Understanding the Confusion Principle

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.
Benjamin Franklin

The human body is an amazing adaptive device. Whether it’s gaining strength and muscle to adapt to new stresses or regulating fat storage or weight loss in response to an increase or decrease in caloric intake, your body will adapt. This can prove a double-edged sword for muscle gains and weight loss.

At first muscle gains are rapid due to the body adapting to new stresses. Over time these gains slow and eventually stop. Also, when you reduce calories to lose weight, the pounds and inches seem to melt away at first, but eventually slow down as your body adapts to reduced calorie intake and increase calorie expenditure. So the question becomes: how do I keep these levels of gains coming? The answer: the confusion principle.

At it’s most simple level, the confusion principle means switching up what you are doing every 8 to 12 weeks. Switching the exercises in your routine, the number of sets in your workout and the number of repetitions in your sets will force the body to adapt to a new type of stress. More adaptation means more gains.

For weight and fat loss, this means varying your calorie intake. Sometime you need to eat a bit more so that your body doesn’t “think” that it is being starved. The body’s response to starvation is actually fat storage and muscle loss as the body breaks down its own muscle content for protein.

For muscle gains, make sure you have at least 6-8 exercises in your repertoire per body part. Focus on 3 exercises at a time and switch them up every 8-12 weeks. Also, vary your sets to focus on strength (4-6 reps) muscle building (8-12 reps) and muscle endurance (15-25 reps) every month. This routine of alternating the number of reps every month and switching exercises every 3 months should keep the gains coming.

For weight and fat loss, switch each month between losing fat through increased cardio, and gaining muscle through weight exercises. During the weight training focus, increase your calorie intake slightly to promote muscle gains. Every pound of muscle you add will burn 50 more calories per day.

Keep your body guessing and the gains will keep coming. Nothing will generate more enthusiasm for your training than seeing your goals realized!