There is no drug on the planet that will replace how being strong feels*
Strength, power and speed are often used interchangeably, but they are distinct elements of the “strength” pyramid
You can develop world class strength in as little as three days per week
30 minutes per day, is plenty to keep the power on
But three hours a day is the performance sweet spot
When training strength it’s best to have a longer session to incorporate longer periods of rest throughout
So a three hour workout is not as intense as it sounds if you’re chilling for most of it
Strength training is often the most entertaining and rewarding due to the consistent personal best youll hit
Hypertrophy is dependent on proper technical muscle failure to avoid injury and over training
Strength is when the weight stops moving suddenly
Hypertrophy is when you could’ve grounded out another rep or two
Anything on a machine is going to be mostly hypertrophy unless it is a very special machine
Anything with a free weight is going to be mostly strength unless you are intentional with your technique
Speed refers to high intensity, low resistance movements with the intention of increasing acceleration
Protein is probably the most important macro for true strength development as fats and carbs are more flexible, depending on the person
Power refers to max energy output under maximum resistance for the absolute minimum movement requirement
1 g/ pound of body. Weight of protein is the gold standard.
See performance requirements for fitness ranking
There are some who are looking for ways to do less, and they will never be as strong as those who are looking for ways to do more
You don’t have to push to absolute failure each time with strength training
In fact, most often you won’t fail if you were properly programming and your light and medium effort days
As long as the weight moves, easier, you are making progress
Everybody adapts at a different rate
But if you start at the appropriate starting point, then you should progress each day
If you repeat the same workout, but under more difficult circumstances than the previous week, that is a personal best
Strength which houses both speed and power is the most common term to discuss the in between range
Hypertrophy refers to the middle resistance range usually between 33 to 66% of your one red max, but with a reduced rest. To ensure you are using your muscle focus pathways instead of your movement pathways if you will.
PRs come in many shapes and sizes
Strength personal bests or the most undeniable, but also the most risky.
The best strength split is going to be push pull legs.
Max strength requires long periods of recovery in between
Functional strength is combining high resistance, low volume training with medium to low duration recovery
If you’re warm up, feel spicier than normal then take a longer rest. Between your working set and chances are you’ll actually feel better than your previous session.
If you’re movement focused warm-up feels spicier than normal that usually means you’re using beginning to muscle it
When you muscle the movement that means you try to control it too much
When you move the muscle, that means you use the proper technique
Sleep is going to be very important
You’re only gonna be as strong as your recovery
Caffeine Hits way harder than an empty stomach
And caffeine is an incredible PED for strength
Creatine is also helpful for strength and bodybuilding
But gives you a few extra reps
not really the ability to move more weight
Strength programming is exponential and then kind of falls off after about 10 to 12 weeks
If our ancestors can survive, running up and down mountains, drinking from creeks, and sleeping on the ground then you can survive a compromised night sleep
True lifetime personal best require ideal circumstances
Not just the will to do more
Otherwise, you’ll earn the fool card
Working too hard is how you earn the fool card
You’ll the most progress between weeks 3 to 9
It takes about three weeks for your body to get in the rhythm of repairing itself faster than you break it down
The more conditioned you are the faster your adjustment period
So you may not need three weeks if you have a background
All things equal you’ll perform better with a little bit of carbs in the tank than otherwise
The best time to do a max strength session is early afternoon
About three or four hours after a large breakfast
Preferably hi Carb
Fats take longer than you would think to fully metabolize into usable energy
A good rule of thumb is what you ate yesterday is what you feel today
(Excluding the impact from fast digesting carbs)
Your strength will suffer if you are sore
You can be sore without feeling sore
You’re nervous system isn’t going to feel locally sore
Instead, you will be moody, irritable, and maybe even restless
Probably gonna be said a couple times, but strength and size are not the same thing $$
Strength is about force output, not how much muscle you have $
Put another way strength is about what you can do and less about how much you can do $
True Strength training is often half power and half hypertrophy programming $$
Isolating power requires long term programming $
Bone is the last to adapt but the most beneficial for long term strength improvements $$
Almost always you’re gonna use heavyweight with long rest
Think 75% or more one red max with 3 to 5 minutes of rest for maximum strength
Think 25% or less of one rep max as fast as you can for 15 to 20 reps for speed
Think 85% or more of one rat max for one to three reps for power $
The barbell is going to be your best friend for true strength $$
Never do less than 3 reps on a machine without a damn good reason $$$
Never rest 3 minutes on a machine without a damn good reason $$$
Landmine is good for accessory and strength base functional hypertrophy $$
You should rarely go above a 7RPE to maximize recovery time $$
You should never go above a nine unless you’re competing $$
Strength is primarily signaling focused (especially for maintenance) $$
Hypertrophy (to complement strength adaptions) is fairly easy-
Just do a couple truthful burnout sets / exercises after strength $
You should never be actually competing during a regular training session
Unless it is competing with yourself, of course $
Isolation strength is highly overlooked and underrated but that is due to its awkward safety profile
(Hard to safely overload a single arm chest fly but that’s what this website is for) $
Always lead with the hardest and heaviest of exercises first $$$
Understanding the strength curve of each exercise is the key to safety $$
You can gain strength without gaining any muscle mass
In fact, you can get stronger while losing muscle, even though that is somewhat a misnomer $$
The sweet spot for classic strength is 3-6 reps/ 90-180s rest $$$
Strength is about efficiency of movement using your type two a muscle fibers $$
Simply by being consistent, you will see your strength improve week over week $
Strength programming can be combined with hypertrophy
In fact, it’s almost always recommended
It’s just important to have a clear distinction during training as to, which is which
In other words, stop maxing out on the leg press $$$
You should never do less than three reps on a machine unless it is for injury prevention, or safety assessment
So machines aren’t ideal for strength $
If you are going heavy on a machine, then you should not be resting 3 to 5 minutes
Especially in a commercial gym
That does not make you a bodybuilder that makes you an asshole $$
GETTING STRONGER
Not all trainers are anywhere close to equal
There are many good trainers out there
But the ratio is startling
Every gym has the one smart trainer that has to deal with the stupidity of all the other others
And that trainer usually doesn’t stick around very long
It doesn’t take very much to get certified
Most personal trainers fall into the amateur category with between 2 to 4 years of training experience
This is respectable, but it is still amateur
Most trainers have not had to deal with major injuries either with themselves or others
Most trainers simply recommend you do what they’re familiar with or what they’ve seen as a popular trend
Modifications are not really in the wheelhouse of most trainers
If your trainer is overly reliant on machines, then I would start asking questions
If your trainer can’t explain why you’re doing something or why you’re not doing something else 🚩 *
It’s better to view trainers as salesmen
Doesn’t mean that they’re bad trainers, but it does mean that their focus is primarily on the contract
Any business model that thrives the more others suffer is a conflict of interest
Any training with a short-term focus is a conflict of interest
Any meaningful change is gonna take three weeks to begin, three months to build, and three years to maintain *
The right coach is not gonna do the work for you but remind you as to why you’re doing it in the first place *
Unfortunately, most people will sign up for personal training just to talk themselves out of actually showing up for the session
They do it because of the excitement between signing up in the first session
One of the biggest myths going around is that you can just download an app and have the world’s greatest workout at your disposal
But these exercises are the same ones that anyone can Google
I promise you an exercise app does not come anywhere close to providing the same amount of experience as a good trainer
If you don’t know the difference between three different types of push-ups, then you could drastically benefit from having a coach
If you don’t know many other movements besides push-ups, then you could drastically benefit from having a coach
When done right, you should see results each session *
Intensity is nowhere near as important as consistency *
The world‘s greatest workout doesn’t mean shit after three days*
You should spend less money on supplements and more time doing mobility and cardio*
How you look today is a reflection of the last three weeks worth of work*
How you feel today is a mix between the last three days and the last three weeks in the last three years *
Music is a performance enhancing drug *
Excluding sports specific or performance specific goals
You can achieve any general health milestone with between 3 to 6 hours per week of training*
If you eat enough protein, you likely won’t feel nearly as hungry *
Heavy metal is best for cardio *
Rap is good for heavy, weightlifting or bodybuilding *
It’s better to view most exercise equipment as an instrument instead of a piece of iron
You really shouldn’t worry too much about what you wear at the gym if you care about general health
Overthinking kills more progress than overdoing*
Fitness makes failing fun*
It takes a lot of energy to be fake as fuck*
The whole point is to learn how to love it so you could do more of it
Not that you have to do more
Anything forced is not impressive *
I would say 75% of most people are actively suffering from tight hamstrings at the moment*
Once you know what it feels like to be appropriately loosey goosey
You won’t settle for stiffness*
Can’t stand the idea of wanting to do the bare minimum
It should be more of a rule that you have to do the bare minimum
That’ll keep people honest overtime because it’ll conserve the most amount of energy
Most people don’t know the difference between a regular or an a$$ to gra$$ squat and it shows*
SOAP BOX (MISC)
Food is natural and nutritious
Food will always give you a more truthful satiety signal 1
Fuel usually digest quickly and results in a surge of energy 2
Fueling signals are often delayed, which results in over eating 3
You won’t have to count calories if you just eat natural foods 4
Don’t be afraid to salt your food as long as it didn’t come out of a box or a bag first 5
The sodium in processed fuel is different than the salt you add to your food (technically not really, but I think you understand what I mean) 6
Anything out of a box or a bag has been altered to convince you to eat it 7
Process carbs usually digest in about an hour
Processed fats usually in about three 8
Most calories in chocolate come from fat, not sugar 9
Natural foods are defined by anything that once upon a time grew 10
Or something that would go bad if you left it out without storing or processing it 11
Or if something else wouldn’t eat it within 12 hours then you shouldn’t either 12
Fuel is highly concentrated and palpable 13
Eating Time and place determines what goes where and who does what 14
It’s better to view processed carbs as a controlled substance 15
Too much fuel will mess with your head 16
You can become adapted to where you can burn high amounts of fuel off quickly before it turns to fat
(hi metabolism)
You will adapt to high amounts of nutritious foods faster than you will do high amounts of calorie dense fuel 17
Processed fuel will degrade your gut and micro biome
Which will impact all kinds of metabolic functions and emotional signals 18
Just about everything out of a box or a bag, count as fuel 19
Processed protein is not the same as animal protein 20
Plant protein counts as processed protein and is therefore a poor fuel 21
Almost all process fuel comes from vegetable or fruit source 22
The mass production of highly processed fuel is one of the biggest threats to our climate
You’ll store less fat in a nutritious calorie surplus than a dirty one 23
Sustainable agriculture and hunting are the most promising pathways forward
One large animal can feed a family for a long time
Fuel is not bad
Just mostly unnecessary unless you are highly active 24
The right fuel can pretty much guarantee a personal best if used at the right time in place 25
The right food can pretty much guarantee optimal health if used consistently
Think 8020 rule 26
If all of what you eat is coming out of a box
Then change your diet before you start taking any medication’s 27
Almost all doctors don’t even understand the difference between fuel and food
Just look at hospital food 28
The idea of a cheat meal is kind of conflicting
It’s really just talking about an inappropriately timed high fuel meal for the purpose of pleasure
But if you’re playing the game right, you should be able to eat high fuel foods, strategically, and get a performance benefit 29
Eating too much fuel when you’re supposed to be resting will lead to restlessness or high body fat 30
Restlessness is often disguised as uninformed anxiety 31
Natural food helps with emotional health by giving your body the nutrients that needs to rebuild and eliminating extra fuel so it doesn’t feel the pressure to burn 32
It is a myth that healthy food is more expensive than fuel
But you need to consider the opportunity cause of eating nothing but fuel in the long-term and the health bills that will come with that 33
Everybody everywhere was moving a lot more than we are now on a daily basis so remember that when you think about DNA memory and signaling
Stress is the most important vitamin to growth (in moderation)
Stress is the most dangerous threat to the heart and mind (in excess)
Stress is a imbalance of energy and optimism
Most processed fuel is wasted or overly consumed
Natural foods have a tendency to self regulate
Wild game is better than beef
Beef is better than poultry
Poultry is better than pork
Pork is better than most seafood
(excluding specialty wild sourced)
Almost all Seafood is better than plant protein
I say a lot
If we need vegetables to stay alive, then we would all be dead by now
I have seen too many people on mac & cheese and energy drinks to not believe in miracles
Alcohol is like a double fuel
It gives you physical energy while lifting emotional limitations
It takes at least three days to begin to feel a truthful dietary adjustment
It takes at least three weeks to begin to see an truthful aesthetic change (excluding the use of drugs)
I don’t care what the label says about how it was sourced or prepared
If it requires a label, then it was processed
(Excluding the packaging on raw meats)
We life in an endurance athletes heaven (calorie option wise)
Muscle helps soak up extra fuel (cheat meals)
To be fair, even raw meats are processed to some degree
Just nowhere near as much as fruits and veggies
Your body can much more easily adjust its digestion based needs (on a Whole Foods diet)
It’s difficult to regulate a high fuel diet
Unfortunately, almost all snacks count as fuel
*opens popcorn
The perfect diet is the one that you enjoy eating while you enjoy receiving the benefits
Costco is probably the best place to get fuel
Hunting would be the best place to get food, but that’s not the most reasonable for most people
So if you find a good butcher
Or if nothing else just can find your shopping to the meat department
You’ll be better off
FOOD VS FUEL
PROTEIN SOURCING
Steak is usually the best option
Availability is the main limitation however 1
Don’t be afraid of fatty meat as long as it’s not overly processed 2
Wild caught salmon or other fish is also top of pyramid (but expensive)
Eggs are the most ethically balanced, Cheapest, and nutritious food available
Not the most desirable tho 3
Ground beef can carry you thru nearly any of life’s storms haha 4
Processed snack meats (salami, pepperoni, etc) are calorie hacks
Cheap $ per calorie and decent macros 5
Cheese is the most hit or miss but almost always worth it 33
Canned meats are last option but still a good one to have
You’ll feel carbs within 3 hours
You won’t feel fats until atleast 4-6hrs 6
Jerky is a protein hack if you got the cash 7
When looking for high protein meals on the go
You’re gonna be stuck with beef jerky or gas station protein shakes
You can do hamburgers or cheeseburgers from fast food and limit the bun
But you run the risk from a food quality perspective as if you go to the bad fast food spot the beef might have been sitting out for a while 8
Beware of these delivered to your door meal services
Unless it’s coming directly from the farm itself, chances are it’s going to be a little suspicious quality wise
From a pricing perspective, most are best to just go to the grocery store and focus on eating everything that you buy
Buying meat in bulk is about the quality (not the price)
But You can save money by buying meat in bulk
Don’t sleep on eggs
If you can buy the expensive ethically sourced eggs
If you can’t buy the cheap 30 eggs for six bucks from Food Lion
30 eggs will be enough even for the most intense bodybuilder each day and you’re looking at six bucks 9
The prisoners can extract protein from highly processed fuel, so can you
But not unless you have a shit load of time to waste, figuring it out first
Most people panic when you tell them to eat 1 g of protein per pound of body weight
But you actually get pretty good at it pretty quick if learn how to make a steak
Or just buy an air fryer 10
On that note, an air fryer is one of the best things you can get if you suck at cooking 11
For the record, I have cooked some of the greatest steaks of all time on an old George Foreman
Get the cast-iron skillet to cook meat on
Trust me
Making rotisserie chickens yourself is kind of silly
Because on Tuesdays that the teeter them birds are big and cheap
Rotisserie chickens are a protein hack when you consider price and availability
If you keep some plastic forks and plates in your car, then it makes it pretty easy to smash a bird on the go
I don’t know where you’re from but Food Lion has the best rotisserie chickens in North Carolina (believe it or not)
Subs are a high source of protein, but come with a lot of collateral calories 12
Canned seafood is actually probably healthier than the fresh option
(Due to hygiene)
(This is probably the only exception to the processed food rule)
Tuna is one of the cheapest and easily prepared protein sources
It just makes you wanna kill yourself faster than anything else 13
Sardines, plus crackers, plus hot sauce as a hack
Just beaware the collateral cracker carbs
Don’t even bother buying “food” from the frozen section of the supermarket
You are better than those frozen meals
Seriously, just buy an air fryer and a George Foreman and a cast-iron skillet
That’s most 100 bucks and will ask you a year at least
You’ll burn 3 steaks in the process, but then you’ll have it down for life
Plant protein is responsible for the most atrocious farts of all time 14
If you could survive public school meals, then you can survive sourcing protein on the go in public 15
Protein bars are getting better and better by the week
Which is great to see
You get barely half the protein from nuts as advertised
This is due to bio availability
Don’t buy into the high protein, keto snacks
The ingredients they use to sub out the good carbs are often kind of sketch
Keto snacks are kind of pointless
You should stick to pepperoni and salami or other types of jerky
Instead of fake potato chips 16
Pizza is a high protein source
Pizza is a high happiness source
Pizza is a high gut inflammation source 17
Fried chicken has a lot of protein
It just has way more fat and carbs from the breading 18
When you’re eating out
Whatever the calorie count says
Add 33% 19
Most low end restaurants will skimp you on protein, so be ready 20
Asian restaurants are probably the best price per calorie ratio
But the sketchiest from a smooth versus nightmare bathroom ratio 21
Protein coffee is a trap
Consider that a warning from your lower intestine 22
Nobody really knows exactly how many grams are in their protein powder and don’t listen to them if they say otherwise
It’s about 30g 23
Is best to find a brand of protein powder that you can double scoop on 12 ounces of water or less
Just in case you end up in the shit and you gotta get it in 24
You don’t know pain until you have to eat a pound of plain chicken breast and one sitting just to hit your pathetic macros 25
On that note Plain chicken breast is beginner level shit 26
Ground beef is almost always better than chicken breast 27
Don’t be scared of the fatty ground beef just understand that it’s higher in fat and maybe not as high in protein 28
If it’s higher and fat, it’s gonna be higher and happiness
(Because of the taste) 29
Anything that is advertised low in fat is probably high in bullshit 30
If you eat a pound of steak, you can reliably count that as about 120 g 31
Natural protein is going to digest much better than processed protein stronger 32
TIPS & TECHQS
If you lift heavy three times a week, you will have very few health issues to worry about
Eggs are the cheapest and healthiest source of protein, and also the most ethically balanced
Rice and potatoes are the most common natural fuel source and also the cheapest
But very low in nutrients
Candy isn’t bad if you’re about to move or if you just get done moving
The barbell is the best for strength
When considering factors such as time, availability, intensity, effectiveness, and reliability
Dumbbells are actually kind of dumb
For everything except bodybuilding
Daily mobility is the secret to stress management
Daily mobility is the secret to injury prevent prevention
The treadmill is a waste of time if you ask me or your knees
Running on the trail is better than running on the street
By a lot
Training for aesthetic is a lot more miserable than training for performance
You’re better trying to climb stairs in the wild
Then to spend hours on the stair climber at the gym
The stair climber gives out more Fool cards than anything else
If you never eating is hard then wait until you try always eating
Running downhill is more of a muscle tech technique
Running uphill is more of a movement burnout technique
Big gyms will give you an energy boost from the crowd
Every time you are concerned with your waistline, you increase its size
Small gym will give you more privacy
Running downhill is just strategically controlling your fall
Every movement gets mentally easier the second time
Physical endurance is just a matter of fueling
Mental endurance is just a matter of motivation
Spiritual endurance is a matter of balancing both
Running uphill just makes you look foolish
Hiking uphill makes you look like a bad ass
Three sets of the right five reps will change any muscles performance
Three sets of right 20 reps will change any muscles appearance
One big slab of meat will meet almost everybody’s daily protein goal in one setting
Remembering that Everything new is going to be hard at first is the best technique for self forgiveness
The 80/20 rule solves about 80% of the balancing problem
If you can’t sit still that means
- you need to create something
- You need to confess something
- You need to hit something
- You need to hit someone
- You ate too much
Acceptance is the result of keeping an open and willing mind
All prescription pills come with serious trade-offs that are unavoidable
Most plant medicines are naturally balanced to avoid hijacking your system
I don’t care what anyone says a drug is something that has been manufactured
Yes, there are a lot of plants that can kill you almost instantly, but there are also just as many plants I can heal you just as quickly
Almost all pills have something sketchy in them or in their manufacturing process
The calorie labels on foods can be fairly inaccurate
And most have not been recalibrated in decades
Don’t let them get in your head and you’ll get in theirs $$$
Expecting others to do the work for you is the oldest ego trick in the book