video here: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu5_TAUDhhV/ Tom Platz, whose leg development and overall lower body training ability has yet to be matched, tells us that as intensity peaks the appropriate training frequency is once per two weeks. Lee Haney, possibly the greatest but surely one of the greatest Mr. Olympias of all time, tells us we’re crazy if we train something less than three days a week (in the full video he recommends a laggard like calves be trained 6 days per week; but then you have Dorian Yates who added 6 inches to his calf circumference with once weekly training). Here’s the crazy part: they’re both right. Both are abiding by a progressive overload concept, albeit differently executed. Here’s the crazier part: they’re both wrong. Whatever you WILL do is the right frequency. In rigorous studies, ON AVERAGE, twice weekly is better at size and strength increase than once (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/27102172/). Average doesn’t tell us optimal. Beyond that, it becomes less clear, given whether we’re measuring skill adaptations, muscular, or connective tissue changes. I’d even argue that what movements constitute a specific muscle group is therefore up for debate and stricter definition. The bigger lesson is this: the highest level experts have an inherent bias toward the method they personally liked and found helpful for their unique circumstances and physical factors. For the average person who wants to develop strength, frequency is distraction. For competitors, there is a case to be made for different approaches. You have to test the model and see how you respond. I have clients who progress on very infrequent lifting schedules and ones who progress on high frequency. Test. Don’t just listen to someone tell you about their fav.
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It’s THAT simple.
You ever hear someone consolidate directions down into a very simple set of steps... only a few dozen. That’s all! Easy, right? I once had a peer who was trying to help employees with the mistakes they’d made in entering point of sale transactions on the terminals at Bally’s. She created a “cheat sheet” with ONLY 39 steps. I had to laugh. Why only 39? At that point, why not put 139 in there? I imagined, “step one - look for the mouse; step two - place right hand on mouse (if injured or missing right hand, please see appendix 22c).” There’s effective. Then there’s distracting overkill. With regard to health and fitness, I hear many people say, “I know what to do, but don’t do it.” Then you don’t know. You are inundated with the “very simple” 493 step process you’ve cobbled together over the years. That’s distracting overkill. How’s that working out? Let’s actually simplify and find effective. Pick one single behavior you’ll trip over which leads to other healthy decisions. The all-in versus all-out false dichotomy isn’t working for us as a society. Integrate something small, like ONE step. Or, just follow this simple 493 step process. You know it by heart. Please stop. Body fat is ONE of five categorical measures of fitness. It is not THE greatest. It is not THE only. It is A metric.
Currently, I have three clients who look “in shape” to many people, but are incredibly weak, on the cusp of serious health crises, and when they’ve taken falls (for which they have a higher propensity), they get critically injured. I spend almost zero minutes outside of the early morning on mobile devices or looking at social media. But in that limited time I see stories about overweight people doing athletic activity and getting body shamed about it. What? I don’t think the layperson may understand this; but 100, 110 year old people with good cognition aren’t shredded with six packs. They’re smaller, sure. So being extremely overweight is a health risk. But why the heck would we give people a hard time about carrying some extra body fat, period, let alone WHILE they are involved in doing something great for themselves. I run a lot of personal experiments; so I fluctuate on purpose 20-60lbs per year. I can. And I can do it safely. I do it to learn a variety of things about change psychology, metabolism, and frankly, I actually like science - the REAL application of science, that is, not the theoretical BS, sit-behind-a-screen-and-never-perform-a-single-experiment-kind-of-“science.” The truth is, there are certain things I’m far better at while heavier than when lighter. And while heavier (for me, this is like 245-285), there are calisthenics exercises I can still do that a more “in shape” person hasn’t a prayer to do. So let’s stop with the negativity, especially that coming from abject ignorance and inexperience about what health and fitness actually is. I’ve had “fat” peers and clients who could absolutely dominate “in shape” fitness models and personalities in every single domain of exercise. The fastest sprinter in-person I’ve ever seen in my life was a guy who was 260lbs; and he absolutely crushed a 180lb “ripped” athlete. And from what I know about the VERY dark secrets of health and fitness personalities, a lot of heavier people will live happier, healthier, longer lives. All that said, carrying extra weight AND having low to no athletic capacity is imprudent. But do we have to notify individuals personally? I think they get it. Ability > Body Comp It cracks me up when people talk about how lethal some substance is. Ok. I get it. You didn't ever study chemistry. Say it with me: the dose makes the poison. And the frequency makes the duration of poisoning. The concentration in a solution dictates the outcome of chemical reactions. And the repeated increase in concentration dictates persistent chemical reaction.
Look up statistics on ER visits and cause of death in the developed world. Sure. Illegal drugs may be A problem. Are they THE problem? Are they THE TOP problem? No. Not even close. Most banned substances are not the primary cause of death. Heart disease wins by light years. Even with emergency room visits, it is a very recent phenomenon that opioids showcase with such prevalence. And even so, prescription drugs and over-the-counter drugs still occupy a significant portion of the list for emergency room overdose statistics. Certain antibiotics ruin human health permanently and probably cross-generationally (http://self.gutenberg.org/articles/fluoroquinolone_toxicity.). But we haven't qualm one about doling them out like TicTacs. In fact, oddly, we take a lot of drugs, as long as they're over-the-counter or prescribed by a medical professional. Generally, despite the list of known adverse reactions and known detriment to human health, we just go ahead a take these "safe" substances without a single thought of the kidney and liver strain, the fact that we are altering how our body chemistry was meant to deal with something, and so on. I'm not in any way anti-medicine. But I pause... a LONNNGGGGG time before I administer drugs for me or for my kids, carefully weighing out the costs and benefits. It's not all upside. Even well-tolerated antibiotics change your gut flora forever. That same flora has an impact on your immune function, brain health, and the integrity of a variety of body systems. We have so many modern chronic diseases which supposedly have "no cause." Yet we never pause to think about how a lifetime of drug use, though it saved us from certain ailments, came at a substantial cost. Your "no cause" disease is the bill that finally came due, maybe not even because of your but your parents' drug use. Most women in the developed world are longterm steroid users (contraceptives), which we know alters brain chemistry. There couldn't possibly be downside, right? There isn't all upside with any drug. What we want to find is the absolute minimum for the least amount of time in order to glean the benefit while subduing the detriment. But nobody is thinking that way. In my tens of thousands of consults, most people don't even remember all the drugs they're currently on and prescribed, let alone all the ones they've taken throughout their lives. The mental energy exerted for any substance goes about as far as "pop a pill" or "my doc gave me a few things for my high blood pressure, or was it high cholesterol, or was it high anxiety?" I'm not hyperbolizing. I have heard this EXACT quote from thousands of people during initial meet and greets. They outsource their entire physical health and mental decision making to someone who meets with them for 10 minutes. Then they just keep throwing back pills, any ol' pill will do, since it's not illegal, right? Add to that list acetaminophen: https://www.acsh.org/news/2017/09/11/tylenol-far-most-dangerous-drug-ever-made-11711?fbclid=IwAR23nvOGpLTXjoYLnrUesk2SH7M_NVn8SIu9r4wk5ICcxQ--amwjOBY03yw. People don't think twice about cramming an infant or toddler full of this poison which could permanently destroy his organs. Our societal mores are upside down. People are busy. I get it. Understanding drugs is a monumental undertaking. I understand. But this is your and your family's health. Perhaps think a little longer on dosing them with life-altering chemicals, especially when you catch yourself thinking that there are "safe" or "unsafe" drugs. People die from water overdose. The dose makes the poison. And some of these "safe" drugs are potent at concentrations as low as parts per billion, far more potent than a lot of the illicit substances. Check yourself, preachy, because you may be a riskier drug addict than everyone on illicit substances. Today you have more time left in your life than you ever will again. Each day that passes is one less day to work on whatever it is you’d like to begin. You’ll never have more time than you do right now.
I’ve had clients begin with a daily practice that takes 30 seconds. I’ve had clients work on as simple a homework assignment as one glass of water before their out-to-dinner every single night routine. And still there can be some tripping up in compliance. Waiting for the “best” time to start or “taking a break” until you have more time is fool’s logic. The time is now. There is no break from the entropy that is the physical nature of the universe. There is something you can do to improve your mental, physical, and emotional health this second, and for every day hereafter. Simply start. Simply being awake ages you and damages the brain and body. Sleep effectively reverses some of that: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-08806-w The number one thing you can do for health and fitness is take a look at your rest, recovery and sleep patterns, and how to optimize them. Oftentimes, in a first appointment, people look at me puzzled when I’m more interested in this (I.e. - stress management) than food or training. But it’s no small thing. In a way, it’s everything. I am always astonished at the amount of time people spend talking about doing something, only to never even take the first step. Or, when they deign to take the tiniest little toe dip, they pull their foot right back out of the water. What's the point of even living? I'm not being a jerk. I mean it. What is the point?
I've taken massive risks in my life and flopped most of the time. Because I would rather die than be a talker. I would rather every person on earth think I'm a loser and be remembered as a total colossal failure who risked too much than a pay-it-ridiculously-safe color-within-the-lines cookie cutter. I'm not sure how good or bad it is to be a has-been. But I would rather be a never-was than a never-even-had-the-guts-to-try-to-be. Though I'd rather build than demolish, I would rather burn a bridge in my growth than build them in my mediocrity. In fitness, it has been a fascinating case study to watch people just talk... and only talk, for years and years and years. Most people who say they want to gain muscle never put the work in, let alone the food. Most people who want to lose the weight never even show up. Would-be gym members, clients and fitness enthusiasts ask questions with the rigor of a Hollywood-style detective, and then immediately proceed to not put a single shred of their gathered info into practice. It's a put on. It's a show. You may think you're fooling others into believing that you're just carefully plotting steps; but we all know you're just never going to launch. The sophisticated reasons and excuses and equivocations are bullshit. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. I don't know what it's like. But I would imagine it's actually become familiar and totally comfortable to just watch your life pass by, watch others take the risks, talk and talk and talk about the "one day." While you hem and haw about the best priced deal out there, you burned up in hours and mental energy a dollar amount in excess of your ostensible savings. In the time you said you were going to go back for a certain degree, you could've already obtained it and another one. In the time you talk about starting next Monday on a diet, you could've lost 50lbs and laid the groundwork for long term success. In the time you've talked about leaving a caustic work space, you could've built your own empire from scratch. In the time you are thinking about your next move, in love, in career, in life, someone else already did it. IF YOU WANT THIS TO END, IT'S YOUR TURN RIGHT NOW. Not next week. Not when things calm down. Not when you're less busy. Not when the stars and planets align. This second. This is it. It's your turn. Step. |
Elev8 Wellness
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