Last Update On April 28, 2012
Time To Cut The Crap
by Rusi
“The formula for my happiness: a Yes, a No, a straight line, a goal.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
I don't know about you but when I first started training I used the Internet as my main source of information. The main reason for engaging in general fitness was my poor posture. I was looking for some magical exercises to fix my problems. I ended jumping from one thing to another with close to zero progress. I was reading translated material from Men's Health and Pavel Tsatsouline but I was so behind in knowledge and experience that I was suffering from paralysis by analysis. In this article I wanted to summarize some of the stuff I've learned so far.
1. Supplements are extremely overrated and will give you gas. Whey protein is basically made from pig food. Avoid and save money.
2. Quite often the information you read in magazines, web-sites...etc has one main purpose - sell products to you. Nobody does anything for free. That just doesn't happen.
3. Training is supposed to be boring. Yes, read that again if you have to. Your training has to be boring. You have to do everything over and over again until you hate it. Weightlifting and exercising in general is not meant to be a dance or a game. The simpler the better. Variety is for guys who like seeing no progress at all. Stick to the basic and mother natures will reward you with growth and strength. Variety is the biggest gimmick and muscle confusion is pure bullshit.
4. Competing is important. Whether you are a bodybuilder, strongman, powerlifter, weightlifter, dancer, ballerina...etc you have to compete because it's the fastest way to improve. Even if you place last you are still ahead of all the pussies that didn't show up.
5. Bodybuilding is based on steroids. Sorry to break your reality but drop sets can only do so much. ;)
6. When people report big gains such as 50 lbs in 3 months they either got fat as shit or were 100lbs before starting training.
7. Setting goals is really important for progress.
8. Training with weights has one purpose only - muscle hypertrophy and strength gains. If you want to lose weight clean your diet and go for a run.
9. Some girls care about abs, some don't. Simple.
10. Tendonitis is often a psychological problem rather than a physical issue.
11. Classic high-carb bodybuilding diets suck for regular people.
12. Machines are fine but don't use them for more than 2-3 exercises.
13. If pull-ups hurt your elbows use rings.
14. The greatest exercises for arms are dips and close grip bench press.
15. The best back exercises are the conventional deadlift, the pull-up and the row.
16. Kettlebells are only meant to be used for cardio.
17. If someone wants to sell you his/her training secrets the secret is that the thing probably sucks hard.
18. Arm training is overrated and you will rarely see a guy with big torso and small arms. The opposite happens twice as often.
19. The mixed grip can cause biceps problems during deadlifts. Use the hook or straps.
20. The gym is not a place to socialize. You can make friends but there is time for talking and time for training.
21. Direct trap work is a waste of time.
22. The best leg exercises are the Olympic back squat and the leg press. Everything else is just filling the box.
23. The best way to avoid injuries and lack of progress is to cycle your weights.
24. The cable cross-over is for pussies.
25. Indoor cardio is boring.
26. Outdoor cardio is not fun if there are a lot of dog in the area.
27. Cross-fit is just.....
To be continued...
