Loss of Perspective - Overrated Training and Eating Methods

Ever notice when a good idea becomes popular and the next thing you know it's been mutated and mutilated to death?  Or it becomes the cornerstone of someones training at the expense of meaningful shit.  Here are some examples of this shit.....

1.  "Posterior Chain" Training

This shit was all the rage a few years ago.  Basically it just means training the back, lats, erectors, and hamstrings.  Wow, haven't bodybuilders, powerlifters, and strongmen been doing this shit for fucking decades now?  Oh I know, I'll slap a fancy term on it and make it seem new and exciting.  Even worse was the way the shit was approached.  It was better to do glute ham raises, good mornings, and some face pulls.  This was true "posterior chain training".

What a crock of shit.

Not special

Do you think that romanians as heavy as you can go for a brutal set of 10 or glute ham raises will do more for your "posterior chain"?  I have women that can knock out glute ham raises all day but can't do romanians with 500x10.  One is superior than the other.  You think face pulls will build a thicker stronger back than barbell rows with 400 pounds and t-bar rows with 7 plates?  I don't think so.  Good mornings are almost never done deep enough, with guys barely bending over and too much knee bend.

If you can do stiff legs with 500x10, chins with 100 pounds for 10, and do barbell rows with 400x10 strict you don't have posterior chain weakness issues.  It's that simple.  In other words, just be well rounded with the basics.

2.  HIT

Back many many years ago, HIT (high intensity training) was a legit training method.  I'm talking Mike Mentzer's early shit and how Dorian Yates was training.  Basically, 1-2 top all out ball busting sets on the big lifts, 3 times a week and a focus on getting as strong as possible.

False Advertising.  Mike didn't build his muscles in minutes.

Eventually HIT turned into a program ran by nancy boys who looked like 12 year olds with elevated estrogen levels.  Superslow reps, training once every 10 days, isolation movements all over the place.  I blame Mentzer and his followers for this because Mike lost all perspective on what he did, what worked, and got crazy.  But what do you expect from a guy who ran down the interstate naked with a bag of oranges?  That's actually pretty cool.

3.  Back work for a bigger bench

More shit that shouldn't have made any sense if people didn't follow certain peoples voice without questioning it.  Getting tight on the bench is important, but you could do lat and upperback work until the cows come home and not improve your bench.  Everyone knows that big bencher in the gym that only does bench, shoulder work, and tricep work and never does a damn ounce of back work.

You should be shooting for balance front to back in both development and strength, however concentrating on back work as one of the main aspects of improving your bench is like concentrating on calf work to improve your squat.  Yeah the calves are involved in the squat and do fire and work during it, but if someone told you to do lots of calf work to improve your squat you'd think they had gone coo-coo for coco puffs.  And they would have.

4.  Squat to get bigger arms

This one isn't a lot different than the back work for a bigger bench scenario.  Look, no one preaches about building up your base more than me.  But Olympic lifters squat until the cows come home, and virtually none of those guys upper bodies match their lower body development.  Remember this, your function creates your form.  You squat a lot, you'll have big legs.  You curl a lot, you'll have big biceps.  Duh!

Prolly makes your biceps bigger than squats somehow.

I think a lot of times when guys are trying to redirect young un's to the more important aspects of training they lose the ability to convey it properly.  Squatting and deadlifting should be staples, but so should dips, pressing, chins, rows, and curls.  Again, balance from day 1 should be emphasized.  Squatting will not make your biceps bigger just like rowing will not make your press go up.

5.  Weak point training

I've written enough about this nonsense to fill a book.  Search the blog.

6.  Low Carb Diets

Jesus H Satan this shit has gotten out of hand.  Carbs are a mass building cycles best damn friend.  And bodybuilders were getting ripped for decades eating carbs.  And I don't mean low carb either.  Look at a lot of the 70's and 80's cutting diets by those guys.  It's like high carb day for todays carb cycling junkies.  Now you got Paleo junkies avoiding the simple fact that our ancestors and "cavemen" ate the shit out of potatoes, and that people have been eating bread for thousands and thousands of fucking years.  But hey don't let the facts stand in the way.

And low carb makes you feel like shit anyway.

7.  Super High Protein Diets

Yeah, if I don't get in 400 grams of protein a day I can't grow.  Who comes up with this shit?  Oh that's right, it started years ago with supplement companies.  You needed to ingest enough powder to give yourself more gas than Exxon.  Got it.  I find it funny that Dave Tate got big as hell eating junk and something like 190 grams of protein a day.  You know why?  Because calories and carbs drive mass gains more than protein.  Anyone who ignores the anecdotal evidence behind this is short changing their potential progress.

Just need to drink 19 of these a day

8.  Super High Volume Training

I threw HIT under the bus, and like wise I'm throwing too much training volume under the bus.  I swear, some people think volume is the answer to every training problem known to man.  "Just do some more volume!"  Great answer asshat.  Way to really diagnose the real problem.  Yeah, sometimes you do need to do more, and sometimes you need to do less.  Too much training volume for too long WILL lead to overuse injuries eventually.  That's a fact.  I also believe it's somewhat of a lazy mans training method.  I will do 8 sets of this shit, rest 5-8 minutes between each one, and do 2 reps.  Wow fat man, don't strain a testicle training so fucking hard.  The high volume training guys are almost always fat guys because going all out requires a certain degree of conditioning.  So it's easier to do a set of 2,3,5 whatever and sit around for the next 5 minutes before you try it again.  High volume training can be hard as shit, especially if you limit your rest between sets. But if they were to do that, all of a sudden those 8 sets of become more like 3.  The guys I know that put high volume training to good use are generally bodybuilders, where they rest very little between sets.  And this works very well.

Maybe my real rant here is actually the time between sets of the high volume crew and not high volume itself.  Hmmmm....

I have a ton more but like Arthur Hoggett told Babe......that'll do.