What Does 'Optimal' Training Look Like?

Is training 6 days a week too much?
 
We were asked this question on the EIQ live on Wednesday, which you can listen to here, and given I see so many people get this wrong, I figured it’s been too long since I talked training with you, despite 80% of the ETPHD coaches being Personal Trainers (including myself). Recently too, I was reading about the helpfulness of training in recovery from binge eating disorder, which is one of many reasons I encourage everyone to exercise in a healthful way when recovering from disordered eating. 
 
Are you training like a fool?
 
Let's talk volume.

If we’re looking at the evidence base, of which it’s thorough and vast, we can say that ideally for hypertrophy (increase in muscle size) you want to be hitting each muscle group for 10-20 sets per week, a little more for glutes and those who respond well to higher volumes (these people tend to be women, highly trained and may also be outliers) . Ish. Split into multiple days per week, ideally. We see a dose response (more tends to support more hypertrophy) within this range.
 
Some research suggests being able to do more and seeing a heightened response but I tend to air away from that given that almost everyone I work with has a life, generally a busy life, and a hell of a lot of additional stress (independent women refusing to ask for help am I right) and we want to manage allostatic load for health (it can also become a limiting factor in response to training). And, there is an upper limit of volume, beyond which we enter the ‘junk volume’ space – where you’re effectively wasting your time (in terms of hypertrophy). And let’s be honest, most of us don’t have time to waste (it is after all, always running out). 
 
This isn’t 20 sets per week every week for all of time but instead, probably more of a cyclical approach, building up to higher sets over time before taking a deload and going again. Remembering that progressive overload doesn’t come from just weight but overall volume, as well as rest times, form, tempo etc. You probably want to vary rep ranges and veer close to failure regularly (but keeping a few reps in reserve for a decent proportion of that training), and again, progressive overload is your key marker here.

You must be progressively overloading to see progress in your training. 
 
But in a moment reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland I’m falling down a hole of numbers, so let me pull myself back to the point of this email.
 
 
Training is so much more than hypertrophy. 
 
It helps with later day habits and behaviours, energy levels, cognition, routine building. It’s social, it’s (for some) enjoyable. 
 
 
It’s also actually pretty important that you’re consistent.
 
If someone asked me to train 6 days a week I’d feel like I was failing 50% of my week. It wouldn’t be doable or enjoyable for me. But if you’re used to training that regularly, it might feel easier.  

Earlier this week I was questioned as to why Emma and I disagree on some things and that topic is for another day. But we're a prime example of this - she trains 6 days a week, I train 3 days a week. We are both healthy. Don't do what others do but rather get curious, what's right for you?
 
 
A lot of people that speak to us at ETPHD aren’t training ‘optimally’.
 
Even the ones who have been programmed or programming themselves for years, I’d often challenge their narrative around the reality of ‘optimal’. Most people who come to work with us are initially do too much or too little for their overall health and marker of a successful and healthful life. 
 
Because they may be hitting 10-20 sets per week, hitting failure regularly, progressively overloading, but they’re also unable to find time to rest, do other forms of movement that have different benefits for overall health (like yoga). Most importantly, they feel like they can’t take a programmed day off without guilt, even if it’s taking away from other parts of their life. And often, it is taking away from other parts of life. 
 
On the flip side, many people avoid resistance training. Because they don’t like it, it’s boring for them, so they do cardio or yoga and hope that’s enough. For your overall health and wellbeing, with the exception here for those with chronic pain, if you are able bodied, cardio and yoga is not enough. 

Usually it takes some time to taper down or indeed, taper up, but that is always a priority of a good coach and of course everyone at ETPHD is a magical coach. 
 
 
Consider over the next few days
 
Is your exercise programme adding to your life? Healthful or hindering? Or both? Can you take a day off without rest? Does it make you late for social plans and meetings?
 
Or do you find reasons not to exercise? It being too cold, too dark (I hear you). You ‘just don’t like weight training’?
 
In my opinion, a healthful exercise volume looks different on everyone, but usually it resembles 2-6 weight training sessions per week, it incorporates a little fitness work each week and some mind-body-connection work a few times, like yoga.

Again, that’s my opinion. 
 
More importantly I’d ask you to consider, what is your relationship to exercise? Do you experience guilt for doing it, for not doing it? Do you avoid it completely or lett it dictate your life? Because this isn't a healthful relationship. And we don't talk enough about unhelpful relationships with exercise. 

This is just as important as your relationship with food and your body. So please, take some time to reflect on this as we near the end of the year. 

As always,
I’m always here,
And the ETPHD team are always ready to programme you back to health. 
Em x