There Is No One True Way

No, this isn't some religious statement. This is a training statement!

I've heard and read many claims that say things like "If you want [insert desired result here], then you HAVE to do it this way." In class, not too long ago, we had a natural bodybuilder as a guest speaker (don't get me wrong, he's a great guy...just misled). He spent a great deal of time telling us that if we wanted to build muscle we HAVE to eat a ton of calories and take weight gain supplements. He also added that we HAVE to do bodybuilding splits with light weights and high reps, always to failure, 5 days a week if we wanted to really build muscle.

That just never sits well with me. If an approach like that worked for everyone, all muscle mag readers would be stacked! Even Arnold Schwarzeneggar, one of the fathers of bodybuilding, gained a majority of his muscle doing the polar opposite to the "Standard Bodybuilding Crap." His mentor, Reg Park (who also happened to be the first Mr. Olympia), strictly used a 5x5 program to build massive amounts of both muscle and strength!

My point? Find what works for you! Don't just train a certain way because the big guy in the gym says you "gotta do it like this if you wanna get big, bro."

This applies to more than just building muscle.

Bruce Lee used this philosophy extensively in his attempt to continually progress not only his physical abilities, but also his fighting system. A good summary of his philosophy would be: Find and use what works, no matter what the source, and discard what doesn't work.

This applies to everything from building muscle and strength to losing weight, developing conditioning, etc. No matter what the destination or goal, there is never one single path to get there. This even goes for nutrition. Even though I like the Primal/Paleo nutrition philosophies, I wouldn't recommend it to every person or client out there. I believe there are quite a few options that would work, depending on the person.

Each person is different.

Our physiologies and hormones are all different. I'm currently very interested in Mike Mahler's hormone optimization. The point is, each person is different and needs to take a slightly different approach, even if they use similar methods to someone else. What works for me may not work for you. It may also take a while for you to find the perfect formula, but never fear! It's out there! Settling for a sub-par personal fitness or nutrition formula will give you sub-par results. I only just recently found the formula that works best for me, and I'm seeing better results now than ever before! You can too! Take it from me: it's all about trial and correction. No, that wasn't a typo...trial and correction is much more powerful than trial and error. We must not qualify anything as a failure or error, just a part of the learning process. We analyze and make corrections where they are needed, then keep moving forward!

So just remember: use what works, don't try to rush it, and NEVER TREAT ANYTHING AS A FAILURE!

Train Smart!