| Hi Friend,
What’s the perfect exercise? This question crops up a lot in our mailbag, along with queries about the perfect workout and the perfect diet.
And the thing is, it’s one of those loaded questions that is damn near impossible to answer.
Here’s why…
Perfection doesn’t exist.
Sorry to get all philosophical with you on a Monday, but it’s true.
Here is what science has to say on the matter:
“‘Perfection’ is man’s ultimate illusion. It simply doesn’t exist in the universe… If you are a perfectionist, you are guaranteed to be a loser in whatever you do.”
That quote comes from David Burns, M.D. He is the multi-award winning Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Even songwriter, singer, painter, writer, and Nobel prize laureate Bob Dylan agrees.
In 1965, Dylan wrote: “I have given up at making any attempt at perfection.”
So where does that leave us mere mortals?
Well, the answer is simple and super-effective… You can strive for progress not perfection.
Strive for Progress
The saying, 'strive for progress not perfection,' is based on the teachings of Alcoholics Anonymous but is just as relevant for your weight training.
Forget trying to find the perfect exercise, workout or diet. Instead, strive for progress and you are guaranteed to be a winner in whatever you do.
You see, the whole concept of weight training is based on the principle of progress. The goal is to start with a weight you can handle in good form for the required number of reps and sets — and then increase the resistance in a progressive manner as you grow stronger.
Sounds simple, right?
Yet you’d be surprised how often this progression principle gets ignored.
The principle states:
Place greater demands on your body and you will grow bigger and stronger.
These demands might mean adding more weight to the bar, or performing more reps in each exercise, or doing more work sets of each exercise.
But whatever you decide to do, the secret to your weight training success is to always strive for progress — that, my friend, is true perfection.
Until next time,
Squat for Glory!
Lee
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