There’s always something crazy going on in this industry. At any moment, there’s a maniac in a weight room taking a dangerous lift and a shady businessman in an office finding a way to turn dirty profits. The posts you find here in my log are the musings of a mashed-up meathead — the reactions I have as I spend my whole life watching this industry. I will share my thoughts with you here, unedited, uncensored, unfiltered, and Under The Bar. If you are offended by profanity - do not read this. 

For years I have sat back and read the same shit over and over again. Things such as...

•Training has become too complicated.

•We need to get back to the basics.

•Information overload.

•Most of what you read about training isn't needed.

•All you need to do is the basic lift and leave.

•If you want to bigger squat, bench or dead than all you have to do is squat, bench and deadlift.

•Technique is overrated. If you want to squat then just sit down and stand back up.

•Percent Training is worthless. Just go heavy or go home.

•Just go to the gym and work hard.

•If it’s not done with a barbell than don’t do it.

I can greatly expand on this list but I think you get the point...

Training needs to be simple if it is going to work and be effective, otherwise it’s worthless. It's SO Simple!

Isn’t simple determined by who is receiving the message?

- Is simple for me the same as simple for you?

- Is simple for someone who have been training and acquired a Masters Degree in exercise science the same as simple for someone training for a couple years?

- Is simple the same for someone who has competed and been in the sport 30 years the same as someone who have been competing for 2?

- What about those who have never set foot in a weightroom and just want to get strong? What is simple for them? What are the basics for them?

For example here (listed below) is a basic squat session that many powerlifters would use. Many would consider this simple and getting back to the basics …

but is it?

If I showed this to a true beginner (I spent over a decade training them so I know how they think) the inline notes would be the questions they would have.

Hurdle Drill x4
Leg Swings x10
Sleeper Stretch
Couch Stretch

* They would have no idea what any of this stuff was not to mention if someone had disc or joint issues related to degeneration, spurs, etc this warm up would not help but would rather expedite the problem. Maybe it’s a bit more complicated then just move the joints around to warm up. Maybe the individuals joint function and/or dysfunction has to be taken into consideration.

Squat

I have read countless times this movement is made way to complicated. All you really need to do is sit down and stand up (I actually heard this once at one of our seminars and then found something else for that person to do as they had no business teaching anything). If this was the case then this is a perfectly acceptable squat.

*Just sit down and stand back up. It’s really that easy. No need to make it complicated by teaching people how to track their joints safely. That would be making things way to complicated. Just squat! Screw safe movement patterns! Squat and when it doesn't progress squat more. When this stalls it's because you don't train hard enough so squat even more.

40%x5

* 40% of what?

*This is why percents can sometime be  complicated and stupid. All they have to do is just pick up heavy shit and get back to the basics.

Back in the day that is all they did was lift heavy shit and look how strong they got.

Percent’s are a complete waste of time!!! (yet every weight you lift is always a percent of something)

As for the reps, how are they done? Fast, slow, with a pause at midpoint, pause at start? What about the rest between sets?

Wait!

All this doesn’t matter just get back to the basics – but before you do this try and do 70% for 3 reps at ½ the speed you would normally do and then tell me this doesn’t matter.

55%x4
70%x3
85%x3-5
85%x2-4
85%x1-3
-10%x5-8

Eccentric Glute-Ham Raise
3x10-15

*Accessories are stupid and a waste of time. They won’t make you strong so don’t do them just stick to the main lift (sit down and stand up). There are no such thing as weak points - just do the freaking lift and it will get better! Oh, wait, you looking for answers because your lift is stuck right?

That's because you are making it to complicated. Train harder and keep pounding the same lift more and more. Don't worry over use patterns are bullshit anyhow!

If you do decide to use the GHR, you were told to just do them. Body doesn’t matter, nor does the range of motion or speed of moment. Just hop on and swing from the bottom to midline for 10 reps and be done.

Doesn’t matter – anything more is just to complicate things.

*I can’t do this any more because it's getting to complicated.

I am hoping you see it (training variables) DO matter and what MANY people think is simple IS complicated to others. The reason we see so much stupid shit is because it is SO much easier to just say “keep it simple, don’t make it so complicated” than it is to actually take the time to help and teach someone how to do something. Oddly enough in many case the exact same way those giving this advice we taught.

THE TAKE AWAY:

The keep it simple – it’s not complicated answer is nothing more than a blow off answer because people do not want to take the time to help – that is unless you pay them, then all of a sudden it’s no longer simple and they know ALL of the answers. It actually becomes so complicated that you find out you are doing basic natural things incorrectly.