NO SYMPATHY

 

 

Let me just start with a screenshot from one of the greatest movies of all time: Major Payne, starring Damon Wayans.

 

 

In the instance that this image has failed (which occurs often with my blog), here is the relevant quote from the image.

 

“You'll get no sympathy from me! You want sympathy, look in the dictionary between sh*t and syphilis! That's where you'll find my sympathy!”

 

The entire movie is full of amazing quotes and is just a classic staple of the 90s.  You owe it to yourself to watch it (along with “Heavyweights”, but that’s another story for another blogpost), but today I want to specifically discuss the sentiment behind that quote, because I absolutely love it.

 

This is the exact quote that goes through my mind every time someone tries to generate my sympathy for them as it relates to the “hardships” of training and nutrition.  I’ve heard it all: “I don’t have time to eat or train”, “I train SO hard and I don’t see results”, “I have bad genetics”, “I don’t have access to X”, etc etc.  Here is the reality: no one cares.  It’s true.  Put yourself in the other person’s position: would YOU care if someone told YOU this information? 

 

We all have our own sh*t to deal with, and all of us DEAL with it.  You’re not special.  Things are hard for you?  They’re hard for everyone.  We all get the exact same 24 hours a day to spend doing whatever it is we choose to do: it’s simply a question of what you decide to prioritize during those 24 hours.  That is legitimately the “secret” to success: prioritization.  Whatever you prioritize as the highest is what you’ll succeed at.  In turn, EVERYONE is successful: it just so happens that some people are successful at things that most people DON’T want to be successful at.

 

What do I mean?  Some people are the absolute champions at procrastination.  It’s what they prioritize, so it’s what they do, and they totally crush it!  These are the people that can watch 16 hours of youtube videos a day and totally neglect their personal health and hygiene, live in squalor, produce nothing of value and contribute nothing to society.  They chose their priorities, set on the path to realize them, and met them.  Other people are champions at video games, eating poorly, social media, binge watching, partying, etc etc.  No one is failing: some people are just winning at a game no one else wants to play.

Some people are living a Superman 64 kinda life

 

In turn, the people you see achieving physical greatness are simply those people that PRIORITIZED being physically great, and, in doing so, they prioritized it OVER other things.  They chose their goal: be big and strong, and then did the things it took to realize it. This meant DE-prioritizing those things that got in the way.  They slashed away television, video games, yummy food, alcohol, late nights, etc etc, because those things simply weren’t as important to them as the goal of getting bigger and stronger.  Because the truth is, you will always do the things that are the most important to you, DESPITE what it is you tell yourself.  Your actions will relay the truth of your intentions. 

 

Which is why I have no sympathy when people beg me for it: all you’re doing is informing me that you have different priorities.  What am I supposed to do with that information?  Winners find a way.  No time for training or cooking?  That’s crazy, I FOUND that time: it was by shaving off 2 hours of sleep.  Don’t have access to a piece of equipment?  Damndest thing: I found someone would SELL it to me: I just had to save up my money to be able to buy it.  That one in particular bugs me, because I grew up in an era where the only thing you could buy was whatever they were selling at your local sporting goods store, and now there is a wide world of internet out there where you can buy ANYTHING.  Injured?  You’re really gonna make me chuckle with that one.

This was the Rogue of the 90s

 

Am I going to pretend like some people DON’T have it rough?  No: of course not.  But those people ALSO don’t have the time to go online and complain about it, primarily because they’re too busy DOING those things that make life rough.  The person working 3 jobs as a single parent while going to school part time?  Yeah: they don’t have time to train or eat right (although some folks STILL make it work too), I get that.  But that is the thing: THEY have chosen a priority right now, and it’s most likely the “right” one as far as being a functional human goes.  Being big and strong is a luxury for most folks: survival should come first.  But on that discussion of luxury, some luxuries are going to take priority over others.  I got myself a Playstation 4 last year, and I’m still playing Fallout 1 on my PC because I flat out won’t prioritize the time it takes to learn how to play new video games these days.  That sucks, but instead of going online and complaining about how games are too complicated these days, I make peace with the decisions I’ve made as far as prioritization goes and enjoy my decision.  Are you really expecting me to have sympathy for you because you’re struggling with your hobby?

 

Quit looking for sympathy: it’s not going to do you any good.  Even if you get it, what the hell are you going to do with it?  It does nothing to change your circumstances or your outcome.  What works will work irrespective of your circumstances.  You don’t have time to train? Well sucks for you: those that can find time are going to surpass you pretty quickly.  Don’t like vegetables?  One: it’s time to grow up, but secondly, good luck on getting some micronutrients while the adults eat a basic human meal.  All of these “issues” are just instances of you choosing one thing to prioritize over another, and you should be granted zero sympathy for employing your autonomy like that.  This should be celebrated!  How outstanding: you are a human, making decisions and experiencing the outcome of those decisions.  The system works!

 

No one is holding out information from you.  There are no secrets.  You saying “it’s SO hard to eat enough to grow” isn’t going to unlock the super secret strategy from the gaining gods where they tell you about the one magical shake recipe guaranteed to put on size and not fill up your stomach (ok, you got me: it’s the “Get Big Drink” from John McCallum’s “Complete Keys to Progress”.   Enjoy!).  You’re simply learning the truth about life: we all succeed at those things that we decide to dedicate ourselves to.  Some are going to be champions at getting bigger and stronger, some champions at COMPLAINING about not getting bigger and stronger, some champions at eating cereal while binge watching television, etc etc.  Either way, you’ll get no sympathy from me because you are upset at what you chose to prioritize.  If it upsets you that much: choose something else.

BOOK REVIEW: LOUIE SIMMONS' "IRON SAMURAI"

 

Full disclosure: I was, am, and will always be a Westside Barbell fanboy.  I started lifting in 1999, and when I started “researching” on the internet, the ONLY way to train for strength was to “do Westside Barbell”, so that’s what I grew up with and it will always hold a special place in my heart.  Because of that, when I saw that Louie Simmons had released a 306 page book detailing his life and the story of Westside Barbell AND that it was on sale, I legit just pulled out a credit card and paid whatever it cost to have.  Along with that, having followed Louie for so long, I’m VERY familiar with his particular brand of insanity as it relates to writing and speaking, so I was able to look past a lot of things in this book that will most likely be completely unbearable to a new reader.

 

All that said, let me start with the conclusion: if you’re NOT a fan of Westside barbell, I’d skip this book.  This is pure fan service: going into drama, behind the scenes stuff, crazy stories, stats, facts and figures.  Hardcore powerlifting fans, and specifically those of Westside, will get a kick out of it, but those that are just fans of lifting in general hoping to “learn from the master” aren’t going to get much for the price point.  There is SOME gold in this regarding training for powerlifting, but you gotta mine the hell out of the book to find it.

 

That said, I read the whole thing in 3 days of casual reading.  It’s an easy read and I found it pretty enjoyable.  Because Louie is so scatterbrained, it actually makes the book well paced, because Louie will start on a boring subject but out of nowhere tell a story about a guy kidnapping a dog and getting 100 days in jail before switching back to talking about band tension calculations.  It keeps you on your toes.

 

Below are the notes I took as I read the book, to give you an idea of what I was thinking/feeling at the time.  Enjoy!

 ---

* Written all on the third person: Louie’s alter ego talking about Louie.

* Written in Louie’s delightfully insane “steam of consciousness” writing/speaking style.  If you’re unfamiliar with it, it will be jarring.  If you’re familiar with it, it will still be jarring, but you’ll be used to it.

* Holy hell, Louie does a subtle callout of Ironmind early in the writing: accuses them of stealing the idea of the “magic circle” and Super Squats.   As a rabid Ironmind AND Westside Fanboy, I’m vexed.

* In general, Louie doesn’t go easy on anyone in the book.  He’ll praise people for strengths and speak matter of factly about their weaknesses (so and so was a bad squatter, so and so never did well in the sport and went on to become a ref, etc etc).  When I went to Kaz’s seminar, it was very similar.  Don’t know if this is a generational thing, a “being one of the greatest of all time” thing, a “I’m too damn old to worry about being nice” thing, or just a thing, but it’s honestly pretty cool to have no doubt about the thoughts of the author.

You could certainly do worse as far as company goes

* Louie’s “The Ball or the Sword” story gives the reader a solid understanding of why he is the way he is.  The quote “Louie believes that if a powerlifter doesn’t want to invest his or her life into powerlifting, he or she shouldn’t waste their time” is why he uses the methods he uses.  It’s also why he’s so into unlimited ply, and only cares about the biggest numbers period dot: because THAT is powerlifting.  It’s not about who is the best with an asterisk (raw, under 40, 2 hour weigh in, drug tested, etc etc), but simply who can put up the most.

* Louie’s age shows primarily in the things he thinks are acceptable to write.  If you are sensitive to social issues, it’s most likely not going to go over well for you.  I’m 73 pages in, and have encountered one homophobic slur (not said by Louie, but relayed by him as something one lifter said to another) and his advocacy of “Lucha Underground where men beat the hell out of the hot women; it’s twice the fun.” I’m old enough that I “get” his generation, and after reading Dick Marcinko’s “Rogue Warrior” I doubt anything an author writes can be offensive to me at this point, but it may be jarring to other readers.

* “but Louie, in 1982, would not read any scientific studies from an American author.” Man can I dig that.  Paul Kelso was speaking illy of the state of exercise science in the 80s in “Powerlifitng Basics Texas Style” as well. 

* “Louie first found the importance of the Dynamic Method. Most lifters divided training days from heavy to light. But strength is measured in velocities, not heavy or light. Instead, it is measured by fast, intermediate, or slow.” I feel real stupid for having not thought of it like that before.  And part of that is most likely because I’m not a speedy lifter to begin with. 

* Louie is unapologetic in how much he despises how US Weightlifters are being trained these days.  The topic comes up a LOT in the book.  I imagine it’s a result of him coming from a weightlifting background: we never forget our first love.  I am so vocally against powerlifting these days, and it’s because that’s where I started and it’s rough for me to see the state it’s in right now.  Of course, I’ve also said that we do so poorly in weightlifting that we may as well give Louie the reigns and see what happens, but I am a fan of chaos.

Case in point: best Batman

* Louie misspells the names of a lot of lifters in the book.  Just ran across “Glen Pendley”, and I know I’ve seen more throughout the book.

* “but that the real key was the special single* joint exercises.” People don’t get this about Westside.  They think it’s just DE and ME, but that’s only 20% of the training.  EIGHTY PERCENT is Repetition Effort.  THAT is where the magic happens.

* “Producing the rule book and training qualified referees were the key focus of the IPF. Louie did not agree that an IPF qualified referee status could be achieved in two months of studying a rule book when it took three to five years to be an Elite level lifter” Love it

* “To this day, Louie believes that if an athlete is subject to being tested, then everyone connected to the federation should be checked, including refs, spotters, officials, meet directors, and the guy who collects the door money.” Also love it.

* “Also, the IPF had drug testing, and lots of people were opposed to having their civil rights invaded” as a political science guy, this stuff always bugs me.  Your civil rights cannot be violated by a private organization: only the government can violate your rights. 

* There’s a whole section on federation drama, if you’re into that.  Oh powerlifting.

Sport of kings

* “It is hard for Louie to understand why powerlifters bad mouth each other instead of uniting together” ok, that is a comical lack of self awareness given how the book has gone so far.

* Nice to see Louie write positively on Chuck V.  Their relationship was strained for a while, but seems to be in a good place.  And really, anything written about Chuck is awesome.  He’s a goddamn sasquatch in all ways, because along with being huge and scary, there’s SO little out there about him, because he doesn’t talk.

* I’m at a part in the book where Louie talks about a buddy of his throwing his food on the floor at a restaurant and assaulting the cooks because they put onions in his food.  This is one of many stories of downright psychopathy.  I can’t tell if Louie attracts these kinds of people, or if there are just more of these folks out there than I realize.

* Tons of stories start with “so and so knew a 13/14/15 year old kid that was really strong and he started lifting at Westside and etc etc”.  I find it a little off putting how so many of these adult men are just hanging out with these teenage boys.  And maybe it just shows how uninvolved I am with my local community, but it just feels weird reading it so much.

* “Ryan Cannelie” for Ryan Kennelly.  Ok, this book was clearly never edited or proofread.

* I feel like someone may have tried to help Louie at the start of the book and then eventually gave up, because around page 135 or so Louie’s rambling style of writing really starts to take off.  Again: if you’re familiar with it, it’s not bad, but if this is your first exposure to how Louie presents ideas, you’re in for a ride.

* All criticism aside (so far), I’m 165 pages in and all I can think is “This is what ‘Westside vs the World’ SHOULD have been”

* “a bodybuilder is at his or her weakest and smallest at contest time. In contrast, however, a powerlifter is at his or her strongest and biggest at contest time.” That’s honestly a pretty interesting revelation.  Something to be said about the razor’s edge of health/performance a powerlifter is on for a meet peak though. 

* “Sue came to Westside overweight. She wanted to powerlift to get into shape. Most of the time, this does not work” I hope people are taking goddamn notes here!  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a 300+lber start lifting to “get in shape” and then put on a bunch more bodyweight because they’re “naturally talented” at heavy lifting.  No dude: you have mass, and mass moves mass.  You started exercising to get healthy: get healthy, THEN put on mass.

* “Also, normal people can only give you normal results.” DING DING DING.  People are in such a rush to normalize things, but that’s the whole point: you gotta be and do things differently to achieve different results.

No

* “He thought it would take a weight gain to do it, so Louie pushed up the volume and added more calories.”* Straight from the master’s mouth folks.  Quit trying to bulk on Starting Strength: up the volume, up the calories.

* The “Nightrider” section is brutal.  Just a long list of callouts by Louie on former Westsiders.

* Don’t skim the book, because Louie’s crazy mind throws things in at random spots.  The section on Chuck V under world record squatters suddenly turns into a seminar on how bands work.

* Louie throws some shade at EliteFTS, clarifying that they are separate businesses.  It’s gotta be tough to be Louie’s friend I am sure.

* Louie writes that he will never watch “Westside vs the World”.  Good call Louie.

* It was heartwarming to see how positively Louie speaks of Jim Wendler. 

* Page 214 and now the homophobic slur IS coming directly from Louie.  It’s a quote from the 90s, and I get times were different, but still, it just takes a book that reads like a kindly old man retelling stories from the past and puts a lot of ugliness in it in short order.

* Louie refers to Dave Hoff as the strongest geared lifter of all time, which is honestly a shock for Louie.  I’m used to him not differentiating between gear and raw, just referring to lifters as lifters.  Wonder if he’s finally gotten sick enough of the politics to feel the need to clarify at this point.

Still some solid credentials

* Some of these stories about Westside personalities are just painful to get through.   Helpful reminder that being a good lifter doesn’t mean being a good person.  Often, it can even be necessary to not be one to be the other.  This is a selfish hobby.

* I remember in 07 when I wanted to “Do Westside Barbell training” and the common question was “can I still do it if I don’t have a GHR/reverse hyper”, and guys like Tate and Wendler would say you don’t need that stuff and would offer up old school movements like GHRs and RDLs and back extensions.  But when you read this book, you realize just how important all the crazy crap Louie developed is for the success of Westside.  And yeah, Westside may have STARTED with just the basics, but it’s clearly evolved, and the idea that you can follow the program without all the specialty equipment is really getting silly now.  20% of the training is ME/DE, and the rest is all super specialized bodybuilder work.

* “For some odd reason, lots of Louie’s friends go to jail” at least Louie is aware this is weird.

* “The Curse” is an awesome section of the book that describes why Louie will set out to help anyone in the world of lifting.  Very touching.

* So far the last half of the book is basically Louie listing names of people and lifts that they did/how those lifts improved while training at Westside.  This is pretty typical Louie Simmons stuff.  His articles are all like this too.  What’s crazy is Louie will screw up the spelling of the name of someone he’s known for 25 years but will know down to the POUND how much that person squatted at a meet in 1996.

* Louie advises a rubgy coach to have his players wrestle in the off season to cut down in season injuries.  Goddamn do I love that suggestion/solution. 

Hioefully you won't go against this guy

* I’m on page 273 of 306 and the book is just running completely off the rails.  Any semblance of organization is gone, and it’s just Louie finding jumping off points to rant about people and things.  Which isn’t to say that it’s not entertaining, but again, for those that prefer structure: you won’t find it here.

* Ok, now the homophobic slur isn’t a quote from the 90s or a quote from someone else.  Come on Louie.

* There’s a story about a lifter not knowing what order a powerlifting meet runs in (as far as order of lifts) and then going on to set a pro total.  There’s a lesson there about how being super academic about your sport probably doesn’t matter as much as simply being strong.

* So many of Louie’s stories about lifters end with “they died much too young”.  Probably something to take away from that.

* Last 10 pages of the book are an excellent example of the need for competition in powerlifting in order to get stronger.  It can’t just be going against a spreadsheet.  Competing against a real human drives us to get stronger.  Also, at the very end, it says Louie banned all the members of the night crew of Westside for life, which included Dave Hoff.  Man, I can’t keep up with the drama.

 

SALT THE EARTH

“Stimulate, don’t annihilate” is a phrase that’s commonly employed amongst those looking to build some muscle, and was popularized by Lee Haney who, by all conceivable measures, was quite accomplished at doing exactly that.  It’s hard to argue with such credentials, but thankfully, I don’t care about that, because I’m here to simply offer an alternative: salt the earth.  This is the phrase I’ve taken to employ in my most recent round of training for hypertrophy coming off of my most successful fat loss phase to date, achieving a level of leanness I’ve never seen before.  And while stimulating without annihilating can claim Lee Haney for credentials, salting the earth comes via Genghis Khan who is simply a much greater badass than Haney, so I’m going to steal from him.  Anyone, allow me to continue to ramble.  You honestly have no choice anyway, since it’s my blog.

One of the perks of being the bad guy is uninterrupted speeches.  Plus, this guy actually succeeding in salting the earth.

 

“Isn’t salting the earth a dumb term to come up with if the goal is growth, since the whole point was to make sure nothing ever grew again?”  Yeah, the irony has not escaped me either, but look, I’m not a smart man: it’s why I gotta be strong instead.  Because life is hard, but it’s even harder when you’re stupid, so you better be tough if you’re not smart.  Anyway, I’ve co-opted the term more to refer to methodology vs outcome, because I operate under the principle that the only way to make the body grow it to subject it to such significant trauma that, as a survival mechanism/response, it FORCES muscular growth to occur.  My issue with “stimulate don’t annihilate” has always been that, for many trainees, the degree of stimulation they generate in an attempt to not annihilate ends up being NOT enough to cause muscle to grow, which is a waste of a training session AND, when paired with a nutritional program based around growth, results in simply the accumulation of fat rather than muscle.  When one “salts the earth”, they have no choice BUT to grow, assuming enough recovery resources are provided (food and rest).

 

Alright, so what the hell is “salting the earth?”  I employ in my current training “salt the earth sets”, done at the end of a workout or a specific exercise.  There’s nothing magical about these sets: they’re simply sets that employ intensity modifiers in order to get to the absolute end of one’s limit on an exercise.  Let me share a video example of a recent salt the earth set wherein I employ a many level strip set on high handle trap bar pulls before finishing with 111 reps.

 

 

This can also be done with conditioning, like this round of keg carries I do

 

 

I’ve also employed one for squats, wherein, at the end of a tough squat workout (been doing Dan John’s “Litvinov Sprints” for a while now), I’ll do front squats with 135lbs until failure (typically hitting somewhere in the low 20s), then immediately switch to having the bar on my back and continue squatting until I hit failure there.  I’ve also taken to belt squat stripsets without lockout to hammer the quads, and when I had access to a leg press machine during a work trip took to doing a 150 rep set followed by a dropset for another 50 reps without lockout.  For benching, I’m using DBs and going to failure, then throwing on a reactive slingshot and going to failure, then throwing on a Metal Catapult (stronger resistance) and going to failure, then using lighter dumbbells and repeating the whole thing all over again.

 

In all of the above, the method remains the same: I’m going until there is simply NOTHING left.  I’m “salting the earth” with this workout, not leaving any reps in reserve, not leaving anything for the swim back, etc etc.  And it seems to be working pretty well.

 

 

Thanks "1 set of curls a week!"

One of the other benefits of this is that I’ve been able to eat copious amounts of food with no discernable fat gain.  This is placing a significant demand on the body, which means a significant demand on recovery, which is great for those of you with voracious appetites.  And for those of you LACKING in the appetite department, this is HOW you get an appetite.

 

But there’s a reason I’ve adopted “salt the earth” as my terminology here: it’s a testament to how there are NO half measures when it comes to this.  If you bail once things start getting tough, you’re basically training for nothing.  You could get a more effective workout by using intelligently programmed sub-max training if you intend to not push to the limits: 5/3/1 and many other such programs out there are proof of concept of that.  If you go easy on an intensity modifier based exercise, you’re just using light weights for no reason.  But if you push as hard as possible, well past the point of pain, well past the point of your body wanting to shut down, well past the point of your brain telling you that it’s time to quit, you’ll find something pretty amazing on the other side.  I’ve even taken to referring to these as “toothpaste sets”, because it’s like trying to squeeze every last ounce of toothpaste out of the tube: you just keep grinding and grinding and finding more and more in you until you’re FINALLY empty.   Before I get under the bar for those squats, I tell myself “salt the earth”.  It may seem goofy, dramatic, cringe worthy, etc etc, but getting your head straight and knowing your purpose before you set out on something like this goes a LONG way toward ensuring your success.  And, in truth, I’d rather be big, strong and cringe inducing than small, weak and respectable.    

Suits me JUST fine

 

So go gather your hordes, light your torches, take no prisoners, and salt the earth. 

THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO READ ABOUT

  

The title of this blog is something I’ve realized time and time again as it relates to my interest of getting bigger and stronger. I’ve been writing a lot of book reviews recently and have taken to reading and re-reading much on the topic of training, and the unfortunate reality of the situation is that there’s really nothing out there FOR me to read.  At least, insomuch as it relates to learning something on the topic of getting bigger and stronger.  And this is not a declaration of arrogance and intellect, but far more an admission of the fact that I’ve picked an interest to pursue that REALLY doesn’t require much knowledge in order to achieve its goals.  This isn’t restoring classic cars or building computers or really anything that involves a deep knowledge base to succeed: getting bigger and stronger (or leaner for that matter) is simple.  And after 21 years of training, the fact of the matter is there is simply nothing left to read about anymore.

So do yourself a favor and just re-read this

 

Allow me to engage in some manner of reverse bragging, because I need to emphasize just how unaccomplished I am.  I’ve literally never had a coach as far as the realm of getting bigger and stronger is concerned.  I’ve had coaches for sports (wrestling, martial arts, football, ice hockey, etc), but many of those actually worked AGAINST said goals due to the bizarre amount of superstition that occurs in that realm as it relates to getting bigger and stronger.  On top of that, anyone that has seen any video of me in motion knows I am inherently NOT athletically inclined, I come from poor genetic stock (mother is 5’ and very petite, father is 5’8 and slight of frame, no athletes in my family), I have experienced significant injuries to my shoulder and knee, haven’t slept for 8 uninterrupted hours since 2010, have never had a training partner, been training in a home gym without access to the latest and greatest equipment since 2008, and the list goes on.  I am NOT gifted or advantaged.  On top of that, I have zero formal education in getting bigger and stronger, aside from a 100 level nutrition course I took as an elective in undergrad (focused on elderly care) and a similar weight training course.  I bring ALL of that up because, even WITH all of that I have achieved significant success in the pursuit of getting bigger, stronger and, in my most recent pursuit, leaner.  I’ve won powerlifting meets (as in “best lifter”, rather than just my weight class) and strongman competitions, completed 2 half marathons and dieted down to “internet single digit bodyfat” just winging it, most times intentionally NOT doing what people tell me to do in order to achieve these goals because I’m really goddamn stubborn and stupid and will do things “wrong” out of spite.

 

Which is why I find that there’s nothing to read about.  I’ve learned that I already KNOW how to achieve these goals…and it’s a bit of a letdown.  I see an article that talks about how to ensure you achieve maximal leanness, and I get really excited, only to realize that I already know how to get lean.  Build a strong press?  Oh man…wait, crap, I know how to do that.  I know how to build big muscles, strong muscles, shave off stubborn love handles, improve conditioning, etc etc.  And it’s such a terrible secret: effort, consistency and time.  That’s all it ever was.  Everything else is just window dressing and hype, because you can’t SELL effort, consistency and time.  But it’s the truth: if you work hard, consistently, for a long time, you will achieve all of your goals.

 

Much to the chagrin of the haters

And this is why I don’t read any studies that are put in front of me.  For one, it’s a RARE instance that someone shares a study with me because they want to benefit me.  In fact, there’s only one human on earth that does this (Hi Will!), and I think I tend to disappoint him because I’m too stupid to really grasp most of what is in them.  But otherwise, people send me studies because they want to “prove” me wrong about something.  And what the hell am I going to do with the information in a study?  It’s not going to tell me anything I don’t already know: work hard for a long time without breaks and you’ll achieve results.  Oh my, people that did leg extensions in the 6-10 rep range got 2.7% more muscle than those that trained in the 12-15 rep range?  I SO don’t care: have them both train for 20 years and the results will even out, or the difference will be so insignificant no one will care.  The folks that are so concerned about optimization have such a narrow view of the timeline when it comes to training.  None of these differences will matter once you get to “the end”: just find A way to train and eat and stick with it, you’ll get there.

 

There’s so much information out there on training and nutrition simply because there’s a demand to CONSUME this information.  People like to read about training and nutrition because they feel like it empowers them on the subject: as though, if they just acquire ENOUGH information on it, they too will be big and strong.  Unfortunately, the process can’t be rushed: you simply have to knuckle down and settle in for the long haul.  And, in turn, the producers of the information have to keep finding new ways to spin old data in order to continue to produce and sell things to the masses that demand it.  It creates an artificial sense that there is an abundance of information out there relating to the topic of getting bigger and stronger, when, in truth, it’s the same basic principle being repacked and reproduced.  Case in point, my frustration reading Josh Bryant’s “Tactical Strongman” and discovering it was just PHA training from the 60s being rebranded. 

McCallum modeling the OG "Gas Station Ready"

 

Which is why, when it comes to reading about lifting, I want to read something entertaining rather than informative.  It’s why “Powerlifting Basics: Texas Style” is my favorite book of all time when it comes to training, why Dan John is a fantastic author, why “The Complete Keys to Progress” is required reading: because these authors can tell STORIES, not just facts and figures.  How many scientific studies are you going to read before you realize you’ve read them all before?  It’s why I made this blog in the first place: I wanted there to be more material out there like that, so I decided to make some.  The body can only respond to a stimulus in so many different ways: we’ve pretty much already figured it all out, now it’s just a question of picking a way forward and acting on it.

 

And it IS simply about A way forward: it doesn’t matter what that way is.  I figured out how I wanted to train and eat and just stuck with it.  I’ve heard it all before: how I MUST stretch and do mobility, must foam roll, must train a muscle group 2x a week, must eat carbs, must use pre-workout supplements, must have rest days, etc etc.  The only thing I learned I must do is stick with my plan once I’ve made it.  People get big and strong with percentages, with intuition, with daily training, with HIT, with no plan, with coaching, etc etc.  People get lean with high carb, high fat, low protein, paleo, keto, no meat, carnivore, etc etc.  The only way people fail is by trying to rush the process, jumping from program to program and diet to diet in hopes of trying to find “the one true way”.  And with each new article and study that comes out, they find a new hope to latch onto, only to squander their growth by their inability to commit.

At least accomplish something if you're going to keep switching things up

 

There simply isn’t enough appreciation for the AMOUNT of time it takes to achieve significant results, as, along with creating content simply for the sake of selling it, many “fitness professionals” are big on promising big results in little time, primarily because THAT sells far better than a “get rick slow scheme”.  And the market is so saturated with this message that new trainees refuse to believe in the possibility that training time will be measured in YEARS, not weeks.  Which is why complexity reigns supreme again.  People experience “failed bulks/cuts” and think that it must have been an issue with nutrient timing or macro ratios or the wrong training protocol or sleep issues, etc etc, when the truth is that they simply didn’t train long enough to put on muscle during their gaining phase and they had no muscle to cut down to during the cut due to the incredibly short amount of training time they have.  Run this quick mental checklist whenever your outcome did not match your expectations: did you train hard enough, did you train consistently enough, and did you train long enough?  Most likely, 1 of those 3 wasn’t where it needed to be.  Fix THAT before you start worrying about peri-workout nutrition.

 

There is nothing left to read about: go do.