A training plan is just a training plan, right?
Those of us who take our training plan seriously know how hard it can be to actually formulate and design an effective one. There are so many exercises out there and it can be extremely difficult to pick and choose which exercises are best for growth. At the end of the day, an exercise is just an exercise, right?
While there is of course truth to this, and truth that all exercises will help produce gains, there is something to be said about finding those exercises that are right for you. An effective training plan consists of workouts that you respond to. On top of that, constantly changing up your workouts is important as you look to get the most out of each and every training session.
But what happens if you use the training plan of a friend. We did already say that exercises are just exercises at the end of the day. So, can you use the training plan of a friend to see great gains? A better question may actually be, is it smart to use the training plan of a friend to see gains?
There is of course back and forth debate on this, but let’s jump into this question and see why it might be or might not be the best plan of attack for you. While there are benefits to both sorts of training plans, we’ll let you decide for yourself.
Benefits Of Your Training Plan
A training plan that is individualized for you can be extremely helpful in the long run for it is literally made for you. Not all workouts are one size fits all and there are certain exercises that some people may respond to better. Plus, a training plan for you can be geared towards and specifically designed to tackle certain needs you may have.
Let’s think about it like this. If you are a runner training for a marathon, you wouldn’t use someone else’s training plan who is working towards a sprint race. It sounds simple enough, but when it comes to lifting, someone else’s training plan may be geared towards a powerlifter or for them preparing for a competition, while maybe you are looking to shred and tone. Different strokes for different folks.
Ultimately, a training plan designed for you allows you to customize and specifically design your exercises around your certain needs.
Benefits Of Someone Else’s Training Plan
Using someone else’s training plan, however, may introduce you to other exercises you hadn’t thought about before. Often times we get stuck performing the same exercises over and over again and that can ultimately hurt our gains. What you will find by using someone else’s plan is that you can experiment and see what kind of results these exercises will yield before taking the time to pencil them into your plan.
Also, you can work for some muscle confusion. Performing different exercises allows you to work those muscles differently and see better gains to ultimately lead to increased muscle growth. With someone else’s training plan, you can better work to create that muscle confusion to see the best gains possible.
How Best To Create Your Own Training Plan
Creating a training plan can be challenging, and may even be daunting, for you want it to be as perfect as possible. However, it is important that you consider certain elements to best make your plan as effective as possible.
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Focus Of Each Day
The focus of each day is important for this determines what exercises are placed on which day. A great example of this comes from Jeff Nippard and his Push, Pull, Legs workout plan. By prioritizing muscles that push, muscles that pull, and then his legs, he has created a great plan with a clear goal for each training session.
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Sets & Reps
Looking at your sets and reps is huge and will pay off in the long run depending on your goals. Higher sets with lower reps will work to increase muscle and size while something like higher sets and higher reps will increase muscular endurance with lighter weight. This ultimately comes down to you and how you feel about those intended goals.
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Equipment
With so much equipment at the gym to choose from, determining if you want to use free weights or machines is incredibly important and can prove to pay off in the long run. A healthy mix of both will produce the best gains and allow you take advantage of great workouts, including things like pull-ups, the bench press, and of course, the mighty deadlift.
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Length Of The Session
The length of the session is important because our schedules tend to be very busy. When putting together your plan, what you will find is that the length of your session must reflect what you can handle with your daily schedule. If you can spare 90 minutes to 2 hours, then go for it. If you can only do 45 minutes to 1 hour, then make sure your plan fits that timeline.
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Recovery
One thing many people don’t do is create time for recovery in their training plan. The exercises are great but making sure you target recovery time will alleviate unwanted soreness while also leading to more growth, thus making sure that valuable time in the gym is not wasted.
Wrap Up
Putting together a training plan for yourself is the best way to go when compared to using someone else’s. What you will find is a specifically targeted plan for you that is working for your specific goals. Someone else’s plan, while it can give you certain insights, isn’t the best course of action for this can be too flexible and not specifically target your immediate goals. Take some of these tips above when looking to form your own plan and see what can happen when you create a plan specifically designed for you.
Let us know what you think in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
*Images courtesy of Envato
