Watch OUT: Some Success Is In Spite of (Not Because of) Methodology

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bu8kqCenIih/

​Click the link above and listen closely to the greatest bodybuilder of all time showcase ZERO knowledge of biomechanics and exercise physiology with regard to the back. A one arm dumbbell row, kneeling on a bench, with a two-inch-thick weight belt cinching your entire spine and torso into absolute immobility, using legs for momentum and a brief tug of the arm, is working LOW BACK? It is decidedly NOT working low back. The low back is completely cut out. Does anyone ever claim to be training elbows while wearing a restrictive/constrictive compression sleeve on the elbow which completely prevents the elbow from moving at all? When your leg is in a cast, you’re target training legs?

I have always loved Ronnie Coleman. He was and is one of the hardest working athletes of all time. His battle cries and quotes are awesome. He slaved for his sport. His work ethic and attitude are admirable. Did he succeed because of his scientific knowledge? Clearly no. Consistent hard work makes up for a lot.

Survivor bias - it’s a phenomenon when we look at an example who survived terrible and ineffective methods, and we accidentally attribute their success to the flawed method. Think most testimonials, most popular fitness franchises, most infomercials, most businesses, almost all top athletes, and all descendants after a first generation wealth grab. We don’t see the 99% of people who used the same technique only to get injured or make no progress. While we are under the spell of survivor bias, we are only observing the 1% or less of survivors, and our brains get confused and think we’re seeing evidence of a good program. We’re not. It’s bad programming. And it is self-sabotage to model your approach after survivors. They survived IN SPITE OF bad technique or nonsense strategy.

There is a reason we created sciences: so we could unshackle ourselves from personal fictions and biases. •