Training…Choose ‘One’ Thing
by Bill Crimi
Remember the movie City Slickers, in which Jack Palance asked Billy Crystal if he knew what the secrete of life is? Holding up one finger Palance replied, “One thing. Just one thing. You stick to that, and the rest don’t mean shit.”
Billy asked, “but what is the one thing?”
Jack replied, “That’s what ‘you’ have to find out.”
Well, when I’m asked by someone, “How should I train” I often think of that scene in City Slickers along with Curly’s simplistic, words of wisdom. In response, I advise the person to ‘first’ choose the primary goal they wish to accomplish. The choice should be clear. Is strength your main goal, muscular mass, a symmetrical bodybuilders body, or simply fitness?
Oddly, most people can’t choose the ‘one thing’ They usually say that they want at least ‘two’ things. Often it is both power, and size. This forces me to re-phrase the question. Something like, “yes I understand, but what is the single most important desire you have in this regard? What if you could get very strong, without much change in the way your body looks now? What if you can get massive, muscles, but not get as strong as you’d like?” I continue to explain that it’s much easier to design a workout plan centered upon a primary goal, leaving ‘secondary’ desires to kind of fall into place on their own.
Although this simplistic view on training is most fitting for the beginner, the basic premise holds true even with advanced bodybuilders, power-lifters etc. Experienced bodybuilders have recognized the benefits of cycling their training since the golden-age. The most successful will speak of a ‘mass building cycle’ and a separate ‘shaping and balancing phase’ for example. Many actually use this old time principle in six month cycles. It is not unusual to witness semi-pro and pro bodybuilders grunting and snorting like bulls under a heavy weight at the gym for months at a time, then see these same guys at other times, lighten the load, perform more cable movements and other specialty, polishing-up type exercises. They still go for all-out intensity, but they go about it in a different way.
I’ve known some, who swear by mixing it up on a regular basis, all the time, and some obviously display satisfactory results with a steady mix. But, these are bodybuilders…the ones who have probably chosen the most difficult road. They need to be concerned with size, shape, symmetry and cuts. If your main goal is to get and stay fit…it is a much easier path. All you really need to do is hit every muscle group twice a week with at least medium intensity, and throw in some cardio as well on a regular basis. Add a clean diet and supplements to that, and in relatively no time at all, you will get fit. Keep up the training, and you will ‘stay’ fit…Not a very difficult concept, and it works for everyone.
Power-lifters train very differently, with one thought in mind…moving as much weight as possible under control, and through to completion. They aren’t as much interested in the size and shape of their muscles, or balance. These things are ‘secondary’ to them. Therefore, they select to train in a manner which will give them continuous strength gains. Serious power-lifters gain muscle mass as a result of training, not usually as a primary focus or concern. Most like the size gains, but they are most interested in the power gains. They view refinement exercises as a waste of their time, and they are probably right.
My main point in this writing is to emphasize the importance of first ‘deciding’ what is the ‘single’ most important thing you want to train for. After you decide…it is then that you can learn how to go about it with a minimum waste of time and effort. If you are already training with less than satisfactory results at the gym, then re-evaluate your intent, effort and method of training. Just as your ‘trainer’ must know what you want to accomplish in order to design a training program for you, so must ‘you’ know and be clear about it. Otherwise…a state of confusion is apt to slow your progress.
Do yourself a favor…choose ‘one’ thing. Stick to that, and the rest don’t mean shit. If you do…inside and outside of the gym…you will probably be a much happier, content and successful person.
Copyright 2011 by Bill Crimi…Permission is granted for the re-production of any part of this article or in entirety for non-commercial use with credit given to the author. For commercial use, contact the author at editor@ragmag.org.
