So Long And Thanks For All The Fish

 Training will come and go and you learn to adapt as time goes on. For instance, I love my Dopa Band Workouts and the last time I did one was when we got back from my Montana this past week which was a "quick" 500 rep circuit. I've hit a goal of beyond 50,000 Reps with these fucking things and I've slowly drifted out to working the bands on occasions or whenever I have an urge and focused on more neck work, Isometrics, O2 Training and some bodyweight. 

 Yesterday, after doing 1000 Step Ups using the Deck Of Cards as my guide, I went out and sold my Pull-Up bar that I've had for close to I think 8 years because there wasn't much use for it and was taking up space in our storage. Saying goodbye to that thing wasn't easy because I don't normally sell off my equipment, actually this is the first piece of equipment I've actually sold as far as I know. Sold it to someone who was looking for a bar to train on and he was all excited with the deal I gave him. Good kid and I got more than what I was asking for. Fully assembled and he just fell in love with it. Glad it made him happy and hope he gets success out of it. 

Fitness has a lot of ups and downs, a number of quirks but also has its dark side to things. We do what we can and we can often get shit just for existing and making something of ourselves. Nobody is above anybody else, there's always someone stronger, faster and more knowledgeable than us. Some act like they're all high and mighty just because they think they need to prove how much of an expert they are when in reality, they can't back up a damn thing and would get their ass kicked by a teenager. Others who not only talk the talk but walk the walk have far better outlooks on the realistic approaches to fitness and health that they don't need to prove themselves, they're just themselves and are successful at being good people.

When I sold off that Pull-Up Bar, I did have mixed feelings. I didn't really want to sell it but in the grand scheme of things, there's something better out there that will bring better success than just a piece of fitness equipment. There's a bigger plan in the works that will have me evolve in other aspects of my training and I will be putting in another pull-up bar that is better equipped to be in a place where I can get better use out of it and be more than just a bar, but also be a dip station as well. In the words of Wayne Campbell "It will be mine, oh yes, it will be mine." So, in this context, I'm saying goodbye to one thing but will welcome something new in the not too distant future.

In the fitness industry, it can be extremely hard to trust people when it comes to knowing what the hell they're doing. Among the hundreds to thousands of influencers out there, you'd be lucky to find 10-15 people that actually have real world knowledge, a backbone into actually helping others & not treating them like they're losers and find those who talk the talk and walk the walk with a powerful presence. Men and women like Matt Schifferle, Dave Whitley, Logan Christopher, Paul O'Brien, Tyler Bramlett, Brooks Kubik, Steve Maxwell, James Cappola,, Curt Ligot, Melody Schoenfeld, Kirsten Moore, Amit Elor and others that show true aspects of being a phenomenal asset to building people up and giving them opportunities to better themselves without abusing their power and being an asshole towards them to get their point across. 

The true suckers and losers of the Fitness Industry are those that tear people down, treat them crap in order to sell you what they think is high quality but is worth far less than a pluck nickel because of unrealistic standards and thinking you need to be exactly like them in order to get results which is far and away from the truth. They're scammers, frauds, marketing scumbags and don't have the ability to be empathetic and/or sympathetic to those who want to better themselves. They talk a good game to be convincing but don't show any actual evidence that what they do is applicable long term or healthy. Some of these numbnuts want you drinking something like 10 Liters of Water minimum which can actually lead to Water Poisoning, even world class pro athletes don't do this or find it possible. They act like they're the very best at everything when they can barely handle a few things before they give in and call it extraordinary in their own head. They may even tell you to go extreme all the time because that's the only way to results. That is dangerous, unprofessional to customers and you're forcing beliefs that can hurt others before they even have a chance to get the results they want. It makes you look like an idiot.

The fitness world has a lot of great people but it has just as many assholes with a Superiority Complex that will do anything to make a buck, even as far as to sell pre orders of products that will never be made public. Taking people's money like that is sick, degrading and destroys any credibility to what you think works but never have people see it.  Don't fall for these people, find the ones that have real credentials, real trials and errors and still have the ability to make you feel you're worthwhile instead of worthless. You know what I say to those asshats, so long and thanks for all the fish because you are what's wrong with this industry that would have men like Bruce Lee, Maxick, Zass, Sandow or Saxon rolling in their graves. 

 Be better and show what compassion and teaching really means to those who want to be better for themselves and help them with tools that mean something. Quite frankly, we all could learn a thing or two but it's also important to show that results are worthy of the effort without breaking someone's spirit or calling them losers because they don't follow your path. That's what cultists and egotistically brainless bullies do. Sometimes, it's good to get a few things off your chest and be open about what's important to you. Be amazingly awesome and I hope you all find success that leads down a path that is going to give others the chance to have success of their own. 

Push-Ups? Who The Hell Needs Them? Just Use The Dopa Band

Some may even say the other way around but truly, who cares? Now that we got that out of the way, Certain aspects of training is different for everybody. If you took 100 people in a group and put them through the same regimen, the same exercises, the same order, the same amount of time and the same rep and set scheme, what would happen? Will they all have the same exact results? No, some may have very few changes while others have exceptional results. 

Expecting people to have the same results or better yet, think they can follow the same protocols or they're a loser and didn't do it right is a downfall for any influencer or fitness author. It's really about adaptability, finding ways to be challenged yet still have the enthusiasm to continue their journey. Remember that show The Biggest Loser? Where they took people who were morbidly obese and put them on programs that were meant for people on a near elite level of professionals? Sure they lost weight, a bunch actually but what happened was the aftermath. Many of them had complications and even gained back not just all the weight but added on. How that show lasted as long as it did boggles the fuck out of me.

We all have our own journey, our own lives and our own ways of juggling things in order to better ourselves. Some don't always make it through and other others can do things they never imagined being able to do. Some "influencers" are so desperate and dogmatic about their perfect programs that they forget how to be human to other people. They act like leaders of a cult that their way is the only way and if you're not a part of it, you're the problem and it's your fault for being a part of this perfect world of fitness. It's all bullshit.

There are programs that people aren't meant to do and not because of the program itself, mainly some don't have the time, the level it requires and at times they're injured and can't make the prerequisites. It's not the end of the world. Hell, there are those out there who expect others to drink 10 liters of water a day because it'll make them better health wise. Do the math on this for a moment...Do you know how many liters are in a gallon alone? Round it out to the closest denominator and it's about 4. Now tell people to more than double that and you're getting from a poundage stand point 22+ lbs for the equivalent of 10 liters. Regardless of weight, regardless of age or health factors, that's dangerous in and of itself and might as well be telling people to poison themselves or they're losers. Pretty pathetic. That's the type of person that expects others to do their programs that they're not ready for and have to be this extreme all the time or they are considered F*ggots. On a given day unless it's hot out, I mostly never go past a gallon and that's pushing it LOL.

Real influencers like Matt Schifferle for example, take a program and have it be adaptable and do what's possible for just about anyone. Very little of his training protocols go past basic or even intermediate levels but that's not the point. The point is, if it's just basic exercises, you're learning to control and utilize technique so you can develop the results you're looking for. Is his style the end all be all? Hell no, he'd tell you that himself and treats others with respect and dignity, not belittling and talked down down to. 

What certain things boil down to when it comes to Marketing scammers like WaterBOY above here (emphasis on the word boy) is how to manipulate and find the gullibility in others to fill their pockets with broken promises, verbal and emotional abuse (sometimes they'll act like your friend and then stab you in the back) along with believing their own hype. There are other factors but with some of the things I've seen, it's not hard to believe that guys like that are the type that would give you all the reasons to have you buying a Rolls Royce when in reality you get a POS Lemon that looks more like a loaner out of a shitstorm of a shop. 

No program in and of itself is perfect for everybody. We all know that, well maybe most of us while some people think theirs is the Queen Of England or Shiva for that matter. What it comes down to is the individual who wants to find something worthwhile that they'll find a way to put the time in, the effort and evolve in their journey. We have all sorts of information at our fingertips, but it can be overwhelming at times and it's important to find the differences between the genuine article and the asshole scammers. The asshole scammers have tactics that can be convincing they're genuine but digging in, they always slip up, some don't even hide it anymore and have this anger, this rage and need to be the best when in reality they're fooling themselves and make up the most outrageous claims that bare no actual evidence, VERY one sided and even copy and pate other people's work and pass it off as their own. Let me put it this way, I treat people like this like Voldermort, he who must not be named. 

Guys like Schifferle, Brooks Kubik, Darryl Edwards, Logan Christopher and Eero Westerburg have done the research, they don't beat around the bush and they'll tell you like it is. I've been around one of these guys and trained with him on many occasions and what you see is what you get. The genuine article and a person of humility and generosity but still have the heart of a lion and the strength of beyond the average person. Either one of these guys will bring it with a vengeance but yet have a positive influence that's memorable and full of hope that someone has a real soul for this world. 

Be amazingly awesome and find the program suited to your journey and watch out for those scammers. Some of them don't even know how to treat a woman let alone know how to help people in fitness, most of the time, they just steal other people's money and are full of hot air. Remember, you think you're getting a RR but end up with a Lemon. You deserve better.