What if I am inconsistent with my training?

Consistency is king.

Good day to you Donut Gang!

Last week, I received a response from one of The Prime’s loyal readers. Here is what this reader had to say:

Hi Donut Gang CEO,

Thanks for writing these newsletters! They’re really useful to read and I appreciate that you distil a lot of research and info into knowledge bites for us. I have a question for a potential future newsletter.

How does inconsistency in one’s workout routine affect fitness progress over time?

Context: In college (and even now), I aimed to do 3-4 workouts a week. But because of each week’s busyness differing with assignments, events, etc., I found myself doing 4 workouts in one week and feeling super pumped about that but only 1 workout the next week, or 2 the following week, and so on.

Is this inconsistency in weekly routine a big killer of progress? How would you recommend overcoming it? And If I foresee it happening, what are some good ways to make the most out of 1 – 2 workouts in one week (before going back to 4 the next week) to still maintain strength and fitness?

Yes. Inconsistency does affect one’s progress over time.

In another post, I wrote about the fitness-fatigue model and how your body adapts to training and how you become physically fitter over time.

The fitness-fatigue model explains this curve by proposing that it is the combination of two curves - the fatigue curve and the fitness improvement that would enhance performance. Only when the fatigue effect has subsided, then you can see and feel the gains you are getting.

Without this model, we could easily believe the myth that adaptations only occur after days of rest due to poorer immediate performance. But, your body is already getting them gainz the moment you finish your workout.

As such, it is key to understand the progression along the x-axis. As your fatigue decreases, your performance and fitness start to dip. In simpler words, if you don’t feel the fatigue in any given week, you will become less fit.

However, the rate of regression is likely to be tampered by duration and other lifestyle factors. One week without training is unlikely to set you back consistently if you have been training for a year. The regression would be minimal and almost negligible. On the other hand, say for that week - you sleep 4 hours a night, eat a ton of junk food and experience a high degree of mental stress- the impact on your fitness would be much more significant.

This extreme example highlights the key principle of consistency in achieving progress in fitness - stating the importance of exertion-induced fatigue in causing adaptation. So the short answer is yes - inconsistency does affect your gainz.

Macro-consistency and Micro-consistency

Surely, that is too harsh! I mean, Keith - I have other things to do - like eat doughnuts, study, work and go on dates. There has to be a better way!

First, it is important to note this reader is actually quite consistent. Inconsistency should be defined as a prolonged period of time without exertion-induced fatigue. As such, training two to three times a week does not count as inconsistent. Obviously, I must state the duh-math here. If he trained 5 times a week every week, would he experience more gainzzz? The answer is Yes! But the truth is that his training routine is not a deal-breaker as it is.

Second, we have to differentiate between macro-consistency and micro-consistency. This makes training more tolerable.

Macro-consistency - setting up a minimal baseline that you will hit every week- no matter what. This means you will set a regime for yourself that you will train at least three times a week. No matter how busy, you get you will complete 3 workouts in a week. It doesn’t matter what it is. Just three days that you will get a sweat going and your heart rate up. If it was up to me, it would be 3 arms day a week. Just kidding, more on that later.

Micro-consistency - following a detailed program or plan with specific exercises. This means that your training regime is detailed in the sense that you will complete 5 workouts a week. Each day has its own function and purpose. So in a strength training context, you might opt to break your 5 days - into two days of upper-body strength, two days of lower-body strength and one day of cardiovascular training.

My suggestion is that your default should be micro-consistency and in times of busyness and turmoil - you can switch to macro-consistency where you complete a minimal baseline. Obviously, the two can converge and that would be ideal in helping you stay on track and continue progressing.

Allow me to illuminate my point by example.

Macro-consistency: Minimally, I will train 3 times a week. The split would be a push day, pull day and legs day. In these 3 days, I will do compound movements - squats, bench press, overhead press and deadlifts.

Micro-consistency: If possible, I will train 5 times a week. The split would be 2 push days, 2 pull days and one leg day. In these 5 days, I will do compound movements - squats, bench press, overhead press and deadlifts. In addition to that, I will run for 20 minutes on 2 of the 5 days.

Remember, most of us are not bodybuilders or super-athletes. Most of us are just millennials wanting to stay healthy and fit so that we can feel confident and energetic in chasing our pursuits. As such, a dose of steady progression and good health are worthy goals we should strive for. There is no real need to beat yourself up too much if you fall off the wagon, just get back on track and stay the path :)

Key Takeaways

• Inconsistency does slow your progress or even kill your gains. But often, its impact is minimal.

• Default to micro-consistency and switch to macro-consistency when times get tough.

• You are most likely not a bodybuilder, health and fitness are good enough goals to strive towards so just keep plugging away and enjoy the process.

Thanks for reading this newsletter today. Feel free to shoot me a question if you need help, I would be more than happy to help! If you have any friends that you would want to recommend this to, please feel free to share it :) I appreciate you giving 5 minutes of your weekend to me and I hope you have an amazing weekend

Yours Sincerely,

The Donut Gang CEO

shoutout to giphy for powering this post with sick-ass gifs

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