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.