Tip Two Truths About Training Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Alpha LifePowerful Words Tip Two Truths About Training To stay motivated in the gym you need to know the truth about training and making progress In fact you need to know two truths by Charles Staley August 3, 2017June 8, 2021 Tags Motivation, Opinion, Powerful Words, Strong Words, Tips The Common Denominator I don't care what training method you use, what exercises you do, or what diet you're on, if you're not consistently working very hard on a long-term basis, it's not going to pay off. The common denominator isn't the method, it's you. That might seem like a bitter pill to swallow, but there's a bright side: You have full control over your consistency and work ethic. It doesn't cost anything, and no one can take it away from you. Truth 1 As you become more experienced, you'll need to do more and more work for less and less gain. A beginner can put 10 pounds on his squat every week, but eight years down the road, he'll be thrilled with 10 pounds a year. All forms of biological adaptation follow this pattern. The closer you get to your genetic ceiling, the slower the adaptations come. I bring up this point to make you aware of the (admittedly depressing) fact that plateaus are inevitable at some point. It doesn't mean you're using the wrong methods, and it doesn't mean you're doing anything wrong. Truth 2 Even the best methods require consistent hard work. Even if you manage to find that "perfect" program, diet, or exercise, it won't do a thing for you without hard, consistent work. And oddly enough, even "iffy" programs deliver in spades when you go after them hard enough. Bottom Line Worry less about the program and more about your personal work ethic. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Alpha Life The Steroid Interviews - Professional Bodybuilding As part of an agreement with Testosterone Magazine, excerpts from my new book will be published in the coming months. These excerpts detail the use of performance enhancing drugs by elite athletes as well as those in non-athletic populations. Living Better, Pharma, TRT Chris Street March 5 Alpha Life The Calorie Restriction Controversy Does the eat-big-train-hard lifestyle shorten your lifespan? That's what some people say. Here are the facts. Health & Longevity, Living Better TC Luoma October 5 Training Does CrossFit Lead to Injury CrossFit claims that the NSCA is out to get them. Is it a conspiracy or does CrossFit just enjoy bullying people? CrossFit, Metcon, Opinion, Training Chris Colucci September 17 Alpha Life Can Sildenafil Build Muscle and Boost T An erectile dysfunction drug for bodybuilding and health? Yep. Sildenafil (Viagra) and its cousins have more than one body-hardening benefit. Building Muscle, Living Better, Testosterone Optimization TC Luoma July 17