The Weider Triangle Method of Peak Performance

The Edge: Ben and Joe's Weider's Ultimate Guide to Strength, Speed, and Stamina
by Ben Weider, Joe Weider, Daniel Gastelu

Now in paperback for the first time, The Edge reveals the training secrets used by pros to help "weekend warriors" and competitive athletes alike get in the best shape of their lives. The book includes the Weiders' breakthrough training and nutrition techniques; muscle-building and weight-loss plans; cutting-edge research on food and sports supplements and individualized programs for all abilities.

For anyone who is bored with their current workout or confused about whether their training methods and nutrition plans are really as effective as they should be, The Edge provides the latest research and proven tips for guaranteed success.

Chapter 1

Perhaps your best efforts seem to be failing and you have begun to question the feasibility of your goals and even your ability to attain them. It's only natural.

The good news is that in our experience, you're not the problem. The problem is with the methods and products you have been using. Gimmicks don't work, but you can succeed and you will succeed, using the Weider Triangle Method. This method utilizes training and nutrition programs that are proven to work. It gives you the tools you need to fine-tune and customize your performance-fitness program to attain the results you want and get that competitive edge.

Since its development, the model has evolved to a new point, and we updated it to include the most discoveries about health, exercise, bodybuilding, fitness, nutrition, and sports performance. Today, more people are engaged in fitness activities for the sake of health, and looking and feeling better, than they are for athletic competition. We've taken this shift into consideration as we fine tune the Triangle.

Unfortunately, we still see people making plenty of mistakes as they try to get fit, and competitive athletes make some of the very same mistakes. From yo-yo dieting, to cutting out entire groups of healthy foods, to exercising too much too quickly, to taking dangerous diet pills-we've seen it all. People are confused! They succumb to bad advice, loads of it. They hear tips in the gym or they discover theories in quick-fix books. Some of these authors will have you believe they've made a major discovery, only to hook you into following their unbalanced approaches.

Fortunately, in response to this sad state of fitness affairs, we are here to provide the fitness-minded public a solution in the form of the new Weider Triangle Method. We are here to help lead you to fitness success.

What is Fitness?

Before getting into the particulars of the Weider Triangle Method, it seems appropriate to review exactly what we mean by fitness. Fitness means different things to different people. It's a matter of degree, extent, and magnitude. What works for one person in terms of results and enjoyment does not necessarily work for another. Just as a marathon runner and a power lifter will have different views of what fitness is, so do people training to attain their ideal weight and shape. Laborers need a different level of fitness than do office workers. To some, fitness might mean a slim build. They look and feel good and can run to catch a train without becoming winded. To others, it might mean they are able to lift heavy weights. To you, it may mean being able to swim for an hour.

Generally, to be fit means more than simply being able to perform your daily activities with ease. Real fitness implies something more, and it is usually associated with above-average strength and stamina. This is what The Edge is all about-it's about attaining real health. The health component of fitness is always important to keep in mind, because in our experience we see people who exercise following unbalanced training and nutrition programs that are actually causing long-term harm. This is especially true for people who are exercising to lose weight. It is just as easy to lose weight sensibly by adopting an exercise regimen, and you will be better off in the long run. Just because someone looks thin does not mean that they are healthy or in peak athletic condition. This brings us to the introduction of a new concept in fitness science, the concept of "performance fitness."

What is Performance Fitness?

While developing fitness is great, developing fitness with more specific performance goals in mind is even better. Performance fitness is a concept built into the WTM. Performance fitness is a new way of looking at fitness. It's a way that makes you aware that there are many facets of fitness, and that in order to achieve performance fitness you need to consider these physical, mental, and biochemical factors. Just as astronauts have to run through their systems checklist before taking off into outer space, you need to perform your own systems check on a regular basis to keep your personal fitness goals on track. It is about developing your fitness for performance needs. It's about setting goals, and following a program of training and nutrition to reach them. But it's also about setting a cross-section of goals to attain well-rounded results.

The checklist that follows at the end of this chapter will get you thinking about the different components of performance fitness. If you're going to stick to a program and get results, it's crucial that you consider all these elements, such as physical, mental, and biochemical factors (such as your cholesterol level). We encounter many people who spend all week long weight training every day and eating a very healthy diet, only to pig out on the weekends, stuffing themselves full of junk. Then there are people whose fitness salvation is running, and run they do, every day. But their diets are garbage. Exercise alone isn't enough, because performance fitness always starts with good nutrition.

If you do not clearly identify your fitness goals, how can you make any progress? For example, if you don't realistically have time to train, then should you really try to do a race? If your goal is to build strength to be a great tennis player, your program is obviously going to be much more intensive than someone who wants to be a little faster on the court during the weekly recreational basketball game, or someone who just wants to look better in the mirror. Training should not run you down; it should enhance your performance. So knowing your performance-fitness goals and how to best achieve them is vital to the Weider performance-fitness philosophy.

Once your goals are established and you have a plan in place, another consideration for achieving peak performance is to include everything in your life that will help you reach your goals, and exclude everything that will detract from them. It sounds simple enough, but in spite of this obvious correlation, even the best athletes can score low when it comes to proper strength training and sports nutrition programs. Attaining peak performance means developing the "right" new habits; constantly learning about new discoveries; mastering the art of setting clear and realistic goals; effectively planning to achieve your goals; employing intelligent nutrition and training methods; having perseverance to develop athletic and fitness excellence; and finally the reward-becoming a champion.

Copyright © January 2002, Avery Books, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc., used by permission.

About the Author

Ben Weider is the cofounders of Weider Nutrition International, Weider Publications, Inc., and the International Federation of Bodybuilders (IFBB). Weider publications include Muscle & Fitness, Muscle & Fitness Hers, Men's Fitness, Flex, Shape, and Natural Health. Ben Weider lives in Montreal.

Joe Weider is the cofounders of Weider Nutrition International, Weider Publications, Inc., and the International Federation of Bodybuilders. He lives in Woodland Hills, California.

Daniel Gastelu is the author of Avery's Sports Nutrition Almanac and Dynamic Nutrition for Maximum Performance. He lives in Sparta, New Jersey.