Having been a fitness center manager and devout gym-rat, I have spent 8-12 hours per day in and around the weight room for the last few decades. I genuinely have enjoyed working with and around the weight training world, but I have observed some remarkable behavior over that time!
The weight training world it seems has divided into two rough factions the “science says so” group and the “insanity” group. I’ll admit there are a few lesser populated “fringe” groups that may make for fun literary fodder at a later date, but for now, the tow majors are more than enough.
The “Science Says So” group:
These are the pseudo geeks you see covering every flat surface in the gum with the pages of their choice of athletic doctrine. Every issue holds a new and different secret of the pros, and every issue brings a resounding THE SCIENCE SAYS SO quickly followed by a schizophrenic gear change on the weight room floor.
The “Insanity” folk:
I see this faction do the same old things over and over all the while bitching that they are not making “good” progress if any at all. Should I or anyone else suggest a change of approach in training methodology a loud and indignant “This is the correct way” is followed by an about-face and pouty march back to their drudgery!
Why you ask, have I taken the time to trivialize peoples emotional attachment to their gym habits? Two significant reasons one I’m just inherently a smart ass and two I genuinely want to see people make the progress they seek!
The problem here is that to a significant extent both factions have it right, but like most other points of “truth,” their very correctness seems to blind them to the existence of a bigger picture.
The real winners of this partisan division will be (are) the few rare birds who inhabit the phantom middle ground.
We must use science (observation, reason, and experiment) to shape our thoughts and attitudes on finding the “RITE” answers. After choosing a course of action, one MUST have the dogmatic determination to peruse that course long enough to determine its effectiveness. We then need to have enough malleability to change our attitudes and outlooks with the inflow of new data and begin the process again.
Think of the pace of progress potential available to us all if all the masses began to think, experiment and share……………..what a wonderfully muscular world that would be.
B.”EvilGenius” Chavez