10 miles, and then you're like, eh, here they go. And then sure enough, they're out, they got a boot on their leg, you know, they're standing at a race in a in a in a boot, in a cast. I mean, it's like, why can't they learn? It's the same concept. More is not better, less is more.

Alphas, Boredom, And Smarter Off Days

SPEAKER_00 28:32

All right. So I told you the last portion of this. Why? I think people are bored. I I think there are two things that go on. I think that one, people don't know better, and they're the alphas that just want to really, really, really get better. And I get that. Like, I mean, you know, it's admirable. And even the second example is admirable in a way, but it's not gonna work. That's the problem. So people don't know better. You know, maybe they want to exercise every day. Look, I love to exercise every day. I've just learned that I have to do different kinds of exercise every day, so I'm not breaking down my muscles. So if I'm strength training, say, let me think today. Yeah, strength training today, you know, no, today was more of a run date. Tomorrow is gonna be more of a strength date. Different muscles, different program. So I'm gonna get my recovery in. Sunday I try to just take off. So that's going to work fine. So, you know, alphas out there, you know, don't worry. You can do something every day. I still think it's good to take a nice day off, but you can do something every day. Just learn what you can do every day. I could do a whole podcast on that, and probably I should, but just know going to the gym working the same muscles hard or working muscles back to back because you just feel like you need more isn't true. Like work a little bit harder when you work out. If you're an outfit, you know, be smart, read something, do something that like you're gonna be better at whatever you do. Okay, now the second area, again, I mentioned it, but it's boredom. I think, you know, some people love to be physically active, and I get it. I again, that's admirable too. I mean, it I I say it a lot. Well, you know, it's probably better to go into the gym doing that than to the bar like they used to. I mean, there's truth to that. There really, really is, you know, and I'd rather see somebody doing that than doing something self-destructive. The problem is they still kind of are doing something self-destructive, right? They just need to be told, look, you love to go to the gym every day. I get it, so do I, but what can you do? Like, maybe don't do those strength training muscles again, you know, maybe go to the gym and stretch. Do a little bit of light cardio on the treadmill or the bike, 15 minutes, get your heart rate up just a little to warm up, and then do some stretching. Like all of this can go into the program, you know. I get it, you know, today's society, we're kind of stuck behind computers a lot. We don't go outside as much, you know, these things. So people do get bored. I do get it, and you want to go be physically active, and you absolutely can be. Like, I'm not telling the people that walk the beach every day not to do it. No, I'm really talking about the people that feel the need to go to the gym to strength train every day. And again, that could be done if somebody's doing a very well-thought-out split routine. But that's not what I'm talking about. I'm seeing a lot of people going to the gym thinking they have to do more because they feel like they need to be getting more. And in reality, what they do need is more discipline. And in more discipline, it's rest. Okay. So for the alphas, I want you to learn a little more discipline and tell yourself you are going to have your best body, your best strength, your best level of fitness by working appropriately hard enough, and then be very disciplined and rest those muscles on the days that you're supposed to rest. And for my people that like to kind of burn a lot of activity, you know, you get a little bored, that's fine too. Go to the gym, do some stretching in between. Uh, one of my great clients, I'll mention her name because why not? But Lois, she's been working out with me for probably 20 years now. She's a sweetheart, you know, she comes to me three times a week. She will go down to a gym in her town and she'll get on the bike and she'll do the recumbent bike, and then I think she does the elliptical and treadmill. So she'll do a little bit of cardio, do a couple stretches, and go home. That's a great use of your time in between. She's not going to the gym and jumping on the leg extension and doing more leg stuff. All right. So just remember it's cliches for a reason. You, you know, you see people say less is more, form is everything, all of those things because we have to say it all the time. Or drop your traps. I just thought of that one because we were saying that all day today. But anyway, it's really important to remember that less is more.

Downloads, Follows, And Sponsor Thanks

SPEAKER_00 33:20

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