The Focus Should Be On Progression

When it comes to weight training, making good progress is all about being disciplined and keeping yourself motivated. I have found that having variety in my training definitely helps motivation. I'll keep the major movements the same, so that I can track progress. I will occasionally throw something else in just to keep my motivation up and get rid of a little boredom. Once progress on a particular lift stalls, like the bench press for example, I will then substitute it for something else, such as the DB press, and keep at it until it stalls, then make another change, and do the incline DB presses first, and switch to a machine for flat presses, and keep training in a similar pattern.nnThe main thing to focus on is progression. If you like to switch things around, that's fine, but every time you repeat a lift, make sure you are getting stronger. For example, if you change your chest workout around all the time, let’s say you end up bench pressing once a month. Make sure that every month, your bench press increases.nnMy workout is different every single time I workout. I use different equipment and angles every time. This takes some planning in advance so I usually put together a specific program for 12 week periods. I keep it all on my computer and print out what I need for the week. I also change according to whether I'm training for mass or for a competition. The one thing that is constant in my training is I always train heavy. nnThe reason I think it's best to change things up is so your body never has a chance to adapt. If you have the other factors in place, it will guarantee muscle growth. As far as keeping track of progress, I've been keeping training journals since the early 90's. I put an entry for every single training session including my cardio. I also include a synopsis of how I felt in every session. I can always go back and look to see what was working and what didn't. It saves me from making the same mistakes. You have to remember, you're under construction. Like all construction, there needs to be a blue print to follow. That's what you have when you plan ahead.