Your schedule is hectic.
Between work deadlines, family commitments, and everything else demanding your attention, you already have a ton on your plate. But that number on the scale keeps creeping up… too much for your liking.
So even with the chaos, you decide you need to make a change.
You tell yourself, “I’m going to push myself as hard as I can and eat perfectly.”
I love the mindset! Seriously.
But that also leads a lot of people to fall for this trap.
Most people think the fastest way to see any kind of change in their body is through painful workouts and eating like a rabbit.
But what if I told you the science doesn’t always agree with that?
In fact, what if I told you that approach might actually be making your progress harder than it needs to be?
The Cardinal Rule of Results
When a coach builds a program to get you results, they need to follow one cardinal rule: Specificity.
Every portion of the work you do needs to be helping you get to your goal.
So if you’ve ever been 15 burpees deep thinking, “Why am I even doing this?”
Your program may not be specific to what you actually need.
The goal is to work smarter rather than just work harder. And when your program is built specifically for you and your goals, you see results with what feels like minimal effort.
Crazy right?
Let me give you the two concepts your coach should be following to make sure you have a plan that will actually get you to your goals.
Concept #1: Directed Adaptation
This basically asks: Does each exercise in your program (or action in your diet) set your body up to change in a way that gets you closer to your goal?
For example, if you told your coach you’re trying to lose weight, and they have you doing planks for core work, that might actually be making your weight loss journey harder than it needs to be.
Planks aren’t bad for core strength, but they burn very few calories and don’t help you keep muscle when you are trying to lose fat.
A program built with directed adaptation in mind would prioritize exercises that directly support fat loss: movements that burn more calories, preserve muscle mass, and doesn’t waste your time.
When in doubt, ask your coach the reason for each exercise and why it will help you reach your goal. Most coaches love nerding out with clients about this stuff.
Concept #2: Training Modality Compatability
This means: Do the exercises you’re doing conflict with one another?
Here’s a common example: If you’re trying to lose fat and keep your muscle, resistance training is specific to that goal. But adding in high-volume endurance running? (think marathon training) That actually conflicts with it.
They have different adaptations, retaining muscle versus building aerobic endurance, and they end up fighting for the same nutrients and recovery resources. Your body gets mixed signals about what you want it to do.
The same thing happens when you do HIIT workouts or a “finisher” after your strength training when your main goal is fat loss. You’re asking your body to do two conflicting things at once.
The same concept applies to dieting.
Low-carb dieting combined with hard training.
Even if you’re losing fat, you might not be giving your body enough energy to send the signal: “Keep the muscle, burn the fat.”
Your workouts become so much harder to push through that your body starts breaking down muscle for fuel instead.
These conflicts slow down your progress, not because you’re not working hard enough, but because the plan itself is working against you.
What should you take away from this?
That might sound like a lot. Totally fair.
So here’s the bottom line: The fastest way to see progress toward any goal is to follow a program that’s the most specific to you and your situation.
The more specific your plan is to you, the faster your results will be.
If you’re currently training with a coach, this gives you clarity on what to ask: “How is my plan helping me reach my goal? How do these exercises fit together?” Great coaches will be happy to walk you through their reasoning.
If you don’t currently have a plan you’re following, we give them away for free in our free assessment.
We establish a baseline with you and create a plan specific to your needs, schedule, and timeline.
We aren’t huge fans of cookie-cutter programs.
But they definitely can help because doing something is better than doing nothing!
Click here to book your free assessment with a coach
And if you want to join a community with our clients where you can share your successes and struggles, we have a small Facebook group where I’m active every day. I’m always happy to help answer questions and cheer you on in your own journey.