The Kaizen Principle
Borrowed from Japanese philosophy, this usually overlooked principle can help you begin seeing gains every workout!
“Anyone who has been training for a long time eventually reaches a point of diminishing returns, making it difficult to produce even a five pound increase in a particular exercise. Although the increase is only five pounds, it’s still too much. The problem is even more pronounced – and frustrating with exercises that use smaller weights (external rot).”
“In the Japanese language the word Kaizen means “constant and never-ending improvement”. This word is used in all aspects of Japanese life, whether it is in relationships, learning judo, or improving the balance of trade. The point here is that the Japanese look for constant and gradual improvement. The Japanese believe that very small refinements made on a daily basis will compound with interest to bring about in the long run progress that most people will envy. Interestingly, there is no equivalent in English for the word Kaizen.”
” Applying the Kaizen method to weight training means that instead of making a jump of five pounds, you can make an even smaller jump (such as by just one pound), this makes the weight both physiologically and psychologically easier to handle. Imagine if you could increase the weight for reps by half a pound a week – in one year that would be a 26 pound gain! Gets you psyched, doesn’t it?” – Charles Poliquin
I speak of this in class often so think about it next time you are facing a heavy press or a DB ext rotation, maybe 1 pound is something to cheer about or one extra rep.
