The quest for OPTIMAL

I had an interesting conversation this past weekend with a friend regarding training. He made the claim that he could train after a night out without it hindering performance. I disagreed, stating that there was no way that was the case. He retorted that I had personally seen him bench over 400 lbs while totally hungover. A good point, but I couldn't help but ask how much it would've been while rested and having eaten and hydrated according his performance goals...which brings me to the main bulletpoint of this topic: in training, there are many methods, tools, and strategies that will work to achieve a multitude of goals in the gym, but rather than to do what might pass as "working", we are best served by seeking out what works OPTIMALLY. 

For example, lets say someone is training to run their first 5k. Aside from wondering why anybody would run voluntarily without the incentive of flashing lights or a bear chasing them down, they may seek to make progress towards that goal by increasing their cardiovascular endurance. There are plenty of ways to do that, but some work better than others. Hopping on an elliptical for a few sessions a week would improve cardio endurance without question. But will it be optimal to teach one to run properly or efficiently? No. A treadmill run for 30 minutes three days a week may serve better but it is still not optimal. Running outdoors on a surface similar to the competition surface, using a strategic program designed to increase fitness while avoiding overtraining is the best bet. (Ideally combined with moderate weight training, for the record)

Similarly, one might make the claim that they could train at a "sufficient" level to maintain or improve their body composition on minimal sleep and without perfect nutrition. And that may be true to an extent. BUT is it optimal? No. You may be able to train fairly well under those circumstances, but are you recovering and seeing IMPROVEMENT at the best possible rate? No. By improving sleep quality/quantity and managing nutrition, said person would see better results in a shorter period of time, that's just how biology works.

Then there's the questions of training tools; what is optimal for your goal, versus what might help but maybe not as efficiently as possible. Lets take, for example, some ideas like TV infomercial gimmicks. Can an untrained person with no exercise history have some beneficial results from using a shake weight? Entirely possible. They'd be going from 0 to .5 mph so it's something. Is it optimal? Not even close. A moderate full body weight training and cardio program would provide strength and body composition results to this individual much more efficiently.

Nutrition topic? Same idea. Can someone lift weights, do cardio, and eat kinda healthy without tracking or meal planning and see physique or strength increases? Sure. Would tracking their macronutrients to the gram and using a quality supplement regimen get optimal results as opposed to mediocre? YES. 

Moral of the story, if you are serious about making progress from your work in the gym, seek out the best way to do that, do not settle for what "sort of" works. There's a continuum along the lines of

Awful

Bad

Decent

Good

Optimal 

Lets get as close to optimal as possible for your goals!

Steve Decker