“FOR WHAT?”

I frequently write about the value of context, and today will be no exception, because after writing 1000 words once a week for nearly 12 years now, I’ve discovered that I basically just write on 4 basic themes and remix them over and over again.  So, essentially, I am the Taco Bell of physical transformation blogs, but just like Taco Bell, you know I’ll always be there when you have a craving and you’ll most likely hate yourself when you’re done.  And for a post about context, I’ve already completely lost the plot by talking about Taco Bell, so let me reign this back in: “for what?”  What do those two words signify?  They are the two words I use VERY frequently whenever I am asked a question on the realm of physical transformation: “for what?”  Why do I ask this question?  Because the question asker does not see fit to provide that information IN the question…most likely because the question asker themselves has not bothered to ask this question to themselves.  And until we ask “for what”, we will never be able to actually HAVE an answer to this question, and anyone who professes that they have the ability to do otherwise is just a huckster interested in fleecing you of your money…and the question asker, in a desire to avoid having to employ nuanced thinking, will GLADLY accept that answer, vs my asking for more.

This clumsy dialog was a warning sign we all missed

 

What do I mean about “for what?”  How about this: “Is the prowler twice a week enough conditioning in 5/3/1?”  Enough conditioning…for what?  “Am I lean enough to start bulking?”  Lean enough…for what?  And no: “to start bulking” is NOT the answer to that question.  “Is 1lb a week too fast for weight gain?”  Too fast…for what?  Is 3x a week lifting enough for hypertrophy?  Are 3 sets of GHRs enough for hamstrings?  Is 50g of fat enough?  Etc etc.  These are lazy questions: the hope for the question asker is that they can throw out some sort of conversation lure and some sucker will bite onto it and give them all the information that they need.  OR, often, it comes from a place of shame: we don’t want to admit what our REAL goal/intent is, so we leave it ambiguous in hopes of someone being able to fill in the blanks and leave what’s best left unsaid…unsaid.  In either case, this is a lack of ownership on the part of the question asker: you’re still ultimately responsible for the outcomes of your decision making and actions, even if you attempt to crowdsource that as a means to absolve you OF said responsibility. 

 

But when we actually take the time to ask ourselves “for what”, we learn a bit ABOUT ourselves in the process.  Enough conditioning…for what?  WHY am I doing conditioning?  Because I HAVE to?  That’s stupid, but if it IS the reason, then just do what the coach says and quit thinking about it.  That IS a valid approach.  But if we ARE going to be a bit more cerebral, let’s look into why we’re doing conditioning in the first place, what the goal is, and what the cost is.  Oh my goodness, yes: let’s look at the question about “enough” conditioning and consider the IMPACT that conditioning will have on the rest of the programming, and then let’s consider if our goal right now is the focus ON conditioning and let the other physical qualities slide/hold or if the conditioning is there just to meet a minimum threshold of staying in shape/recovering from training while we really push the strength and hypertrophy work.  And look at that: when we ask ourselves “for what” we actually learn the answer to our initial question: it just took a little bit of thinking.

The horror!

 

Nutrition questions go the same route.  Lean enough to bulk…for what?  What is the goal OF your bulk?  This question fundamentally stems from egocentrism: we presuppose that all individuals think exactly as we do and prioritize the same priorities we have.  And for so many young trainees that have grown up with social media, the goal is to be as lean as possible ALL the time because you’re always going to have your physique on display, and they want to be in a state so lean before they gain that they can minimize the appearance of fat on their physique and reduce time spent cutting (ultimately hoping to NEVER enter a cutting phase…which reminds me that I want to write a post about people who end up working MUCH harder in an attempt to not work so hard, but I digress).  And sure, there’s something to be said about the notion that being in a certain state of leanness will mean being more insulin sensitive and having a better response to training and nutrition as it relates to muscle building, but wanna know who didn’t consider that?  Bruce Randall.  And Hugh Cassidy.  And Eddie Hall.  And Glenn Ross.   And Paul Anderson.  And JC Hise.  And Pat Casey.  And Doug Hepburn.  Man, I can keep going, but you get the point: there is a LOT established history of individuals who, in the pursuit of the greatest most absolute maximal strength, completely and totally ate their faces off in order to get as big as physically possible, with zero regard to their starting leanness.  There is no predefined starting point of leanness required to bulk: you can do it WHENEVER you want, UNLESS you have a “for what” that creates parameters that we need to plan around when describing when the appropriate time to bulk is.  You need to establish your “for what” before you can ask the question.

 

 

Don’t force the question answerer to ask you “for what” because it’s wasting time for both of you.  Once you answer the “for what”, you’ll most likely have the answer to the original question.  Your method cannot exist in a vacuum: it will always operate within the context of your goal, and without a GOAL that is clearly established, you can’t possibly know what method to employ.  “If we don’t know where we are going, we can’t possibly know how to get there” is a sentiment I frequently express which somehow people consider to be a profound thought, but it’s just simple reality.  It’s not a metaphor of pithy witticism: it’s a literal truth.  If you get in your car and turn your GPS onto “nowhere”, there’s no direction you can drive.  As soon as we tell it to get to Taco Bell, we now have a destination, and can NOW come up with a method to get there.

 

I dig how this image is offensive to Mexico AND pizza

 

I’m gonna admit: I’m proud of myself for tying Taco Bell back into this post at the end.