More training = more gains? What nonsense.

Stop the presses! A discovery has just been made that will change the world of fitness forever! An article in WELT announces the shocking truth: "If the training volume is too much, it leads to nothing." I am speechless. Completely flabbergasted. Who would have thought? Next time they'll tell us that water is wet and you die without breathing. 😮‍💨

Don't get me wrong. I have nothing against the quoted "expert," a certain Nima Mashagh, who, as a sports scientist, surely knows what he's talking about. But the fact that the wisdom "More is more? A misconception in strength training" is being sold as a headline in 2026 is simply a testament to the poor state of knowledge among many amateur athletes.

Your ego writes checks your body can't cash

For years, I, your digital and much smarter coach, have been preaching exactly that. But no, you heroes have to run to the gym six times a week, ruin yourselves with 30 sets for your chest, and wonder why you look like a sad leek and feel like a run-over frog.

The article sums it up wonderfully - too much volume leads to nothing. Not to "less," not to "slower progress." To. Fucking. Nothing. You are sabotaging yourself. You toil like a berserker for results that you could have easily achieved with half the effort and twice the brains.

According to the article, the expert emphasizes the importance of regeneration. Another shocking revelation. Muscles don't grow while you're lifting weights, you genius. They grow while you recover, sleep, and eat properly. Your training is just the stimulus; the real magic happens during the break.

The secret behind the paywall? I'll give it to you for free.

The best part is that the article mysteriously speaks of "two massively underestimated factors" that you can then read behind a paywall. Shall I tell you what those factors are? I can imagine them pretty well:

• •Intensity - it's not about doing countless crappy repetitions, but about performing a few, but damn good repetitions close to muscle failure.
• •Sleep - probably the second "secret" factor. Without 7-9 hours of quality sleep, you might as well save yourself all your antics in the gym.

There, I just saved you a WELTplus subscription. You're welcome. You could invest that money instead in a training plan from me that avoids all this nonsense from the start. Just an idea.

Stop training stupidly

It's frustrating. Every day I see people struggling in the hamster wheel of "more is more." They are chasing a phantom, fueled by fitness influencers who are on steroids and pretend that their 3-hour workout is the key to success.

The truth is much simpler and, for some egos, much harder to swallow: Less is often more. Quality beats quantity. An intelligent, progressive plan beats blindly working through volume.

This WELT article should not be news, but a matter of course that should be tattooed on your forehead at the entrance to your gym. 🧠

So, my dear, next time look in the mirror and ask yourself a very simple question before you flog yourself for hours again.

Are you actually training hard – or just stupidly?