YOUR HUMILITY IS SELF-PERPETUATING

  

I am fully aware I have a popular (for me) video out there on youtube where I tell people to embrace being beginners and get on a beginner program, but it looks like the pendulum has swung and I must go back and tear myself apart, which is fundamentally what this blog has been since the beginning.  Specifically, I observe, now, trainees that REFUSE to move on beyond the beginner phase, desperate to “milk their linear progression gains” for as long as possible.  Why?  …because that’s what you’re SUPPOSED to do…right?  That seems to be the answer.  Moving on to a non-beginner program is some sort of taboo that brings with it all sorts of evils: a veritable opening of Pandora’s box and unleashing all manner of doom upon the world.  If you transition too early, you leave precious gains ON THE TABLE.  Christ people, the only thing you need to worry about is leaving FOOD on the table, because most of you aren’t eating in fear of losing your abs (which Chase Karnes already covered in his amazing article “How to Stay Small and Weak”, which you need to read https://www.elitefts.com/education/novice/how-to-stay-small-and-weak/).  What’s happening here?  People are afraid of admitting to being “not a beginner” in fear of displaying some manner of pride in, in turn, they continue to remain beginners because they refuse to do the things NON-BEGINNERS do to be NON-BEGINNERS.  Your humility is self-perpetuating, as its a self-fulfilling prophecy.

If you're going to have self-fulfilling prophecies, why not make it writing your future bench goal on your body?

 

A beginner program (as they’re understood these days) needs to be run for about 12-14 weeks.  That’s it.  Yet discussion of beginner programs occupy about 98% percent of training discussion despite being responsible for about .000001% of your training time (assuming you’re a lifer).  Why?  Because there will ALWAYS be far more beginners than non-beginners in the world of training, and crafty authors looking to turn a quick buck are going to target the larger demographic over the smaller one.  In addition, beginners are FAR easier to deceive compared to the more experienced dudes.  This is why some yahoo with a 6 pack can hoodwink people by the thousands and make a living off Instagram selling “secrets”: gullible beginners will buy them.  Put that same dude at just one strongman competition (not even as a competitor: just a vendor) and see competitors look through him like they have x-ray vision.  However, the unfortunate consequence of ALL this material aimed at beginners is that it’s created a (false) notion among trainees that the beginner phase of training is both a very LONG phase and a very IMPORTANT phase.

 

The opposite is the reverse: it lasts a short time and really isn’t all that important in the long run.  Wanna know MY beginner program?  Bench press, dumbbell curls and preacher curl on a standard bench 5 days a week.  Yup.  Pretty sure it was 1 topset of each too.  And then I got into my high school weight room and went for max weight on all the machines for singles with my buddies.  I turned out ok.  Meanwhile, you got kids that are only week 176 of Starting Strength, having deloaded down to the bar for the 96^th time, swearing that THIS is the cycle wherein they will conquer the dreaded “butt wink”.  Dude: you’re not a beginner anymore.  Its time to put away childish things: go do a REAL program so you can actually start growing.

Oh hey

 

You keep claiming you’re a beginner, and so you have the strength and look of a beginner.  You’re never going to NOT be a beginner unless you start TRAINING like someone that isn’t one.  And this isn’t just restricted to training programs either: quit waiting for permission to use a lifting belt and just go out and get one.  “But won’t I look stupid lifting with a belt on with only 135lbs?”  Who cares?  You’ll look JACKED when you use that belt to start lifting heavier weights than you normally do in training and actually force your muscles to grow from the stress.  Quit being so humble that you can’t use straps, or wraps, or sleeves, or creatine, of ANYTHING that is for “more advanced guys”.  Give yourself permission to acknowledge your achievements so you can go after even BIGGER ones.

 

And oh my god, let’s talk about acknowledging your achievements.  No one is impressed when you post a lift or accomplishment and say “I know it’s not much/it’s not like what you guys can do/etc etc.”  As soon as I see that, I stop watching.  You just told me this is an insignificant thing: I’m not going to waste my time on it.  F**k that: be PROUD of your accomplishment: you earned it.  And if you CAN’T be proud of it, then it’s NOT an accomplishment, so just shut up about it, knuckle down, move forward, and do something you CAN be proud of.  Just like I wrote in my “How Much Ya Bench” post, the people that are actually big and strong have no reason to hide how big and strong they are: it’s only the people that have something to be ashamed of that have shame.  Don’t let this stupid fake humility self-perpetuate and turn you weak: be proud of what you’ve done and share it blatantly and openly.

Maybe sometimes shame is good...

 

The power of positive thinking IS real, and it IS self-perpetuating as well.  You spending all your time telling yourself that you’re still a beginner, still insignificant, still unimportant, still small, still weak, etc etc, is just making you EXACTLY that.  There’s no prize given to the most humble lifter: that dude gets to walk home in a dirty singlet while the best lifter carries home the trophy and MAYBE even some cash if they’re in the right sport.  Tell yourself you’re a monster, you’re a titan, you are a “sidewalk cracking motherf**ker”.  Hell, at least tell yourself you’re not a beginner anymore after you’ve spent 6 months lifting weights.  A wrestling season is only about 4 months long, and within the first month you’re expected to compete in a tournament and a bunch of meets and by the end of the season you SHOULDN’T be a beginner anymore: lifting weights is far simpler (powerlifting is in the special AND para Olympics), so you should be able to eclipse the “beginner” stage in a similar timeframe, if not shorter. 

 

Don’t let humility prevent you from actually being something great.  You gotta actually be accomplished in order to be humble: otherwise, you’re just being honest.