My [Least] favorite training myths.

[Arnold'sApprentice]

Then the great Arnold is the most knowledgable..so get on with your six days a week 60 set workouts guys..no,actually,according to your flawed,pathetic 'logic' then Reg Park has more knowledge than anyone else..i mean over 50 years in the gym..that guy knows the most because he has trained the longest.

 

[guldukat]

I think everybody should stop posting in this thread, it is getting too long and deviating from the orginal topic.

I concur.

Btw, you hit the nail on the head about the question-begging I mentioned earlier. It was just a matter of wording.

Oops, one more thing: I also agree that argumentation and lifting needn't be mutually exclusive. (I've done the former well enough for upwards of 6 years, and the latter 11, so one can be a capable debater AND lifter at the same time.)

At the risk of sermonizing--and directed at no one in particular--it seems very strange to me that anyone would be willing to push the iron as hard as possible yet, at the same time, wouldn't want to test their mental limits as well.

Lots of "debates," like attacks against the person, ARE pointless. People get the wrong idea about real argumentation based on petty squabbles...they've come to regard "argument" and "debate" as synonymous with calling someone a jerk-off.

That couldn't be further from the truth. The real-deal argument is not about men but ideas, about learning. And let's face it: without pushing our limits in all areas of life, we can count on sweet fuck all for progress.

Bros, I say eschewing a tough argument is akin to never adding more iron to the bar. We have to work for that shit.

 

[guldukat]

seriously people with less than 2 years experience need to stop posting on this thread

I must respectfully disagree here, my friend (and I've been in this game for over 11 years, so that's not why I object ). Let me explain why.

Basically, I think experience is valuable, but it certainly doesn't correlate to knowledge. After all, we've all met people who slaved away for many years with little to show for it, and looking at how those guys usually train it's no surprise.

And for that matter, most of us have also seen firsthand decent physiques which belong to flat-out DUMB people, guys from whom advice would probably be worthless if not dangerous. (An example: one fellow I met seriously thought muscle PAIN was the key to growth, so he'd have someone punch him in the chest, arms etc. as hard as possible. He was always bruised. I told him to stop doing that, but I don't know if he followed my advice; he moved away after being fired from his dish-washing job at Denny's, and I haven't seen him again.)

On the other hand, there are also quick learners. Not all newbies lift correctly, but some do. Take a friend of mine's case:

About 18 months ago (? I think that's right), one of my buddies asked me to train him. He was interested to know everything about training, so much so I had to go look lots of stuff up to answer the questions he started asking me. A lot of times I just told him, "I honestly don't know that man."

Since I got him started, he's sought out information from all kinds of sources. He can talk about aspects of physiology I couldn't touch now, and I think his progress has reflected his growing knowledge: he took a very weak, beanpole body of 6'3" and 165ish to a fairly strong 6'3", 225. He's certainly not huge, but I think he's even leaner now, and would've gained a good bit more if he ate like I told him to

IMO, someone like him would be a worthwhile contributor to any training discussion group. His contributions would be better *after* 8 more years of lifting to draw from, no doubt, but his intelligence, not the years themselves, make learning from that experience possible in the first place.

As usual that's a long post and all that, but I thought it was an important distinction to make.

 

[Tweakle]

new trainees bring a fresh enthusiasm to the table that many of us long timers have lost. Personally I wouldnt do either WB's or debasers routine, both are too extreme for me but that doesn't matter squat because their routines work for them and that's what counts. And they're both cool wid me