Sunday, December 24, 2017

YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION

This one goes out to all of you in internetland.  All of you posting questions about “can I add curls to Starting Strength” or “Can I increase my training max faster on 5/3/1 than the author recommends” or “am I allowed to skip the conditioning work” or “can I go to the gym if I’m sick”, or “can I do this ‘intermediate program’ even though I’m a beginner”.

Please read through this, and pull it up whenever you need.  Please refer it to anyone else who is asking the question.


You have my permission. 

 Image result for squatting on a bosu ball
...sure, go ahead

I am allowing you to do this.  I have come down from Mount Sinai and on these stone tablets you will find your permission.  Here is your get out of jail free card.  Your request has been processed and you are approved. 



…that’s what you wanted right?  This is what you were asking for, no?  Permission to act?  Why else would you be asking?  You knew full well before you asked that the author of the program knew what they were doing when they made the program.  You knew the program worked as written.  But you also knew better, right?  You knew that there was a better way to do it.  Well, maybe you thought you did, so maybe you needed some permission first, so where better to look than the internet?



Are you insane?!  Do you know what kind of people are on the internet?  You didn’t want to believe that an accredited and accomplished coach with decades of experience in churning out successful athletes knew how to write a program, but you’re going to trust some 16 year old named “BigGunz69” to help you achieve your max potential?  What’s wrong with you?!  You’re not doing “if dad says no, ask mom”, you’re doing “if dad says no, ask a homeless junkie”.  If you’re just going to keep asking around until someone gives you permission, for god’s sake just go ahead and do it.

 Image result for inattentive father
Crap, NOW who is going to give me permission?

This really isn’t as hard as you’re wanting to make it out to be.  Look; those coaches know exactly what they’re doing.  They put together a very solid basic program that will give you a base to work from when you set up your training.  But you honestly can’t capture “hard work” through a series of sets and reps.  This is where YOU come into play.  When you bust your ass and sweat and grind and exert yourself, you become stronger.  And in truth, if you’re just going through the motions because the program doesn’t capture your passion, it won’t matter how expertly put together it is, because YOU aren’t putting in the human element.



But at the same time, quit changing the programs and then calling them what they were, because you do a disservice to the authors.  And this is why every time you ask for permission, the answer is “no”.  “Hey, I’m doing 5/3/1, but I want to replace deadlifts with farmers walks”, great; you aren’t doing 5/3/1 then.  Don’t expect it to work like 5/3/1 does, don’t apply the same rules as 5/3/1, and don’t ask the author of 5/3/1 what he thinks about your mutation.  Just do it, document your success or failure with it, and put it in your toolbox.


And while I’m ranting, because I don’t even know where I’m going with this, why is it the same people that are asking for permission to change the program ALSO use the program as some sort of shield against change?  “Hey, I’m getting really out of breath on my sets of 3x5 for squats on Starting Strength.  Could I do 3x3 instead?  That way, I wouldn’t be doing so many reps.”  Well hey, have you considered doing some conditioning work so that you won’t get out of breath?  “I don’t really want to change the program by adding in conditioning work.”  Oh really?  Are you sure you really just don’t want to change the program by doing something harder?

Image result for mariuz pudowski
Conditioning?  *Psh*  I'm trying to get STRONG. Can't do conditioning if I wanna get strong.

And that’s fundamentally what this asking for permission thing boils down to; people want to do what they want to do, but they want to make sure they’re still guaranteed the same results they would have if they would have followed the program as it.  Nuh uh.  It doesn’t work that way.  You don’t get to be a pioneer and travel the well trodden path.  If you’ve been visited by the good idea fairy, you have to take responsibility if you follow it and it fails.  But that also means you get to take full credit if it succeeds.  And isn’t it funny that all the people who ask for permission are all too willing to say “I’m running Cube/Juggernaugt/5/3/1/etc” when they unveil their abomination of a program, but if they actually experience any success they are all too willing to pat themselves on the back for how smart they are, rather than saying “Man, it’s a good thing I was following 5/3/1 all along, because if left to my own devices, I’d be too stupid to figure this out?”  Holy crap that was a long sentence.

Fundamentally, the choice is yours.  You can be the person who asks permission, or the person who gives it.  My father taught me at a young age that it’s far easier to ask for forgiveness than permission, and though a terrible lesson to teach your own children because they will use it against you, it’s been a fantastic guiding principle in my life.  You can keep asking permission in the hopes that someone will allow you the opportunity to succeed or you can just go out and make your own decision and suffer the consequences.


In either case, you have my permission.

16 comments:

  1. Unfortunately, aside from having a cathartic rant, you're probably preaching to the choir.

    Would be a good article to link for many beginners though.

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    1. Yeah, that was no joke part of my intention. The next time someone is asking permission, you just go "here" and link them, haha. But all of this is just my current self yelling at my past.

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  2. Good advice. It's something I decided a few years back. I don't follow a program, I have a loose idea of what I want, what I want to do and how I want to do it. I enjoy my workouts but I know full well it's not optimal for all things but! But! But! I'm working out. I'm enjoying it and I'm reaching the goals I've set, for myself!
    Is it better to strictly follow a program, not enjoy it and eventually quit after six months or to do a suboptimal workout but it keeps you moving and getting stronger over the long run. Eh, I'm sure there are opinions but for me it works.

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    1. I'm always blown away at people who get downright violent when someone "isn't training optimally". Like, who LIVES optimally? Having the perfect reps and sets doesn't matter if you stay up all night smoking crack 4 nights a week, but people just want to have something to hold over others to establish superiority.

      The most optimal thing you can do is train consistently. It takes a long time, and no one likes to hear that.

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  3. People need to implement this in every area of their life not just their training. Need a diet plan, get on a paleo forum and ask if you can do a low fat diet. Need financial advice, go ask Dave Ramsey if you can open a new credit card to consolidate your loans. Need dating help, call the radio station for advice. Good grief people just make your own life choices and take some personal responsibility.

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    1. Well said! People want permission to be autonomous; it's sheer madness.

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    2. I'd argue that what people want is to be able to blame someone else. If get your permission to bosu ball squat and it goes badly, its solely your fault right?

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    3. Too true. It's a safety net for failure.

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  4. Great post. Btw, I read some of your earlier work on this blog and your viewpoints have changed dramatically. You seemed to have been a fan of beginner programs and other "mainstream' methods. When and why did you change?

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    1. Hey man, less a change and more an evolution. The beginning of the blog is based purely on my own experiences, and from that beginner programs "worked". However, I've found that they are greatly misapplied across the population. I was operating under the assumption that these beginners would still have a lifetime athletic base from adolescent sports under their belts, and could draw upon that to intensify. However, as we see more and more sedentary childhood populations growing into obese adults with no athletic background, I've found these programs are simply the wrong prescription, yet many still advocate for them, and thus the backlash.

      Those programs work for what they are designed for; to get an off season athlete's numbers back up quickly after some time away from the weights. But when applied incorrectly, they fail.

      That's it for beginner programs. I'm curious what other "mainstream methods" you felt I was a big fan of that I no longer advocate for. I'd be interested in addressing them.

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  5. Haha- thank you. If I remember correctly you were also a fan of absolute numbers before "specializing"- you would say a 300 bench, 400 squat etc was necessary, and you were anti bodypart split.

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    1. I think you're referring to multiple ideas contained all in one post, rather than multiple posts which contained those ideas. You can't double jeopardy me here, haha. Those ideas were consistent under the paradigm they were understood in (for a lifelong athlete just getting under the bar), but to a completely new trainee, I've not found them as helpful.

      And always have time to reply to readers. I really appreciate those that leave comments.

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  6. Btw- thank you for taking time to reply to your readers. Much appreciated.

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  8. Would be interesting for you to do a post similar to this one http://www.lift-run-bang.com/p/what-constitutes-strong.html on what lifts/repping goals you consider strong.

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    1. I appreciate the suggestion dude. I don't see it coming my way for a bit, as I hate what the internet does with those sorta posts. I'll say that, in my mind, the 800lb deadlift has always been my mark for when "strong" has been reached. I don't care if it's geared, hitched, strapped, etc. Just not sumo, haha.

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