Common Sense (Isn't So Common Anymore)

     "Volume is the driver of growth." Trainees have heard this time after time from coaches that don't quite understand the stress, recovery adaptation cycle. Well let's put on our thinking caps and pretend that you are talking to a 6 year old. Ask the kid: "Which will get you bigger: 10 curls with 10 pounds or 5 curls with 50 pounds?" The answer is obviously 5 with 50. The only way to get to doing curls with 50 pounds is to GET STRONGER. The only way to get stronger is to lift heavier weights each session, adding a pound or 2 per workout in a training cycle. 

    But if volume was the driver of growth, you could just do 10 sets of 10 with 10 pounds and you would get bigger and stronger. But I ask you, who has gotten bigger and stronger with light weights? The answer is obvious and right in your face: no one. You knew these things, in your heart of hearts, because it is common sense. However, exercise "science" will give you 20 different "meta analyses"  for why light weight works just fine and volume is the driver of growth. Simply trust your eyes, look around the gym and check out the people that are lifting the same weight for the same reps and sets that they have been using for 10 years, not changing in any way. Not getting stronger, not gaining muscle, and wasting hours in the gym. 

    Let's move on to nutrition. When you eat a sandwich, Cheetos, and a Coke for lunch, you feel full for 15 minutes. One hour later you are STARVING, all you can think about is getting a snack, and Oh, someone brought doughnuts! Now the cycle continues. Common sense tells you that this is not a "normal" way to feel. Food should nourish and sustain you, it should not make you feel like crap an hour later, it should not make you feel bloated and gassy. 

    Vegetables taste disgusting by themselves, this is a sign that MAYBE, just MAYBE your body and mind are working together to tell you something. That veggies aren't as healthy as you think and that you should avoid them when possible. Steak tastes delicious all by itself, and you can feel it nourishing your muscles as you eat it. Common sense would tell you that this is what you are supposed to feel like when you eat real food that humans SHOULD eat. 

    When you are mindlessly scrolling Instagram for hours, you are seeking out dopamine hits and feel good chemicals, you just don't know it. As soon as you realize you wasted an entire day on the internet, you feel like crap. This is because common sense tells you that you are not meant to be glued to the couch, there are chores that need to be done, sunshine to soak up, and training that must be conquered. You know you will feel better if you take a 5 minute walk around the block, but you fight this instinct because the couch is comfy and the Reels are funny today (well a couple of them). 

    Now things that used to bring you joy don't hit the same. A hug from a loved one, the sweet taste of a fresh apple, the feeling of adding 2 pounds to your squat. Common sense tells you that you should be on your phone less and in the "real world" more. But now you are addicted to the likes and the dopamine hits and the real world isn't as fun. 

    My point is this: sometimes you need to go with your gut. I do not care if "science" says that sun is bad for you, that high cholesterol equals heart disease, that lifting heavy is unnecessary, that being online all day is good for you. You know, deep down, that these things are not true. If you believe ANYTHING that is said by an authority and backed up by a flimsy "study", you will always be ice skating uphill. It isn't until you go against the grain, buck the trends and start living like you are supposed to that you will feel better than you ever have. So turn your common sense back on, know that sometimes your authorities are wrong, and start kicking ass today!

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