For those of you that have been in the game for a while you appreciate that is is difficult to find objective bodybuilding advice. This is never more evident than when it comes to supplementation. Where do you look for advice?
In my youth bodybuilding magazines were the primary source of information. Not surprisingly Muscle and Fitness was my first holy training bible, I can still picture the adds with Lee Haney, Samir Bannout and co hawking Weiders massive weight sugar...opps weight gainer
Now this brings me to my current peeve. Training guru's pumped to all fuck on gear, training national level competitors, also pumped to the gills with gear professing to know what it takes a beginner or natural trainer to get big and strong. What shits me even more is a particular guru who is the primary trainer on a well know bodybuilding site starts a training article asserting the importance of optimal workout nutrition and then reveals the article to be nothing more than an advatorial for their in-house supplement brand. Actually enough mincing my words...T-Nation can kiss my balls.
You might think I am a little harsh, but calling out the bullshit merchants is important for every kid who will waste several years following pro routines and wasting money on esoteric supplements. I am writing this post for all those poor misguided teenagers who read these articles and assume the advice is gospel. Honestly the tone of the latest article is so disingenuous as to be offensive. Of course the article is rooted in a degree of truth. Clearly work out nutrition is important to maximize gains in the gym, in fact clean nutrition is a critical success factor in any training regime. However you don't need to spend money on ridiculously priced products with even sillier "proprietary" formulas.
Interestingly, we the buying public certainly share the blame. However those of us in the know have a responsibility to promulgate information that is true and protect the uninformed and impressionable. I remember a teenager caught up in the usual amalgam of insecurities and shifting focus. I had no training role models so generally obtained my information from Muscle and Fitness, graduating soon after to Flex magazine. It was only once I had access to Ironman in the 90's and the brilliant writings of Randall J Strossen and Bill Starr that I realised much of what appears in the magazines is rubbish.
With the advent of the internet the traffic of falsehoods is at fever pitch. Its bad enough with a million bozo's like me putting in their 2 cents worth. However what I cant abide is glossy websites purporting to be information sources and then finding them to be insidious infomercials for their in-house products. Thats not to say their isn't some worthy content on these sites. Unfortunately the majority of material pushes the regular trainer in the wrong direction. I don't care what anyone says a training projects that talks about neural charge workouts and highlights Olympia level competitors as examples has limited utility to those of us in the trenches.
I don't have trust fund and like most of you out there I'm out in the burbs working a 60 hour week. Talking about Neural charge workouts with a geared up pro athlete may look pretty on the net but it doesn't help me one bit. Try getting up at 3:00am take a 2 hour flight to a mine site, work a full day then fly back and think about dead lifts at 8:30pm after a day like that. I'm sure many of you have similar stories.
Bottom line stop the bullshit. Give me training advice that is to the point and not predicated on flogging your supplements.
Till next time stay strong
Thommo
Interestingly, we the buying public certainly share the blame. However those of us in the know have a responsibility to promulgate information that is true and protect the uninformed and impressionable. I remember a teenager caught up in the usual amalgam of insecurities and shifting focus. I had no training role models so generally obtained my information from Muscle and Fitness, graduating soon after to Flex magazine. It was only once I had access to Ironman in the 90's and the brilliant writings of Randall J Strossen and Bill Starr that I realised much of what appears in the magazines is rubbish.
With the advent of the internet the traffic of falsehoods is at fever pitch. Its bad enough with a million bozo's like me putting in their 2 cents worth. However what I cant abide is glossy websites purporting to be information sources and then finding them to be insidious infomercials for their in-house products. Thats not to say their isn't some worthy content on these sites. Unfortunately the majority of material pushes the regular trainer in the wrong direction. I don't care what anyone says a training projects that talks about neural charge workouts and highlights Olympia level competitors as examples has limited utility to those of us in the trenches.
I don't have trust fund and like most of you out there I'm out in the burbs working a 60 hour week. Talking about Neural charge workouts with a geared up pro athlete may look pretty on the net but it doesn't help me one bit. Try getting up at 3:00am take a 2 hour flight to a mine site, work a full day then fly back and think about dead lifts at 8:30pm after a day like that. I'm sure many of you have similar stories.
Bottom line stop the bullshit. Give me training advice that is to the point and not predicated on flogging your supplements.
Till next time stay strong
Thommo
