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This is an article taken from Hardgainer magazine here . Even if you don't completely approve his routine (though I do), he makes some interesting points that are relevent to any trainee's success--points that I often try to hammer across myself.
End of Year Review
by John Christy
From Hardgainer #76 - January/February 02'
Well, here we are again at the end of another year. And I'm going to ask you the same old question I've asked you before, in previous years. How were your results this year? Are you stronger now than you were in January 2001? Have you gained a substantial amount of muscle (if that was your goal)? Are your heart and lungs in better shape? Have you lost fat (if that was your goal)? If you didn't improve, then your program (or your dedication to it) isn't working! Let's face the facts: If you aren't getting better from year to year, then what you're doing isn't working!
I can hear some of you thinking right now: "Well, John, how was your year?" "Are you stronger now than you were in January 2001?" You're darn right I'm stronger. I'm no armchair theoretician. When you're hitting the weights, I'm hitting them too. I practice what I preach. In December 2000 I made the decision to drop down and compete at the 205-pound weight class by the end of 2001. At the time of this writing (October 2001) I tip the scales at 211 pounds, and I'm stronger than I was at 235. So to answer my own question again, yes, I'm stronger now than at the beginning of the year. But this article isn't about me, it's about helping you to achieve your goals.
If you've been reading HARDGAINER for the last couple of years then shame on you if you haven't made improvement in 2001. That's right, shame on you! I'm not trying to be mean; I'm trying to shake you up so that you don't lose another year of productive training. When working on my articles I consider myself your coach (at least for those who read my material), so I'm not going to do you an injustice by mincing words and wasting time. If you've been reading (studying) HARDGAINER for several years, then you know how to train -- so what gives? I believe there are three answers . . .
1. Lack of patience You get started on a good program and about four weeks in (since you haven't turned into the Incredible Hulk already), something or someone fills your head with unrealistic visions of grandeur. You start to think that you can increase your bench press by 50 pounds in six weeks, or gain 20 pounds of muscle in the same time frame. So, you change your program (again) to something that only a steroid-filled phony could survive, or you add weight at a rate that your body can't adapt to, and as usual you get absolutely nowhere.
The first thing I have to say here is to get your head out of fantasyland. I've been under the iron for 27 years and have been paid for the last 16 years to instruct others on how to gain strength and size, and I can tell you that the above scenario is utterly ridiculous. It takes time to build substantial strength and size. If you want to add 50 pounds to your bench, or gain 20 pounds of muscle, plan on it taking nine months to one year. And let me tell you something, nine months to one year is fast but realistic.
There have been so many good programs presented in this magazine. All you have to do is pick one, study it and apply the principals exactly as described, and give it time to work! Have faith in the credibility of the author. If you follow a certain training philosophy for six months and you're doing everything right and you aren't seeing some results, then and only then may you conclude that that particular training philosophy may not work for you. Change takes time. You have to be realistic about what the body can do. That will help cultivate patience, which in turn will allow you to make the best gains you've ever made.
Once you find a program that's right for you -- one that promotes great technique, progression at a rate the body can handle, and allows enough time for recovery -- you can sufficiently transform yourself in a three-year period (some need less time, some more) that will literally stun people. In 5–10 years of proper training you'll stun yourself! Now, if you're not patient, you'll be exactly where you are now (or worse) in three years, five years or ten years. And let me tell you that this is exactly what happened to me when I first started. Please learn from my mistakes so you don't waste time.
I've written a lot of this material before, but I need to keep reinforcing it over and over again to try to keep you on track -- to try and give you faith in that "material." I believe in it. I know it works.
2. Lack of true dedication Are you hoping to get big and strong, or are you really working at it? If you're not consistently making all your scheduled workouts, then your answer is "hoping." If you're missing workouts because you're just "too tired" due to staying up too late at night, and you don't have the properly pre-prepared food for work today so that you don't miss out on good nutrition, then once again your answer is "hoping." Let me ask you in another way.
If you were supposed to work out three times per week all year, did you? Baring sickness or emergency, did you make all 150 workouts? If you scheduled twice-a- week workouts, did you make all 100? Well, if you weren't sick, or thrown off by some emergency, why did you miss? Are you just kidding yourself that you're really dedicated? If there weren't legitimate reasons to throw off your training, I would absolutely expect you to make all 100 or 150 workouts. I'm sure to many of you that this sounds impossible, but let me assure you that not only is it possible, it has to happen if you expect to make progress. If you were paying me to train you, you would expect progress, and I would demand it, which would mean that you'd truly need to be dedicated.
Here's what we're really down to: You need to make the decision today that you're either going to make your body change, or that you're going to continue fooling yourself, masquerading as a strength man! It's either one or the other -- you decide.
You're smart and you're willing to work hard -- now just do it all the time in all aspects of training, and this will bring you great results. I know you can do it, just make the decision to really commit, now. But, make it a real decision. Cut off all the other possibilities -- call your friends and tell them of your decision. Tell them you can't be up late at night. Stop what you're doing right now and get up and prepare food so that you'll have it for work tomorrow. Review your training journal and write up your new workout schedule, and stick to it no matter what.
In effect, do what the Vikings did when they went to conquer a new land. The first thing they would do when they went ashore was to burn their boats. They would burn their boats so they had no way to retreat. Now, that's real decision making, because they cut themselves off from any possibility other than forging on, moving forward and succeeding. Quit fantasizing about getting big and strong. Make the decision now, and take action now -- right now! And I assure you that you will be on the real path to size and strength gains. As I said earlier, I'm with you. I've instructed others just like you and I've seen them do it. I know you can.
I'm going to write up your new training program for the entire year 2002 (yes, the entire year). Do the following program, training twice a week, include warmups, and don't change anything!
Workout 1
1. Crunch: 1 x 10
2. Squat: 2 x 5
3. Stiff-legged deadlift: 1 x 10
4. Bench press: 2 x 5
5. Dumbbell rowing: 2 x 5
6. Barbell static grip: 1 x 60 seconds
Workout 2
1. Side bend: 1 x 10
2. Deadlift: 2 x 5
3. Press: 2 x 5
4. Standing barbell curl: 2 x 5
5. Standing calf raise: 1 x 10
6. Back extension: 1 x 10
Boy I've written that routine before. So now you have it, my top-secret routine. I'm being sarcastic, of course, because I can't tell you how many times I've written a routine like that in this magazine. Now, don't question it, just follow it.
Here's how to perform the routine: Use a weight that you could perform one rep (at most two) beyond the goal rep I've given you. So for the bench press, if you can do 150 pounds for six reps and would fail to get number seven, that's the correct weight. For the grip work, use a weight that you could hold for 65 seconds. Now, on the squat and deadlift, add two pounds per week. On everything else, add one pound (yes, just one little pound). I'm calling you out. I'm personally challenging you to do this. I can see you thinking right now. Stop it, you've done too much thinking, it's thwarting your progress. Just follow what I'm telling you.
After six months, test yourself to see if you have any extra reps in you. Take all your training weights at that time and do as many reps as possible for one set of each. If you can do two or more reps beyond your goal reps, recalibrate your weights so that you can only do one rep more than your target reps. At six months you may be surprised at how many extra reps you have in you. In some exercises you may have to recalibrate as much as 20 pounds.
I assure you that when you perform this program exactly as I've written it, you'll be one of the happiest trainees on the face of the earth in December 2002. And at that point you'll know what it takes to get bigger and stronger.
3. Lack of study and practice You're wasting time just reading HARDGAINER -- study it, and practice it! Everything you need to be successful is in the magazine. From all the correspondence I receive, it seems as though many of you don't put into practice what you're reading. At best you try to "hybridize" your program. In other words, you try to keep some of the old stuff you've been doing for years but which didn't produce results. You keep it in because the "big guy" at the gym swears by it, or because it gives you a good pump, or some other ridiculous reason, and you mix it with some HARDGAINER philosophy. Well, this just won't work. Everything I've written in this article I've written numerous times before. I really wish you'd start practicing what you're reading. If you don't understand something in the magazine, read it again, and again, and again. Study it till you get it!
The wrap-up I know I've been a little tough on you in this article. But sometimes you have to kick someone in the butt if you care about his or her success. I do want you all to succeed. I hope you got the feeling that I followed the "butt-kicking" with a pat on the back. Even if you've lost faith in yourself or what you can accomplish, I know if you get "everything together" you can accomplish your goals. I have faith in you.
End of Year Review
by John Christy
From Hardgainer #76 - January/February 02'
Well, here we are again at the end of another year. And I'm going to ask you the same old question I've asked you before, in previous years. How were your results this year? Are you stronger now than you were in January 2001? Have you gained a substantial amount of muscle (if that was your goal)? Are your heart and lungs in better shape? Have you lost fat (if that was your goal)? If you didn't improve, then your program (or your dedication to it) isn't working! Let's face the facts: If you aren't getting better from year to year, then what you're doing isn't working!
I can hear some of you thinking right now: "Well, John, how was your year?" "Are you stronger now than you were in January 2001?" You're darn right I'm stronger. I'm no armchair theoretician. When you're hitting the weights, I'm hitting them too. I practice what I preach. In December 2000 I made the decision to drop down and compete at the 205-pound weight class by the end of 2001. At the time of this writing (October 2001) I tip the scales at 211 pounds, and I'm stronger than I was at 235. So to answer my own question again, yes, I'm stronger now than at the beginning of the year. But this article isn't about me, it's about helping you to achieve your goals.
If you've been reading HARDGAINER for the last couple of years then shame on you if you haven't made improvement in 2001. That's right, shame on you! I'm not trying to be mean; I'm trying to shake you up so that you don't lose another year of productive training. When working on my articles I consider myself your coach (at least for those who read my material), so I'm not going to do you an injustice by mincing words and wasting time. If you've been reading (studying) HARDGAINER for several years, then you know how to train -- so what gives? I believe there are three answers . . .
1. Lack of patience You get started on a good program and about four weeks in (since you haven't turned into the Incredible Hulk already), something or someone fills your head with unrealistic visions of grandeur. You start to think that you can increase your bench press by 50 pounds in six weeks, or gain 20 pounds of muscle in the same time frame. So, you change your program (again) to something that only a steroid-filled phony could survive, or you add weight at a rate that your body can't adapt to, and as usual you get absolutely nowhere.
The first thing I have to say here is to get your head out of fantasyland. I've been under the iron for 27 years and have been paid for the last 16 years to instruct others on how to gain strength and size, and I can tell you that the above scenario is utterly ridiculous. It takes time to build substantial strength and size. If you want to add 50 pounds to your bench, or gain 20 pounds of muscle, plan on it taking nine months to one year. And let me tell you something, nine months to one year is fast but realistic.
There have been so many good programs presented in this magazine. All you have to do is pick one, study it and apply the principals exactly as described, and give it time to work! Have faith in the credibility of the author. If you follow a certain training philosophy for six months and you're doing everything right and you aren't seeing some results, then and only then may you conclude that that particular training philosophy may not work for you. Change takes time. You have to be realistic about what the body can do. That will help cultivate patience, which in turn will allow you to make the best gains you've ever made.
Once you find a program that's right for you -- one that promotes great technique, progression at a rate the body can handle, and allows enough time for recovery -- you can sufficiently transform yourself in a three-year period (some need less time, some more) that will literally stun people. In 5–10 years of proper training you'll stun yourself! Now, if you're not patient, you'll be exactly where you are now (or worse) in three years, five years or ten years. And let me tell you that this is exactly what happened to me when I first started. Please learn from my mistakes so you don't waste time.
I've written a lot of this material before, but I need to keep reinforcing it over and over again to try to keep you on track -- to try and give you faith in that "material." I believe in it. I know it works.
2. Lack of true dedication Are you hoping to get big and strong, or are you really working at it? If you're not consistently making all your scheduled workouts, then your answer is "hoping." If you're missing workouts because you're just "too tired" due to staying up too late at night, and you don't have the properly pre-prepared food for work today so that you don't miss out on good nutrition, then once again your answer is "hoping." Let me ask you in another way.
If you were supposed to work out three times per week all year, did you? Baring sickness or emergency, did you make all 150 workouts? If you scheduled twice-a- week workouts, did you make all 100? Well, if you weren't sick, or thrown off by some emergency, why did you miss? Are you just kidding yourself that you're really dedicated? If there weren't legitimate reasons to throw off your training, I would absolutely expect you to make all 100 or 150 workouts. I'm sure to many of you that this sounds impossible, but let me assure you that not only is it possible, it has to happen if you expect to make progress. If you were paying me to train you, you would expect progress, and I would demand it, which would mean that you'd truly need to be dedicated.
Here's what we're really down to: You need to make the decision today that you're either going to make your body change, or that you're going to continue fooling yourself, masquerading as a strength man! It's either one or the other -- you decide.
You're smart and you're willing to work hard -- now just do it all the time in all aspects of training, and this will bring you great results. I know you can do it, just make the decision to really commit, now. But, make it a real decision. Cut off all the other possibilities -- call your friends and tell them of your decision. Tell them you can't be up late at night. Stop what you're doing right now and get up and prepare food so that you'll have it for work tomorrow. Review your training journal and write up your new workout schedule, and stick to it no matter what.
In effect, do what the Vikings did when they went to conquer a new land. The first thing they would do when they went ashore was to burn their boats. They would burn their boats so they had no way to retreat. Now, that's real decision making, because they cut themselves off from any possibility other than forging on, moving forward and succeeding. Quit fantasizing about getting big and strong. Make the decision now, and take action now -- right now! And I assure you that you will be on the real path to size and strength gains. As I said earlier, I'm with you. I've instructed others just like you and I've seen them do it. I know you can.
I'm going to write up your new training program for the entire year 2002 (yes, the entire year). Do the following program, training twice a week, include warmups, and don't change anything!
Workout 1
1. Crunch: 1 x 10
2. Squat: 2 x 5
3. Stiff-legged deadlift: 1 x 10
4. Bench press: 2 x 5
5. Dumbbell rowing: 2 x 5
6. Barbell static grip: 1 x 60 seconds
Workout 2
1. Side bend: 1 x 10
2. Deadlift: 2 x 5
3. Press: 2 x 5
4. Standing barbell curl: 2 x 5
5. Standing calf raise: 1 x 10
6. Back extension: 1 x 10
Boy I've written that routine before. So now you have it, my top-secret routine. I'm being sarcastic, of course, because I can't tell you how many times I've written a routine like that in this magazine. Now, don't question it, just follow it.
Here's how to perform the routine: Use a weight that you could perform one rep (at most two) beyond the goal rep I've given you. So for the bench press, if you can do 150 pounds for six reps and would fail to get number seven, that's the correct weight. For the grip work, use a weight that you could hold for 65 seconds. Now, on the squat and deadlift, add two pounds per week. On everything else, add one pound (yes, just one little pound). I'm calling you out. I'm personally challenging you to do this. I can see you thinking right now. Stop it, you've done too much thinking, it's thwarting your progress. Just follow what I'm telling you.
After six months, test yourself to see if you have any extra reps in you. Take all your training weights at that time and do as many reps as possible for one set of each. If you can do two or more reps beyond your goal reps, recalibrate your weights so that you can only do one rep more than your target reps. At six months you may be surprised at how many extra reps you have in you. In some exercises you may have to recalibrate as much as 20 pounds.
I assure you that when you perform this program exactly as I've written it, you'll be one of the happiest trainees on the face of the earth in December 2002. And at that point you'll know what it takes to get bigger and stronger.
3. Lack of study and practice You're wasting time just reading HARDGAINER -- study it, and practice it! Everything you need to be successful is in the magazine. From all the correspondence I receive, it seems as though many of you don't put into practice what you're reading. At best you try to "hybridize" your program. In other words, you try to keep some of the old stuff you've been doing for years but which didn't produce results. You keep it in because the "big guy" at the gym swears by it, or because it gives you a good pump, or some other ridiculous reason, and you mix it with some HARDGAINER philosophy. Well, this just won't work. Everything I've written in this article I've written numerous times before. I really wish you'd start practicing what you're reading. If you don't understand something in the magazine, read it again, and again, and again. Study it till you get it!
The wrap-up I know I've been a little tough on you in this article. But sometimes you have to kick someone in the butt if you care about his or her success. I do want you all to succeed. I hope you got the feeling that I followed the "butt-kicking" with a pat on the back. Even if you've lost faith in yourself or what you can accomplish, I know if you get "everything together" you can accomplish your goals. I have faith in you.
