Forget Everything You Know

Most of you, as trainees, suffer from information overload. From bands, chains and dynamic work to max effort loads and pendulum waves in your training volume. From carb-aphobes to carb cyclers to carb backloaders.

Funny thing is, for all of this information you collect and (sometimes) apply, none of you have really made the progress you want to make. Sure, maybe you have gained some weight, leaned up a bit and/or made some decent strength gains but from what? There really is no way to tell which technique is helping you or which is hurting you – which is why everyone, including myself at times, needs to slow it the fuck down.

Training is not too terribly complicated, neither is diet. Keep it simple.

There was a time not too long ago where I cycled my nutrients, I backloaded my carbohydrates, I incorporated dynamic work 72 hours before max effort work and of course my dynamic work was always 2x the volume of my max effort work. I used bands, I used chains and boards to press off of every week. I pretty much had it figured out…. With all the conflicting information out there I figured it out the best I would, anyway.

I was also 204-206lbs and stuck there. My best dead lift was 545lbs and while I had a decent bench my overhead continued to fail at 275lb on the best days. And a 400lb yoke would CRUSH me.  I guess that means I wasn’t cut out for strength sports…

Or maybe I just didn’t have it figured out. Maybe all those people trying to sell me something (most of whom are not nearly as impressive as they try to sound when they sell you shit) were…well, trying to sell me something. I mean, people DID get pretty jacked and pretty strong well before bands and chains became popular…right?

Evolution:

“What do you mean I shouldn’t do dynamic work every week?”I was pretty confused why such a strong guy with so much knowledge would suggest such a thing. We went back and forth for a while but Vince finally convinced me to drop my dynamic day… do drop a day of training completely.

So here I am, dropping a day of training (going against everything I was convinced of) and even worse in my mind, no longer having a day designated for dynamic work. We started with that – the result?

My weight slowly moved up to a leaner 212-217 depending on how hydrated I was. I shattered my old PR log press by 50lbs (220 – 270), shattered by old Farmers walk PR (250lbs in each hand for 50″ – 280 for 80′), Pulled a fucking car dead lift that I watched several 700+ dead lifters zero and walked a 750lb 80′!

My strength and stability had skyrocketed in 3 months much more than it ever had before in the last 3 years. All because I was willing to forget something I thought I “knew”.

I have always wanted to stay lean – but strength has always come first. I have either cycled my carbs or backloaded them and been very picky about my sources (sticking mostly paleo). Again, Vince and I talked diet and again, he encouraged me to forget the shit I think I know and get on a real eating schedule. Essentially, pack of muscle and fat will burn. For the first time since I started training I ate carbs (and a lot of them) with very single meal. Of course, I kept the carb sources good ones (sweet potatoes, white rice, fruits, veggies etc) but my carb intake almost quadrupled. Naturally for a few days  felt bloated but I stuck to it and kept eating like a fucking man. The Result? My bodyweight slowly (over 3.5 months) bumped from 212 to 228:

228 lbs

Again, strength and weight increased BF% decreased. Why? I forgot the dumb shit we think we are supposed to know.

Fast Forward:

Today, I sit here at 232lbs, as lean or leaner than ever. I’ve pulled 620lbs , hit over 320lb overhead and have yoked over 800…all things I honestly didnt think possible back when I was “educated”. Sure, I do SOME dynamic work and I time certain foods at certain times but it’s obvious I was better of just getting over it. Hitting the gym harder (and less frequently) and eating more fucking food – chances are you are in the same boat. I have people lighter, weaker and less experienced than myself telling ME that my program is not advanced enough or they have certain needs that my program neglects (dyanmic work, diet etc)…

Before I lose my head and strangle them off right then and there I remember:

This must be how Vince felt when we first started talking.

Thanks for not strangling me, Vince, I’ll pay it forward.

Relentless.

No nonsense real fucking program: http://www.relentlessgym.com/programs/team-relentless/

Above s the exact program I followed and still follow. Updated weekly