Sonam Phua

Had a fairly new client asked me the other day

Client: “Sonam, we’ve been doing incline dumbell press for a while. Should we change to a new exercise to level up?"

Instead of answering him directly, I asked him a couple of questions instead.

"Are you progressing in reps or weight every week?"
Ans: Yes
"Is the exercise causing any bad pain?"
Ans: No
"Do you dislike the exercise?"
Ans: Not really

Me to client: "So if we're making good progress with no injuries and working towards your goal, why change the tool that’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do? "

More often than not, most beginner that are REALLY COMMITTED to their goals don’t make progress in the gym, not because they aren’t putting in the required effort, but because they are distracted by the belief that there is some secret exercise they are missing.

Sorry to burst that bubble but there are NO secret exercise. Because at the end of the day, exercises are just tools that we use to stimulate the muscle towards the adaption we want to achieve.

The results you see, be it strength or muscle growth, comes from accumulating the stimulation again and again over a long period of time. And the most important part? Making each stimulation better quality so you get the most out of the least amount of work.

And what better way to achieve that?
By doing the same thing over and over again so you get more competent with the same exercise.