When we come out of the womb, we are all pretty ugly.
There is a whirlwind of misinformation in the world, not just the training world, about US. Most of us have grown up with family that have labeled us as being special, different and unique. Hell, I believe my son is all three. But let’s all be honest – when we all come out of the womb, no matter what angle the light shines on us, we are all just a bunch of purple, shriveled humans that look pretty damn ugly.
In conversations about training, I constantly hear this sort of statement (paraphrased, of course) that “ultimately you have to find what works for you and not everything works for everyone.” There is truth in this except there seems to be a LOT of things that work for everyone. And most of us will not find these golden gems until we’ve reached a training age and experience level that allows us these insights. But for most, when you put your hand over fire it will burn.
If you want a big deadlift, get a strong back, grip and legs. If your mobility sucks, perform dynamic movements and routines that attack the problem areas. If you want to lose some fat, get your diet and training in order. The problem is that when given the instructions to the goal people are too quick to say that “it won’t work for me.”
“My legs don’t get big when I squat. I need another exercise.”
“My lats never grow when I do rows and chins.”
“I’ve tried every diet and I can’t lose weight. Nothing works for me.”
My good friend and H.R.M.C. partner Will Ramsey asked me recently what my goal was for cleans. I told him, “I want to do 275lb for 10 reps.” He asked why this was my goal. My answer? Because no one weak can clean 275 for 10 reps. Despite popular opinion, there are some absolutes in the training world and strong is strong. People should squat and a big neck is awesome. Follow the bread crumbs of the people in the squat rack in front of you – there is a pattern.
And don’t believe EVERYTHING your mom tells you. Just most of it.
