Don't believe the hype. Let me explain why....
The e mail came in.... again.
Hey, Zach. I can't get big. I'm stuck in a rut. I train at my local gym and sometimes at home. I can do all the free weight lifts and bodyweight exercises.
Can you write me a routine for 4 days a week and some nutrition tips? I get your daily e mails and I love them! Thanks, man!
Well, I'll be damned....
Unsure if I have the energy, emotionally, to reply to this e mail. Again. I get several a day on this specific topic, but I decide to give it a shot....
I reply....
You're on my newsletter.... have you used the free training course you got? It has everything you need. Don't be a lazy looker and stop looking for something fancier, something new, something better.... It's staring you in the face.
I have seen this happen to competitive athletes as well. They go searching everywhere for the holy grail. The Dad transfers the kid to this school, then that school, goes to speed and agility and then tries the coach that only uses bands and no weights and bla bla bla
You end up falling for "that guy" who tells you lies about these so called rules you MUST follow or you'll be skinny and weak for the rest of your life.
[youtube width="640" height="360"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1gWSq5R354[/youtube]
As the story goes, acres of diamonds are in your backyard. Stop looking elsewhere. YOU, the consumer is to blame for demanding all the hype and the BS. That is the truth. I take full responsibility for being swayed in that BS direction.
Time to do some serious fucking work! It has never changed... and it never will.
Live The Code
--Z--
Get your FREE training course HERE
14 Responses
When I was at my cert this past weekend we got on the topic of programming. Big class of Crossfit coaches so they had the WOD’s, some graduate students with their traditional training progressions, some coaches with a generic clinic program, and then they got to me.
“Heavy deadlift with hip drive/shrug at top for three reps, seated on box-load the quads the explode in a high jump for three reps, then power cleans for 3-5 reps. Five sets with little to no rest between sets. Then flip tire and farmers, or pull sled with stone lift. Finish with supplemental or accessory work. In total at times 10-12 exercises, with full warm up before and roller work after.” “How long does that take?” “They are out my door in 45-60 minutes.” “Do they get stronger?” “Yes every week. Stronger, faster, more explosive and mentally tougher.”
In short just train hard! That is it! If you need a special program written because you are not making gains you need to look no further than the mirror. Only you will determine the gains you make. Pick some lifts and pound them until you are dreaming the lifts. You dream all day about hitting those lifts. Take care of your body-nutrition, rest etc! And just lift! Start with what you suck at. Even if it is one exercise per session work that puppy until it is perfect every time.
Great stuff Zach!
Dustin, you will LOVE Travis Mash! Had his Weightlifting seminar at The Underground, lots of heavy lifting, lots of volume, little rest, attack!
Hey there bud, I agree with everything you say except for one thing. I have found that (in my own experience) gaining strength is not the same as ‘getting big’ or hypertrophy of the muscles in question. I just thought I should voice my opinion and would also like to know if anyone contradicts that and does gain muscle mass from strength. Thanks for the great info Zach, support from the UK.
Joey, great comment / question brotha, check it out:
I will also say this, if you wanna get BIG, then focus on getting STRONG!!!
Gotta agree Zach, reps in the 5 to 10 per set at sub max loads and attention to caloric intake are key for getting big and strong….volume is key also.
Gary
Honored to receive a video response and it cleared up my confusion perfectly! Thanks a lot for the advice. I think I’ll focus on building a solid foundation of muscular, or neuromuscular, strength first as a way of gaining size onto my naturally leaner frame of 75kg, 186cm.
best way is start with a strength lift then follow up w/bodybuilder sets – reps using proper supplemental exercises
What you train for is what you’ll get. This is also true for size and/or strength.
Best example: Ross Enamait.
He’s about 5’8″ and 180lbs and can deadlift 3x his bodyweight, do tons of pullups with 2x his bodyweight, etc. AND do all kinds of gymnastic stuff.
It always depends what you’re looking for but the basis should always be to become stronger – not only in your lifts but also proportional to your bodyweight. What is it good for if you weigh over 200lbs and cant do 3 pullups. F..k that! At least this is my philosophy.
Cheers
Hey, Zack!
Fricking A, brother. People are always chasing crap. I work with people who are always going off to the gym with this plan or that plan and, truth be told, I’ve done most of that shit myself over the years. Luckily for me, I was literally forced into a really shitty situation that gave me very few options. Ain’t looking for sympathy here so don’t get me wrong but over the course of the last 8 months the shit hit the fan big time: lost my mother to a long time illness and was stuck here in Japan because I had my own family to care for and we all thought she was getting well again so I was planning on going home when she got out of hospital for Christmas but she never did; next lost my wife through a divorce that I had been fighting tooth and nail to avoid but sometimes you get into fights that are impossible to win without giving up too much of what makes you YOU! Next up I had to move into a shitty apartment by myself and, at the same time, landed myself in a new job that is literally sucking the life out of me. In Japan they expect people to live and breath their jobs, it’s in the culture. The problem became no time to get to the gym. I have tattoos so most gyms here refuse me membership right out! My options were to get home from a 12 hour day then travel to one gym that allows me membership but that would mean not being able to cook my meals for the next day and so end up eating mostly crap despite trying to make smart choises OR not getting nearly enough sleep. Solution? Use the money I was making to get me some kettle bells, sandbags, a jungle gym XT & push that shit to the park in a wheel barrow & train my ass off with the heat & mosquitos. No frills, no hype just fricking hard work! Use the stuff you have around you! I use stones and my pull up bar is an old metal sign post but it’s about 50 percent thicker than anything you’d find in the gym so no need to buy thick bars ( lol )! Keep it coming, Zack!
Matt –
tough times, man. Keep grinding – experience shows that you’ll eventually creep out of it. Having “no time” is no excuse for not training. Literally everybody can find 30min every second day to do something. Even pure calisthenics work can make a beast out of you.
Head up, love & dedication for the pure things in life, respect your polis.
Cheers
Got to admire your determination,Matt. I’ve also had a pretty bad year – not as bad as yours though – and am appalled at what gymns actually charge – one of the local ones wants payment from the bank – weekly!!! Hang in there mate.
Matt, fucking A, brotha, you’re a BOSS Ass kicker through and through!!!
Much respect bro. The best to defeat weakness is through strength and you are proving what it takes!!
I highly recommend reading Awaken The Giant Within from Tony Robbins. Read 5 pages EVERY day!!
Best best is to read 2 – 3 pages in the morning and again at night!
Keep me posted bro, I wanna hear about you kicking ass, homie!!!
E mail me or FB message me updates!
I agree with you man. For the first time coworkers and friends have been commenting on the changes in my lean muscle mass. What changed? I don’t perform 12 plus rep ranges anymore. My rep ranges vary from 4 to 8 on my first sets and as I increase the weight between sets its 1 to 4. I think what I learned is if i want to be bigger and stronger I gotta lift some heavy ass weight. Thanks for the videos and keep doing what your doing.
Zach!
Love what you do and what you’re about. I’ve seen you speak a few times…awesome! How do I get in touch with you? I like to speak with you over the phone or have a business coaching session with you.
Gary