Photograph by Frederik Broden
Gym machines are boring, CrossFit is sadistic, and dieting sucks. Luckily, none of them is essential to being truly fit. Through years of trial and error — and humiliation at the hands of some of the world’s top trainers — the author discovered the secrets to real health.
by Daniel Duane
I hate the gym. At least, I hate “the gym” as imagined by the modern American health club: the mindless repetitions on the weight machines, halfhearted crunches, daytime TV during the treadmill. Such a sad, unimaginative excuse for a life, when I could be out rock-climbing, surfing, or, hell, even just scrubbing the bathroom floor. But I love working out the way I’ve come to understand it, and two big discoveries made all the difference.
First, I realized that we all live in a kind of Fitness Fog, a miasma of lies and misinformation that we mistake for common sense, and that makes most of our gym time a complete waste. Second, and by far the bigger news, I finally figured out what gyms good for and exactly how a man can use them to make himself healthy and fit in the truest sense: strong, capable, and durable in the long-lasting way that doesn’t just ward off chronic disease but actually lets a 35-year-old desk drone carry both of his laughing children up a mountain, simultaneously, and take on serious skiing at age 40, trusting his knees to bend deep and firm.
Muscle withers away if you’re not constantly building it, and muscle withers faster as a man ages. Fading muscle mass gives way to fat gain, stiff joints, stumbling-old-man balance, and a serious drop-off in weekend fun, not to mention self-esteem. But if you fight back right, it can all go the other way. And this means getting strong. The bottom line is that not only can lifting weights do as much for your heart health as cardio workouts, but it also provides you with a lean-muscle coat of armor against life’s inevitable blows — the way it did for my own father, who broke his back in a climbing accident at age 69, spent months in bed, and recovered strong only because he’d been lifting for 35 years.
Not that I haven’t wasted time at the gym like everybody else, sweating dutifully three times a week, “working my core,” throwing in the odd after-work jog. A few years ago, newly neck-deep in what Anthony Quinn describes in Zorba the Greek as “Wife, children, house…the full catastrophe,” I signed a 10-page membership contract at a corporate-franchise gym, hired my first personal trainer, and became yet another sucker for all the half-baked, largely spurious non-advice cobbled together from doctors, newspapers, magazines, infomercials, websites, government health agencies, and, especially, from the organs of our wonderful $19 billion fitness industry, whose real knack lies in helping us to lose weight around the middle of our wallets. Not that all of these people are lying, but here’s what I’ve learned: Their goals are only marginally related to real fitness — goals like reducing the statistical incidence of heart disease across the entire American population, or keeping you moving through the gym so you won’t crowd the gear, or limiting the likelihood that you’ll get hurt and sue.
We’re not innocent. Too many of us drift into health clubs with only the vaguest of notions about why we’re actually there — notions like maybe losing a little weight, somehow looking like the young Brad Pitt in Fight Club, or just heeding a doctor’s orders. Vague goals beget vague methods; the unfocused mind is the vulnerable mind, deeply susceptible to bullshit. So we sign our sorry names on the elliptical-machine waiting list — starting with a little “cardio,” like somebody said you’re supposed to — and then spend our allotted 30 minutes in front of a TV mounted a regulation seven to 10 feet away, because lawyers have told gym owners that seven to 10 feet minimizes the likelihood that we’ll crane our necks, lose our balance, and face-plant on the apparatus. After that, if we’ve got any remaining willpower, we lie flat on the floor, contract a few stomach muscles with tragic optimism, and then we “work each body part” before hitting the shower.
Go one better — I certainly did — by hiring a staff trainer and telling him you’re serious about your once-in-a-while surfing, skiing, or cycling, and that you’d love help designing a “sport-specific” routine. Forget that your trainer knows literally nothing about these sports; he’ll gladly prescribe a whole suite of cool stability-ball “functional fitness” and “core-training” exotica with rubber bands and wobbly Bosu platforms. Maybe it’ll even be fun. After a while, though, when you still can’t tell if anything ever makes a difference, you’ll get bored all over again, quit all over again, and wonder why 21st-century American fitness looks so much like 21st-century dieting, something we labor at constantly while our bodies hardly change.
My own epiphany actually hit me in a roundabout way, over the course of a couple of years — humiliation at the hands of a special-ops trainer, being told I was unfit to bench-press by the 1999 Mr. Olympia — but I somehow bumbled my way into a parallel universe of American fitness, one in which men know exactly how to get strong. And none of it is rocket science. Even more shocking? None of it takes any more time than you already spend working out. Maybe it takes even less.
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January 21st, 2011 at 5:54 pm
Great piece, Daniel. A little self-discovery and time-tested ideas mixed with the newer version of fitness thought. I don’t think many guys will get much out of something like “supercompensation” (which requires trial-and-error for the individual to find), but the basics of strength vs. endurance are always important.
I had a little of the same spirit of exploration when I devised the simple workout plan I do when I need to lose some weight while gaining muscle quickly – and like you, I give it away.
Oh, and Crossfit IS sadistic. And I love it.
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January 22nd, 2011 at 12:04 am
I don’t normally read men’s fitness or other general fitness type magazines but I really enjoyed this article and hope that everybody that picks up this issue reads this article first. And I hope it inspires them to … exercise their gym membership (no pun intended) in a better way. The part about how you had never done a real squat but has done dozens of wobbly leg bosu ball squats cracked me up. And it’s a very good perspective on how we as a nation have been misled about fitness in general. I hope this resonates as well with people who haven’t already discovered the joys of compound lifts.
I’m not sure what yalls spam policy is but there is a ‘starting strength wikia’ wiki that contains quite a bit of stuff that’s useful in parallel to the SS book and DVD.
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January 27th, 2011 at 8:58 pm
I know you didn’t explicitly rule out CrossFit, but your intro sure seems to write it off. If you hadn’t ever done a squat before – you probably haven’t really put CrossFit to the test. Train with CrossFit for three months to really get a feel for the program – then judge again. I think you will find that much of core truth about strength and performance is what is truly valued in CrossFit – and they have a philosophy that encapsulates much of what you are saying. Your canon of strength training cites Rippetoe – who has himself contributed much to the CrossFit community and methods.
http://journal.crossfit.com/search.php?search=rippetoe&IncludeBlogs=1&limit=999
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TBone Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 8:39 am
Craig, what’s your squat?
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Crossfit Billy Reply:
April 14th, 2011 at 8:06 pm
I am not sure what Chris’ squat is but if he crossfits, its good to go along with his deadlift, clean, snatch, 5k, and 10k run and row not to mention his push ups, sit ups, pull ups, handstands…. you get the idea. Please take me up on the offer to try crossfit at the FREE crossfit website for a few months. I promise that you will like it a ton…. and while your at it check out what a Paleo diet is. the combination works for everyone who try it.
Have Fun, Train Hard,
Billy
Olympic Crossfit
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Bo Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 8:47 am
Crossfit has no standard across the board at it’s gyms. The quality varies wildly across the world at different crossfit gyms. Some gyms will have you do 30minute grueling chippers EVERY DAY, while some offer strength and oly classes along with short intense heavy metcons.
Using the word “crossfit” is just far too vague without any standards. It’s like saying “Sports will get you fit”. Really? One person could say bowling is making them fit, and the other person could call that person a retard and say that football is the way to go.
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eatmilos Reply:
July 1st, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Really? 30m Chippers? Every Day? That’s nonsense. If they did, they’d run most of its members out of town within a month and go bust within six.
I have been a CrossFitter for 2yrs. The CrossFit gyms I’ve visited have proven to me that the CrossFit community takes fitness seriously along with the standards.
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Steve Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 10:34 am
The article does, in fact, explicitly rule out CrossFit, at least for those just starting out, and wisely so. On page 4, he writes:
“Down the road, if you’re like me, you’ll want to train multiple aptitudes at once: strength, power, and endurance. Things get complicated quickly when you’re self-coaching for multiple aptitudes, and I’m convinced it makes far more sense to start with just one … Finally, keep it simple; understand that variety is overrated … a guy who hasn’t trained in a long time, if ever, will get stronger faster on the simplest program of squats, dead lifts, and presses, three times a week … If you constantly screw around with endless new exercises, you have no way of adding the precisely calibrated weight increases that actually make you stronger.”
Mark Rippetoe parted ways with CrossFit some time ago, as have several of their former high-profile “subject matter experts.”
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January 28th, 2011 at 8:24 am
The “formula for getting fit” chart is kind of contrary to the article though. A freq of 3 times per week only works if you’re isolating muscles, no? Try squating heavy 3x/week and walking ever.
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TBone Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 8:41 am
I squat heavy 3-4 times a week and walk just fine. Maybe YOU should try it.
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Bo Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 8:44 am
You think squats are “isolating” muscles? For the love of christ….
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John Reply:
April 2nd, 2011 at 8:43 am
Yeah….squats isolate the muscles from the neck to the feet. At least for me. Devastating.
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Edward Reply:
February 4th, 2011 at 7:27 pm
Seriously? I can recover from heavy squats in two days and I hit ‘em again. If you can’t recover, you aren’t eating properly and sleeping enough.
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vinny Reply:
April 2nd, 2011 at 2:23 am
u r an idiot.
god irritating to keep reding comments from ppl. who have no clue what they’re talking about.
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Tyler Reply:
April 12th, 2011 at 8:26 pm
It’s also irritating watching people use ‘u’ and ‘r’, misspelling simple words, and randomly putting periods in the middle of sentences. But hey, at least you can use an apostrophe properly.
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Brent Reply:
April 22nd, 2011 at 1:08 pm
I squat heavy at the start of every workout, 3x a week. Works for me.
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January 28th, 2011 at 9:16 am
This is an amazing artice.
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January 28th, 2011 at 12:20 pm
can i incorporate this routine with a Bowflex?
Thanks,
J
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JC Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 1:47 pm
You can, but that would be like buying a fleshlight and claiming you had sex with a porn star.
Lift real weights. Buy Starting Strength, like the article suggests.
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Crossfit Billy Reply:
April 14th, 2011 at 8:08 pm
How do you “thumbs up” that comment
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January 28th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
My reaction to this article can be summed up in a word.
Furious.
Well, to be more accurate, grateful, then furious.
The first part of the article I actually agree with. The first truth is a truth, agreed. I cannot argue with the major steps the fitness industry has yet to make to be respectable in even it’s own eyes.
From truth #2 onward, I have nothing but contempt and anger.
In essence, this article mocks the lower end of the industry, exposing it’s flaws, shortcomings and challenges only to then make a case that the simplistic ‘core lift’ system is highly beneficial in comparison. It would be analogous to selecting a player for your team simply because they have a greater vertical jump or higher shooting percentage. The truth is so much more complicated and indepth than that (as any sports scout will tell you).
The authors approach is not a novel approach to fitness, in fact the argument made by the author is old and it’s welcome well worn. While it is true that there is more money in machines, you cannot throw away the fact that a large majority of these machines have opened the door for people to enter a fitness center and begin their fitness journey in a safe, comfortable environment.
While it is true that fitness has been turned into a social opportunity with low entry points for paid assistants, the potential learning curve for a trainer has never been higher. Some universities offer personal training degrees. The issue of how low the bar is set does not necessarily mean that all trainers are at that lowest standard. In fact, I’m not sure there even is a certification or education system for someone to call themselves a ‘journalist’. Perhaps the author of this article should look more carefully in his own backyard before attacking someone else’s.
23%
That’s the industry average penetration for club memberships. that’s not the numbers for how many people attend, it’s the number for memberships. Given that a smaller percentage of that membership use the gym on a regular basis, we can only assume that the actual number of gym participants is much smaller indeed – maybe single digits. What does this article serve, other than sensationalism and confusion?
That which is important will always be ignored when compared to that which is measurable.
Your bench press increased from 120 to 235. What does that even mean? Does it mean that were you to wake up with a bar strapped across your chest you would be able to push it off you? The author makes the mistake that by having a number to improve upon, he is improving upon something that is important.
I wrote an article on http://www.jamieatlas.com that trashes the bench press as a useless measure of strength.
While the bench might be good for some things, but as a rule, it’s not worth measuring unless you, well… like measuring it. I used to bench 1.5x my body weight of 225 but then, just like a wandering monk, started to wonder.. why? for what purpose can I (or would I) use this isolated, unrealistic movement of pushing a metal bar around while lying on my back?
Having a measurable number (or the opinion of someone else telling him how weak he is) does not make a certain lift or movement actually useful. But can you measure movement efficiency? Is there a universal agreed system for rating knee pain or ‘achiness’? How about confidence or posture? None of these can be grunted out in a showing of brute strength. They all require a more complex approach than an approach that serves a certain few but ignores a vast majority.
The sad truth is that numbers exist in the fitness world so they can be improved upon. While the author has an excellent point that ‘functional fitness’ can mean anything from circus tricks to circle kicks, there is a real misunderstanding as to what functional fitness really is and how it is applied.
“Functional fitness is the attempt to improve ones fitness relative to a specific function. ”
Just because the author chose only trainers that thought that he would improve standing on a large inflatable ball (not function – the ground you use doesnt move anything like one of those balls) and could benefit from lying crunches (not function – how often do you need to use your abs while standing and how often while lying?). However, the author has moved from one misguided opinion of the truth to another misguided opinion of the truth.
Everything the author knows about fitness is STILL wrong.
Moving in the right direction(S)
The author quotes Vern Gambetta’s book – I’ll wager if he read it, he didn’t follow it. Verns history or work integrates in many more movements than just the ‘big three’ of squat, deadlift and bench press. The truth is that the body is much more functional than many understand. We require so many joints to move in so many directions at once that the very idea is dizzying. Gary Gray (an internationally recognized movement expert and physical therapist) once spoke to an audience explaining the action of walking for over four hours. The author has simply deduced that his own experiences of larger muscles and increased reps and poundage combined with the approval of scrappy mercenary-looking gym rats must equal the correct track.
Taking a car into fifth gear with no steering wheel.
A big frustration of mine is that the author stops hir experiencial facade with a promise to turn his strength into athletic ability. While squatting and deadlifting may build larger muscles that need a shoehorn to fit into your jeans, does this necessarily equal athletic performance? Is there a reason why we rarely see bodybuilders, worlds strongest men or powerlifters make it into the ranks of sporting excellence? Here’s why.
We don’t operate in straight lines.
If I take a car and push it into fifth gear, sooner or later I am going to have to turn. And when my mind says ‘turn’ and my body says ‘how?’ then the results are rarely pretty. If we fail to train our body to move in multiple directions with multiple force vectors, we fail to train our body to move in a way that reflects true movement.
Well, perhaps the author will have lots of opportunity to explore the other world of physical therapy and rehabilitation in his next article.
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TBone Reply:
January 28th, 2011 at 8:31 pm
Dude. You wrote an article about a butt lifting exercise and another one about how to get rid of batwings. We are supposed to take your opinion seriously? You might as well be Tracy Anderson. She’s “internationally recognized” also, by the way. And, full of shit.
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Jamie Atlsa Reply:
January 29th, 2011 at 12:22 am
Dude. Your response is to go on my website and trash my body of work? To just pull a few key words out of what I have written to throw back at me? I’m not writing these comments as a ‘whose is bigger’ attempt, I’m writing it because now people across the country are going to forgo personal trainers and go blow out a vertebrae because of something this guy has written that ignores some fundamental truths. I’m not sure how your argument furthers the topic any other than to try and smear my opinion.
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TBone Reply:
January 29th, 2011 at 8:36 am
I went on your site because you linked your site. The author doesn’t claim that strength = athletic ability. Strength is a foundation for much of athletics, though. You trash the bench press. Are you seriously going to tell a lineman that the bench press is useless? Or tell a basketball player that improving his squat won’t improve his vertical jump? The author isn’t writing for sport specific athletes. They are already using S&C programs. He is writing for the average gym user who is stuck on a treadmill. And, yet, you would have people believe that you are going to injure your spine by trying to deadlift without a personal trainer. Look at the statistics of how people get injured while exercising. Lifting weights is way down the list. You are more likely to hurt yourself cycling or running or skiing. Check out how many treadmill injuries there are. Are you going to prevent those as a personal trainer? In the weight room, you are more likely to have a serious injury (or die) from bench pressing without a spotter, which is plain stupidity. I’m a trainer also, but people can learn how to safely and effectively lift weights without a personal trainer. They’ve been doing it for a long time? Have you read Starting Strength or Practical Programming?
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Skwash Reply:
February 13th, 2011 at 12:09 pm
I just want to say, from a completely unbiased perspective, that the article in Mens Journal makes absolute perfect sense. I expected a few “fitness industry” wankers to get their feathers ruffled…the truth sometimes hurts more than heavy squats 3X/week.
The article gives some much needed insights to people who aren’t afraid to work for real results at the gym.
Jamie Atlas Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
The point you’re missing is does the training in the gym lead to injuries in the real world? If we agree that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link, then if I build a superstrong chain but ignore key components of the movement such as hips that can move the body laterally, an upper body that is supported by the core, then you have a body that is ready for the real world.
I have read both of those books and neither of them address strength from a functional real world performance standpoint. All they do is reinforce the concept that if something can be measured then it must be important to improve upon it.
Seg Reply:
May 2nd, 2011 at 4:32 am
If it can’t be measured, then its just a bunch of fluffy hand-wavey bull—- used to grift those who don’t know better.
Andrew Reply:
February 1st, 2011 at 1:32 am
Truth: Bench press doesn’t make you stronger
Truth: Michael Jackson is alive
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Jamie Atlas Reply:
February 1st, 2011 at 11:00 am
Truth: bench press makes you stronger at lifting a bar off your chest. The act of moving in the real world requires much more muscle/proprioception/integration.
Truth: making references to dead musicians does nothing to strengthen your argument nor does it make reference to mine.
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Sean Reply:
February 7th, 2011 at 5:23 am
Bench Press maximum strength increase will not directly carry over but will allow a greater carry over to functional strength improvements (if fst is applied). Same as Squat and Deadlift.
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Cro Reply:
April 13th, 2011 at 1:05 pm
What a bunch of horse puckey. #1 your analogy about cars and steering wheels are utter crap. We are biological entities not machines.
#2 If you’ve ever spent time in a gym working out rather than fleecing the public, you’d know that the simple truth of the matter is that the bench press does more for core strength and the stabilizing muscles in the elbows, shoulders, and chest than any other exercise. #3 The squat is the best bet to avoid lower back pain on earth. #4 99% of the populace isn’t going to go out and blow out their knee playing softball this weekend… but they are likely to get fat. #5 this is about audience… you don’t know yours.
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Sto Reply:
October 22nd, 2011 at 8:49 pm
I call BS on what you have to say Mr. Atlas, I do not intend this in a rude way, however what you are saying(in my opinion) is incorrect. If you’re going for real world application, then what exercises should you do? Typing exercises? Finger pushups so you can write longer? Not only are squats, deadlifts and bench press amazing for multiple muscles, they are done by pretty much every professional athlete. They don’t directly correlate to any real world application(unless you’re a manual laborer), but that’s because there aren’t really any exercises that correlate to real world application(for the normal person) unless you’re in it for health. If you want real world application of an active person, then these lifts will help no matter what you’re doing. They simply help too many muscles to not be useful! Strength could always be used and in many different ways. You can stick with fancy bands and balls, I’ll stick to free weights and actually be able to perform when it counts.
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Mr Atlas Reply:
October 23rd, 2011 at 10:56 am
Cool beans! I always like it when people call B.S. I mean who knows.. you might be right?! What you’re missing is my position that the article in question is stating that these exercises are ALL you need. The other part of your statement that I’m going to politely dispute is that there are NO exercises that correlate to real world application for the normal person. The last place I’ll say you missed my point was with the perception that I’m talking about fancy bands and balls. Bands and balls aren’t necessarily functional training either! How does standing on a ball increase my ability to perform on a flat surface? How does a band press do anything that dumbbell press could not (you could argue some points there, but hopefully I’m making it clear that I’m not aaallll about the fancy schmancy soft lifting stuff… I’m wanting an application-based approach. I don’t mind squats, I love hip-tilt based exercises like deadlifts and my clients will do a pushing movement almost every workout (note I didn’t say bench). But I want to stop and think about what my athlete/real person needs to be able to live/enjoy their life AND sport AND profession better.
So you can get an idea of where I’m coming from, here’s a video clip that I took recently that gives a good application of these principles. Its right here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s36LxGqtEzo
looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
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January 28th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
One more thing. Shame on you for twisting the words of Kevin Brown when he now has no chance to explain his perspective further. He would never have recommended four exercises as simple as the recycled clipart you have shown in this article. Simply because your editor decides you have one paragraph to demonstrate a mans lifetime of work, does not mean you should try to squeeze it in there.
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January 29th, 2011 at 10:51 pm
Many years back, i worked with an older mechanic. I would come into to work after a gym session and he would always say it was a waste of time. Told me to put in a sprinkler on my lawn or change the oil, or even fix a fence. Now that im much older, i see the wisdom in his words. I have switched to ” useful” workouts. Ill walk my dog, he and i both benefit. I clean the gutters, Ill even do cement work ( these are the best workouts, although, im terrible at it, i do it twice usually). These workouts outlined here are good, just to keep the body from falling apart, while you live a “useful” life.
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Jeff Reply:
January 17th, 2012 at 1:38 am
Well said, Ben.
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February 2nd, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Jamie, I couldn’t agree more with your ideas that we (both in athletic circles and in every day life) don’t move in a linear fashion all the time. I also agree that the bench press is lower on the totem pole in terms of exercises that have any carry over into activities of daily living. With that said however, I feel (and am completely open to debate this) that compound power and olympic lifts should form the bulk of any effective strength and conditioning (or personal training) program (as described by the author). Total strength (from exercises like deadlifting or overhead pressing) and speed strength (clean & jerk, snatch, etc.) are integral in athletic movement and injury prevention. A good training protocol should address deficiencies in overall movement (Gray Cook’s Functional Movement Screen is a great starting point) via improvements in joint mobility and stability, increase strength and power output, and include multiplanar movement. I hardly think the author is advocating just doing squats, deadlifts, and bench press, but he is advocating that developing strength should be a very important (if not the most important) part of a training regimen. Learning to move outside the sagittal plane is certainly important, and only doing movements in this one plane would be a sign that your training program is lacking, but if you’re not getting strong from your training (ie. all you do is bodyweight circuits), your program is also lacking.
In summary: definitely spend time moving in multiple planes but every exercise you do doesn’t have to be a fancy new multiplanar BOSU and stability ball exercise. Good old fashioned heavy lifting should be the centerpiece of your training.
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Jamie Atlas Reply:
March 14th, 2011 at 5:14 pm
Hey Taylor. I like what you wrote mate, I really do. Thanks for being bi-partisan about it. I’m not into the BOSU and I’m only a little bit into the stability ball exercises. I’m not anti squats or heavy lifting, but I am anti giving the wrong exercise to the wrong person. To generalize that one size fits all is to deny our very individuality as creatures of movement. Different people need different things for different goals. Sometimes those goals are better achieved when you avoid good old heavy lifting. sometimes they need it as part of the bread and butter.
My major beef here is that a person could read that article and decide to go out and jump in the deep end of a pool they might not be able to swim out of with the same body.
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February 4th, 2011 at 3:11 am
The article mentions an 18 hour DVD about Kevin Brown, is any of that material avaiable?
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February 6th, 2011 at 4:14 am
Dear Daniel
I understand Your point, but, like everything in life, bad professionals, no results our Undesired ones.
Next time find a someone that really knows what he’s doing
Healthy regards
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February 8th, 2011 at 4:43 am
I’m just gonna stick with my ShakeWeight, thank you very much.
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February 9th, 2011 at 10:49 am
I am a 43 year old, once athletic, male trying to put together a workout based on your November article. In doing so, I’ve come across a question or two or more:
1. Do you use “press” and “bench press” synonymously? If not, I cannot seem to discern what you are referring to as a “press.”
2. Do you differentiate between “pull-ups” and “chin-ups”? Do you recommend palms out (pull-up) or palms in (chin up), or would you suggest alternating?
3. How often do you recommend doing the injury prevention exercises? Off days? Every day? Also, is there an alternative to upper back/neck exercise that wouldn’t require a fitness ball?
Thanks for the great article and inspiring me to reinvent my workout.
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Craig Reply:
February 10th, 2011 at 1:32 pm
Jeff,
Not the author but,
1. “Press” is typically used to mean pressing the barbell above your head. Think military press, but with your hells apart. “Bench Press” should be self-explanatory.
2. again not the author, but alternating grip is never a bad idea.
Can’t answer 3. Sorry.
Best of luck with your program. Stay basic, keep progressing.
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Jeff Reply:
February 22nd, 2011 at 7:10 pm
Thanks Craig for the helpful advice
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February 10th, 2011 at 6:18 pm
Hello Daniel Duane,
Great article thank you. Could you please elaborate on the correct way to make progress with weight training. If I follow Sets: 4-8, Reps: 6-12 protocol, how do I make progress? When is the right time to add weight and how much weight should be added? And 4-8 sets and 6-12 reps is a wide range of sets and reps. How does one decide on how many sets and reps to do?
Thanks.
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not the author Reply:
February 15th, 2011 at 1:56 pm
Eugene -
I am not the author, but the way to get the answer to your questions is to buy Starting Strength, the book that the author recommends, and read it. Then you’ll know what to do.
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February 11th, 2011 at 11:16 pm
Hmmmm, to a guy who probably never played a real sport in his life or was a real athlete, I laugh at you.
There are people out there who better their lives through fitness and joining a gym, you are just to simple minded to actually see this.
Peole hire personal trainers to motivate, to help reach goals, and to break past the everyday routine. That is why are keep on top of this game.
You are my friend, the one who is an article writer, the one who pays me to get you into shape because you are too lazy to do it yourself. And thats what I do, not to mention I am a firefighter as well.
It has kept me fit for the last 12 years, and will keep me fit into my 30′s and 40′s. Yes, I might one day develop a heart problem, but it wont be because I slacked off.
The gym is a social escape for people, and to write an article (someone who sounds like they are unfit, and a laughing stock in the showers) is unacceptable. If a professional wrote this article, it would have more backing, it would have more weight, even a doctor of sports med would be accepted. But you, a journalist, start by lifting your paper weight of your desk and getting back to your real job.
Regards,
The men that kicked your ass your whole high school career.
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Leo Reply:
February 17th, 2011 at 5:13 pm
Dude, if you’re older than about 19 years old, attempting to brag about what you were like in high school is incredibly pathetic.
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Ryan Reply:
March 3rd, 2011 at 9:11 am
Now THAT gem was worth reading all the comments for. Nicely done, Leo.
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Jeff Reply:
April 8th, 2011 at 1:06 am
Haha, the world is bigger than high school, mister ass kicking fire fighter.
You write that the gym “will keep me fit into my 30′s and 40′s”, indicating that you are in your 20s. It shows. Spend some time in the real world before opening your mouth, lest you look like an inexperienced kid.
Great article.
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s.quade Reply:
April 26th, 2011 at 7:32 am
Your reply reveals you aren’t yet 30 or 40… are you 20 yet?…so you only think that you’ll be strong and fit later. Reality may be different, and your hubris is frightening.
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Dr. Portmann Reply:
June 1st, 2011 at 4:15 pm
I think this is a great article and Michael is just trying to put another point of view out there. And there is no denying that fitness franchises are out there to get as much of your money as possible, to not see that is to be blind to the truth.
I don’t really see anything wrong with gyms, providing that you at least make a tacit attempt to understand what you are doing in order to become a healthier human being.
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February 16th, 2011 at 11:49 pm
Your article made me laugh as I too had a similar experience as you did. A buddy of mine lived in Jackson for a while and started training at Mtn Athlete. He told me about the gym and I stole a few of the exercises off the website and tried to work them into my traditional body building type workouts (isolation style). I had mixed results. Well, my friend moved back into town late last fall and started training with me. We downloaded the workouts from militaryathlete.com and started going through them. Wow, what a difference! I started making strength gains in every part of my body. At the beginning of the year I decided to make their relative strength standards my goal for the year. I’m close but not quite there yet on some of them. I will add this too. During this whole winter I have been training hard for some spring cycling races. That’s right, heavy squats in the morning and then intervals on the trainer that night. It’s very doable. Going heavy doesn’t wreck all the other stuff you love to do out of the gym. Great article. I speak from experience that the author is right on the $$.
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February 18th, 2011 at 9:39 pm
Awesome article. I picked up essentially the same methods from Clarence Bass (cbass.com). At 69, and still a runner, I’ve never felt better, thanks to low-rep deadlifts and BP’s at 80-90% 1RM with long rest. A Harvard study showed that running speed is determined mostly by strength applied to the ground (surprise), much more than leg turnover or stride length. Heavy deadlifts target exactly the trainable fast-twitch type IIB fibers that account for that kind of power. Long story…
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Ron Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 4:25 pm
runbei,
I am also a runner and attempted with no success to find the Harvard study that concluded that “running speed is determined mostly by strength applied to the ground.”
What I did find on the Harvard site was a 1998 conclusion from Deborah Sternlight that states: “These results support the conclusion that running involves little active muscle power. ‘Much of the work of running is done through passive mechanical processes, in which tendons and muscles act though elastic rebound, much like springs uncoiling, Sternlight comments. ‘The uncoiling delivers the power to swing your legs.’”
(Ref: http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/1998/04.30/StudentSolvesMy.html)
If this is not the same study you were referring to, please let me know. If it was, then my take on Ms. Sternlight’s conclusion was a little different than yours… though I do agree that strength training such as deadlifts has beneficial effects for runners as it reinforces the tendons and muscles necessary to exhibit a strong recoil-behavior.
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runbei Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 4:37 pm
Ron, the Harvard study is by Peter Weyand. You can download a pdf of the study from a link that I give in my article (see http://tinyurl.com/yf4bjj6, just search the page for “Weyand.”) Hope this helps. – George
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February 20th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
I have been doing this program for two months now. It’s working great. My strength has increased at an incredible rate from where I started and my numbers continue to go up and I have stuck with it. I hadn’t been in the gym for over five years but this approach struck a cord with me and I’m thankful it did. I think I will be hitting that plateau in the next month or so with the weight so I’m thinking about incrementing my reps every visit by +1 in an effort to convert towards an endurance focus along with increased cardio because of it. Thanks a bunch, I’m open to anyones ideas.
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February 27th, 2011 at 10:42 pm
Not a bad article. I am familiar with mountain athlete and agree Rippetoe’s “Starting Strength” is one of the best books out there.
Here is my thing about the author, though. Hello? You live in the SF Bay area and can read and speak english so why the F$%# didn’t you find a better gym in your hometown YEARS ago?!?! What you wrote about is nothing new. You didn’t have to go all the way to JAckson Hole to find it. There are tons of performance centers with free weights only, in SF. Get a clue, man. What you describe in your article about Gyms and trainers sounds a lot like 24 hour fitness or something similar. You get what you pay for. Like most things in life, you have to establish what you are willing to pay for a good or service and research the available options and test each one for a trial period before buying. You got duped by the used car salesman of fitness. You obviously aren’t stupid but you sure were late in catching on…
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March 1st, 2011 at 10:33 pm
The article is a great service to thousands of men stuck in the same position as the author at the beginning of his journey. It is a bit of an over-dramatization though. Sure, if you build your exercise routine based on advice of equipment infomercials and unqualified gym trainers then your body is going to be a mess. Finding what work and what does not is not incredibly hard though – just go to Amazon and look at the book reviews on the subject. Or search the Web for some answers. It is sad though that people spend so much time and money on exercises that are less than optimal, to put it mildly.
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March 4th, 2011 at 4:05 pm
Firstly, thank you very much for that extremely informative article. I keep finding that going back to the way things were done before mega corporations got their grubby little fingers on us seems to be so much better than what we’ve been doing.
A couple years ago I learned about barefoot running so I picked up a pair of Vibrams and never landed heel-toe again. At the beginning of this year a friend turned me on to the paleo style diet. Not a diet as in do it for a month and go back to your normal eating so much as a change in the food you eat and the way you eat it. Up to that point I had been swimming and running 3 to 4 times a week and not really seeing a lot of weight loss. In the two months since I changed my diet and kept my exercise the same I’ve lost 16 pounds (from 221 to 205, at 6’0″). I also have more energy and don’t get nearly as sore after a workout.
That all brings me to your article. Once again I learned that the way we were taught to do something was more a way for the teachers to serve themselves than to benefit the students. As soon as I can I’m hoping to pick up a used bench and some weights and get started building some strength. But I did have one question. In the article you say:
“It can be hard to believe a true strength coach the first time he tells you that by pressing and dead-lifting on even days, squatting and doing chin-ups on odd days, avoiding all other exercises, and adding a little to the bar each time, you’ll be stronger than you’ve ever been in only a month’s time. Thanks to the fitness industry, we’re so conditioned to equate sophistication with complexity — and to think we’ve got to “work each body part” — that our gut just says, No way; that can’t work. But it works like magic, and the entire body hardens up in unison.”
While yes that does sound hard to believe I’m going to give it a shot. My question is do you mean literally only doing these exercises for a month, no running or anything else at all? Honestly, I really enjoy my runs (it’s a great way to exercise the dogs) and it bums me out a little that they wouldn’t be a part of this routine. Or is it possible to still get the strength gains from following this routine while throwing in a jog a couple times a week? If not, I’ll take your word for it. I just wanted to make sure. Probably all those years of being told otherwise. I would hate to add in the running and see a detrimental effect. That’s my only question though. Everything else was incredibly helpful. Thank you again!
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Johann Renner Reply:
March 7th, 2011 at 11:43 am
Levi,
I’m not the author. As far as I understood from the article, the method proposed here is intended to strength your body in order to practice your favorite sports, in your case running.
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March 7th, 2011 at 7:45 pm
Great post! Right on brother!
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April 4th, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Thank you so much for this article!
I am a skinny bean pole (seriously, bunching like 20 pounds is hard for me) who has been going to the gym and using the isolated machines with regularity for about 3 years now, wondering if I was genetically predispositioned to be a weak bean pole.
I started following your advice, and I can already feel the difference!
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April 7th, 2011 at 10:28 pm
Great article, but gosh, you’ve needlessly insulted beauticians. “Cosmetologists” (as they call them in Texas) need a state license, and have to take hundreds of hours of training to get it. Much of it is repetitive and probably a bloody waste of time for most people, but by the time somebody legally cuts your hair in this state, without supervision, they have “training” hours comparable to an associate’s degree (BTW, I’m an engineer and I am not related to anybody who is a cosmetologist).
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Drew Reply:
June 5th, 2011 at 1:42 am
Hahaha, I was thinking the same thing! I know a couple people who teach cosmetology and I can tell you, at least at their schools, it is not at all as trivial or meaningless as the author seems to imply.
Thats not to say that there aren’t people with these licenses who, at least according to practical ability, shouldn’t. But I also know a couple people with other degrees (teaching, masters, etc) who fall into that category too…
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April 8th, 2011 at 1:01 pm
A really interesting article and it seems to make sense from years of lifting when I was younger. But I feel like there are some holes that I thought the author would eventually get to. Basically a clear regimen of the exercises, reps, days, etc. There is information here and there but it’s hard to put it all together.
Is this how I would then build a good strength (and a bit of endurance) program?
– Workout 3 days a week
– 1 hour for each workout
– 4-7 sets of each exercise, 80-90% load, 2-6 minute rests
– 1-5 reps for each set
– Each day: 3 exercises: Squats, Dead Lifts, Bench Press (but later he says, “pressing and dead-lifting on even days, squatting and doing chin-ups on odd days”)
– After a few months add in the the snatch, the clean-and-jerk, and simple back squats(so the first squat he was referring to was a front squat?)
– If we want to add muscular endurance add: push-ups, pull-ups, chins, dips, and sit-ups.
– So no military presses for shoulders? No dips or culs for arms? No hamstring exercises? I’m assuming the other exercises hit these enough for a functional exercising program.
– And work on the weak stabilizer muscles frequently if we have pain in those areas (from the “Kevin Brown’s Guide to Avoiding Injury” image)
I’m a bit confused, but perhaps I read things wrong. Any help?
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Merritt Reply:
April 10th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
You probably are a bit more advanced than the target audience for this article, so don’t over think it. Just make sure to track your routine and always strive for improvement. Also, take out the curls and do weighted pull-ups/chin-ups instead. Weighted dips are great. Try this routine:
Mon/Thur: Front Squats, Jerks/Press (don’t do clean), Bench Press/Weighted Dips (cut down on total sets on the last 2, maybe 3 each)
Tues/Fri: Deadlifts, Jerks (don’t do the clean) Weighted Chin-ups/Pull-ups
Then, every once and a while, do a 3 day week:
Mon/Wed/Friday: Clean and Jerks, Back Squats, Ben Press, Weighted Chin-Ups
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Bob Reply:
April 11th, 2011 at 5:44 pm
Hey thanks for the reply, that sounds like a solid schedule.
Cheers
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mm Reply:
April 15th, 2011 at 11:07 pm
Join a CrossFit gym.
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April 12th, 2011 at 10:17 am
Thank you for the fantastic article… Now, what about women?
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women Reply:
April 12th, 2011 at 5:59 pm
What about them? Women can follow the same type of program.
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April 12th, 2011 at 12:48 pm
I joined Golds took 3 years to get perfect build, I am 170lbs solid muscle and chicks dig my build six pack at the beach from 200lbs. So you get what you put in, if your not struggling on 8th lift with your weight your waisting your time. This guy seems to spend to much time sitting with a pen. Useless whining from a loser who gave up to easy. sad !
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T Reply:
April 12th, 2011 at 1:48 pm
Read what a conceited ass you are:
You have a “perfect” build. This journalist “spend to much time sitting with a pen” and the article you read is “Useless whining from a loser.”
You sound like a stereotypical bodybuilding jerk. I was with Gold’s for years and had a great time and met people who were not assholes. YOU are the loser because you are arrogant and mean, and you can’t spell or use grammar correctly. Good luck in life.
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April 12th, 2011 at 1:41 pm
Who is this article written for? AFAICT the audience is the author.
“Everything you need to know about fitness” does not include information on cardio or nutrition? Americans need that 1000x more than they need information about getting cut.
And when have you ever met a guy into building muscle mass that thought machines were the way to go?
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April 12th, 2011 at 8:53 pm
I would agree that the article seems to fit the bill regarding the inherent nature of gyms and gym equipment companies, but most of this seems to suit a very narrow discussion of muscle building, not one the main concerns regarding fitness in the West these days — losing weight and fighting obesity. Am I wrong to think that the reason for all the cardio machines is because of the millions of incredibly obese people who need to fight that? I don’t know enough about the issue, but it seems that beyond diet cardio and other non-free-weight working out is important for this, as well as the strength building.
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Simon Reply:
April 13th, 2011 at 11:15 am
Lifting weights tends to burn more calories than using a treadmill, a pound of muscle burns more calories than a pound of fat, and having strong muscles makes it easier to do things like hike, kayak or swim.
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JTho Reply:
April 13th, 2011 at 11:25 am
Okay, so it does seem that weight lifting is key. But I guess that what I mean is that while this is a pretty good article about one person’s individual story and gets it right about the role of gyms generally, the overall truth is that the majority of North Americans are basically obese and I don’t know if a series of unmonitored simple exercises is the solution. The author clearly does other things and isn’t obese, but gyms, walking places cardio seem like they are part of the solution.
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Iss Reply:
April 19th, 2011 at 4:16 am
Lifting weights does not in fact burn more calories than cardio. If you want to train yourself thin, high volume cardio at high intensity seems to be the way to go. (by high I mean above 55% of V02 max for the given exercise, though preferably even more.) However it is easier to lose weight when you are strong, partially because more muscles require more energy but also because you can do more and harder work. In fighting obesity though, diet is king.
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Jack Reply:
July 16th, 2011 at 6:41 pm
That’s not exactly true. While you may burn more calories during the hour a day that you exercise do cardio – resistance training elevates metabolism for the next 48 hours. Cardio training doesn’t. The way to lose weight is resistance training and proper diet.
April 12th, 2011 at 10:32 pm
Thank you so much for this article! I started following your advice, and I can already feel the difference!
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April 13th, 2011 at 9:14 am
If you want to learn how to workout….look up a man by the name of Vince Gironda. His teachings will kick you the real deal.
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April 13th, 2011 at 9:44 am
Many thanks for a well-written, informative article, and also to those who gave helpful, intelligent, constructive comments.
After several decades of haphazard exercise plans (some at various gyms), I now feel inspired to resume my exercise program, following these guidelines.
Cheers!
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April 13th, 2011 at 11:09 am
Great article. It is amazing how many people waste their time and effort at gyms. Nothing beats doing simple exercises with real weight.
A great complement to serious weightlifting is yoga. It can do an excellent job at strengthening all those stabilizer muscles, like the Gluteus Medius, and increasing your range of motion.
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April 13th, 2011 at 1:12 pm
Fascinating article, but I’m a bit confused about one point. I’ve a marathon runner who wants to incorporate this, so I would want to use the “endurance” as a training goal. In the chart entitled “The Formula for Getting Fit” 8 minimum sessions are recommended per week for endurance. Yet, in the very next chart it says supercompensation for muscular endurance occurs “40 to 60 hours” after a workout.
There aren’t enough hours in a week to do 8 sessions and then wait 40 to 60 hours to achieve supercompensation. What gives?
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April 13th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
Thanks for a very interesting read, I loved it.
While reading the article, it all came together for me. I had lost my way for a decade and now I will get back on a good path. I was fortunate to have a mentor teach me the “core” basics and strict/proper form in the squat, bench, and deadlift when I was about 12-13 yrs old. For some reason, I loved lifting and by age 14, I was training 3-4 times every week focusing only on core movements and I went from being a middle of the pack athlete to an all-state football and track selection and I received a full athletic scholarship to play college football. I believe my success was 99% due to my years of pounding out the core movements and being so much stronger than other teenagers. My leg strength was my foundation and pretty much earned me a free college education (at 17 yrs old I was 6’0″, 215 lbs, and was squatting 10 reps with 475 lbs and I ran a 4.6 sec 40 yrd dash).
Fast forward 10 years after college and I frequented the gym and did all the machine style workouts because I thought I didn’t really need the punishing squats, deads, bench, etc, core style movements. I quickly grew bored with the modern gym routine and atmosphere and my strength and endurance suffered greatly, my lower back constantly bothered me, and I almost gave up fitness training and mountain biking (my absolute favorite activity)
I was staying away form the core movements because I thought they might make my situation worse…but now it all makes sense…ignoring the core movements is WHY I’m feeling worse. I need to get back to the basics. Simple core movements at home and cardio work that is FUN!
I’m excited to set up the 50 year old, simple, basic weight set in my basement and get back to the core movements. THANKS SO MUCH for the great article.
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April 13th, 2011 at 5:38 pm
I agree with the thrust of your article Daniel, but I’m disappointed that you’ve used the old writer’s trick of quoting someone out of context and in a way that misleads the reader of your article as to the intention of the author, in this case, Nic DeCaire – folks can read that article for themselves here: http://clubindustry.com/stepbystep/personaltraining/0601_fire_your_trainers/
In that article Nic says “When your trainers go on vacation, their clients should know how to work out on their own. If not, fire your trainers because they are not truly educating their clients and providing an all-encompassing approach to fitness.” This is the sentence that immediately precedes your chosen quote, so I think it would be obvious to even the most casual reader that he does not represent the type of trainer you characterize as “typical’ in the industry.
BTW: I really loved the story you told (where did I see that?) about the near-miss climbing accident you had when you were climbing (was that in Yosemite?) with your dad. It really caused me to reconsider climbing on the same rope with my son and my wife. I still do it, but I am more vigilant now…
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April 13th, 2011 at 6:03 pm
I agree with the thrust of your article Daniel, but I’m disappointed that you’ve used the old writer’s trick of quoting someone out of context and in a way that misleads the reader of your article as to the intention of the author, in this case, Nic DeCaire – folks can read that article for themselves here: http://clubindustry.com/stepbystep/personaltraining/0601_fire_your_trainers/
In that article Nic says “When your trainers go on vacation, their clients should know how to work out on their own. If not, fire your trainers because they are not truly educating their clients and providing an all-encompassing approach to fitness.” This is the sentence that immediately precedes your chosen quote, so I think it would be obvious to even the most casual reader that he does not represent the type of trainer you characterize as “typical’ in the industry.
BTW: I really loved the story you told (where did I see that?) about the near-miss climbing accident you had when you were climbing (was that in Yosemite?) with your dad. It really caused me to give serious consideration to climbing on the same rope with my son and my wife. I still do it, but I am more vigilant now…
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April 14th, 2011 at 8:58 am
Question for the author or illustrator on the drawing of Kevin Brown’s exercises – http://www.mensjournal.com/wp-content/uploads/picture-81.jpg
In the side glutes, do you turn your toes down 90 degrees to hit the heel of the bottom leg, or is the bottom leg a bit out in front of the top leg, and the foot turned down at a 45 degree angle?
I have tried it both ways and it is basically impossible to rotate my leg 90 degrees down. Anyone else try that?
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Keith Petersen Reply:
May 12th, 2011 at 5:36 pm
I was able to hit my toe to my lower heal in a 90 degree angle. I would assume you try your best there.
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April 14th, 2011 at 9:56 am
The strength training/theory books you cite have been superceded by Static Contraction Training, which is the safest, most efficient way to build strength. I played football, basketball and track in school and we used the kind of strength training you talk about. None of it compares to the strength I’ve gained doing SCT only about once every 2 months. Can’t beat science.
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April 15th, 2011 at 10:52 am
Incredible article! This may totally change my workout program. I’d like to learn more about the timing between workouts. Where can I learn more about this supercompensation phase? I looked at the editorial review and customer comments on Amazon.com for Starting Strength but couldn’t find any reference to supercompensation. Thanks!!!
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April 15th, 2011 at 7:20 pm
I have to say as a trainer for the last 6 years, I almost totally agree. People over-complicate it. I say, strive to achieve mastery. Mastery is the ability to express the utmost with a minimum. Eat whole foods, lift weights, work mobility (not just flexibility), move with intent and you’ll eventually achieve what you seek.
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April 15th, 2011 at 11:21 pm
This was such an AMAZING article. Even though people might have issues with the specifics, the spirit and message really resonated with me as a 30-year-old man, especially “It’s worth getting strong because we go to gyms in large part to maintain a little goddamned self-respect, and to blow off steam, and to insist, against all odds, that we do remain fiercely vital physical beings.” Thanks so much.
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April 18th, 2011 at 12:43 pm
So one thing I still don’t quite understand – is the author saying there is no cardio at all? Did I miss something? Just 3 exercises done 3-4 times a week?
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April 22nd, 2011 at 12:59 pm
I find it ironic that one of your editors last year wrote an article about how he trained CrossFit with a friend for 3 months and swears it is the holy grail of working out.
Who decides what article and view gets published in this magazine.
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Dave Hodges Reply:
May 25th, 2011 at 11:52 am
CrossFit includes a heavy strength regimen as well, but also includes the high-rep bodyweight exercises that this author mentions. I personally think that CrossFit is too light on strength and too emphatic of conditioning, but each person has different needs. A lot of gym rats would do well to try some CrossFit workouts and a lot of CrossFitters would do well to add more heavy lifts into their training.
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May 23rd, 2011 at 5:54 pm
I have been carrying out Duane’s system since I originally read the article, about six months ago. It has not been easy but it has opened a new door for fitness for me. I endured a long-term thyroid-related illness that damaged my immune system and made it hard for me to begin getting back into shape.
I am a 47-year old surfer, competitive swimmer and all around ocean person. Getting back into the gym has significantly helped me to improve my surfing and swimming and reduce my chronic back pain. I’m still a work in progress but look forward to going to the gym now-each day is a challenge and an opportunity to improve.
What made the workouts even better was having my teenage son–also a surfer and competitive swimmer and water polo player– join me in the gym.
Luckily my gym is a very blue-collar old school gym in Imperial Beach, California, and the free weights are in the center. The guys there who really know what they are doing have been very helpful and have helped me to improve my form.
I’ve recommended this article to my employees who surf as well as long-time surfing buddies. Most don’t understand this -but hopefully a few will.
Serge Dedina
Executive Director
WiLDCOAST
Author of: Wild Sea
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June 2nd, 2011 at 2:33 pm
The strength standards mentioned at mountain athelete: Are those for work sets or one rep max?
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July 30th, 2011 at 4:16 am
I know you didn’t explicitly rule out CrossFit, but your intro sure seems to write it off. If you hadn’t ever done a squat before – you probably haven’t really put CrossFit to the test. Train with CrossFit for three months to really get a feel for the program – then judge again. I think you will find that much of core truth about strength and performance is what is truly valued in CrossFit – and they have a philosophy that encapsulates much of what you are saying. Your canon of strength training cites Rippetoe – who has himself contributed much to the CrossFit community and methods.
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August 24th, 2011 at 5:18 pm
After 2 years of following Shaul’s Mountain Athlete workouts I simply can’t speak any more highly for his approach. I’m incredibly happy that I saw the light and dumped crossfit for Rob’s programming. If you don’t care about competing in the gym, and are there to get better at all the things you do outside the gym, there is simply no better approach.
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September 23rd, 2011 at 2:02 pm
I agree with your statement about reps, women in particular are afraid to do heavy sets with low reps, when in fact that’s what they really need to get the tone they are looking for.
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October 17th, 2011 at 10:20 pm
Best damn thing I’ve ever read about fitness, bar none. Inspired me to pick up Starting Strength back in the spring. Didn’t start using it this summer, and have yet to incorporate all the lifts into my workout, but in four months of regular exercise I have seen genuine results beyond those which I experienced using the crappy machines at my old gym. This is the way to go.
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November 29th, 2011 at 2:37 pm
Great post! I have the same beliefs in fitness.
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December 29th, 2011 at 12:11 pm
This is an excellent disquisition on weight training. I will incorporate many of its ideas into my workout. I especially appreciate the little section on exercises that help you to avoid injury.
However, I would like to see a similar focus placed on cardio training. What do you recommend? How often, how intense?
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January 5th, 2012 at 8:09 pm
This article should have existed a long time ago when I was still young. I should have taken advantage of the tips.
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January 5th, 2012 at 8:11 pm
I have a hard time toning my abs. But this article really helped me. Thanks.
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February 10th, 2012 at 12:26 pm
[...] Squats are arguably the single best exercise for surfing that you can do. After reading surf scribe Daniel Duane’s manifesto about free weights last year, I joined the local gym and started lifting. Over a year later, my [...]
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