You plug in your old Nintendo one day to play some Zelda. Shuffling through the cartridges, you see Tetris and decide to play a quick game. Levels 1-50 are easy. Then comes the 70’s and 80’s, which heighten your senses. And unless you’re a phenom, the triple digits require intense focus.
Each block is calculated into an open area in advanced. All goes well until the block in queue doesn’t quite fit perfectly anywhere.
Hell breaks loose.
The blocks come too fast. You can’t recover. They’re no longer perfectly placed in open sockets; they’re placed wherever they can to prolong the match. And before you have a chance to fix things, game over.
With the amount of information avenues out there today, it’s easy to get paralyzed. It comes so fast, it’s hard to organize. But don’t feel bad. This isn’t your fault.
It’s mine.
(And it’s a lot of other bloggers faults, too.)
MISTAKES OF EXPERTS
Your success is in my best interest. I blog and write to give direction to those in need. So the goal is to provide the set of eyes scanning this page with something to take home.
Top “X” lists are one of the worst ways to do this.
WHY LISTS ARE NO GOOD
Draeger’s Market is an upscale shopping center that sells everything from cheesecake to flowers to wine to cooking classes. Let’s just say you have to live a comfortable life to shop there, and shelling out a few extra bucks isn’t a bank breaker.
Two consecutive Saturday’s, a booth was set up that handed out free samples of jam. One Saturday, six jams were available. The other, twenty-four.
When the twenty-four jams were on display, the booth drew a bigger crowd by 20%. More selection is appealing, of course. But the Saturday six jams were available, 600% more sales were made. Maybe less is more?
WHY LISTS EXIST
Top “X” posts are rampant for three reasons. First, they’re easy to write. Second, they get the most hits. Third, they’re easy to digest.
But big lists make it less likely for a reader to take action. And isn’t that what it’s all about?
Imagine reading two posts about the best muscle building exercises. Say the first one was: Top 50 Exercises to Build Muscle. Certainly appealing. Hell, I’d click the link. But after reading it, I’d forget the content in a matter of minutes. You would too.
Compare that to a “Top 3 Exercises to Build Muscle” post that went into great detail on the three exercises and really boulstered their effectiveness. You would be more likely to incorporate one—if not all—of the exercises.
It’s just like Tetris. Too much too soon makes it difficult to compartmentalize and fathom, so it gets lost. Game over.
RAPID INFORMATION
We live in a fantastic world. Information is instantly accessible. Questions rarely go unanswered. But there’s a problem: we don’t know what to do with all of the information. We know how to store it. But we just don’t know the next step. This is one of the reasons I err on more of the lifestyle design aspects of fitness and athletics—which ties into my concept of athletic physical culture and athletic lifestyle design.
Based upon the answers to the questions asked after last week’s blog post, most people don’t suffer from a lack of knowledge. They suffer from a lack of implementation and self-doubt.
This isn’t surprising to me. And here’s why: I haven’t “truly” read a fitness or athletics book since 2009. Yet since 2009, I’ve made my best training progress. (And that includes a six month period of not training because of a broken foot.)
When I launched the Skinny-Fat Ectomorph series, my first article wasn’t about training or nutrition. It was about lifestyle.
With a lot of my clients, my job isn’t training or coaching. It’s talking them through tough times and giving them faith that they’re on the right path. That’s why I call it a mentorship. Honestly, I get paid for what I exclude from a program more so than what I include.
PSYCHOLOGY AND LEARNING
I want everyone to reach their athletic and fitness pinnacle, which is why I don’t often make list posts. It’s wasted information. But I don’t anticipate a wave of change anytime soon, so here are some tips for assimilating information online in a way best suited to your long term progress.
First, disregard high numbered list posts. You can read them, sure. But you aren’t likely to remember or take anything away. If you’re hunkering for ice cream and the store only sells two flavors, your decision is much easier when compared to a selection of fifty flavors.
Second, have a why. Everything in your program — including the program itself — should have a purpose. And everything should relate back to it.
Third, create a “for later” folder. If you come across compelling information that might distract you from your current program, put it in the “for later” folder and read it when you’re grounded and less likely to waiver in your programming conviction.
REAL WORLD EXAMPLE
I want to get my shape on, so I create a program with the basics — some lifting, some aerobic work, and some hiking on the weekends. One day, I happen to be browsing the internet for weight loss tips. Conveniently, I stumble upon Shape and their Top 50 Fun Ways to Lose Weight This Spring.
I get about ten slides in before I realize I’m clicking arrows with minimal mental egagement, but I keep going anyway. After I finish the vibrant slide show, I can’t even recall five of the top fifty. Wonderful. But the good news is that it didn’t motivate me to program hop or lose focus.
The next website I come across, however, is from this dude named Anthony Mychal. He has those post entitled The Infamous Clean Bulk – How to Gain Muscle Without Looking Like A Poster Boy for Krispy Kreme. But if I read it, it might make me question my foundation. I’ll put it in my “for later” folder and wait a few weeks to read it. That way, if I’m already seeing some progress I’ll be less likely to make impulsive changes.
I LOVE ME SOME QUESTION
So what do you think? Do you suffer from under-knowledge or under-application? Do you feel like you’re on the 150th level of Tetris? What’s the highest level of Tetris you ever made it to? What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? What do you struggle with when it comes to the implementation and mentality aspect of training? As usual, I’d love to hear from you.
Oh, one more thing — what phrase do you like better in regards to something that encompasses this website: athletic physical culture or athletic lifestyle design?
PS – I know you’re upset that this wasn’t a Top 10 Post. You were looking for an easy read, weren’t you?
I suffer from under-application.
I was over-reading/procrastinating when my chrome crash and wipe out all those 20-25 tabs I saved to read later but to my surprise I didn’t remember what I wanted to read later.
Since that day I have cut down on information porn.
Hah, yeah, I hate it when I voluntarily exit out of my browser with tabs open. Damn freaky fingers.
I don’t like lists either. I’ve always thought that instead of giving people 5 new exercises or way each week (over 1500 per year), it may be better to just find 5 different ways to tell everyone the SAME concept. Just like cues go in exercise execution, some people resonate with some cues better than others. My point: find numerous ways to send the same message.
I think people struggle with implementation because they feel isolated. Perhaps they feel they are the only one attempting whatever their goal is. Although specific goals will differ from person to person, I feel if people felt connected with other people who all have a common goal to get better, they would feel connected to a purpose, and they would have other like-minded people to connect with, relate to, and feel understands them.
I like “Athletic Lifestyle Design”
Thanks Danny. Glad you share my same list feelings.
Correction, 5×52 is 260 new exercises a year- not 1500. You get the point.
Well, I certainly wasn’t going to do the math, hah!
I definitely suffer from under-application. In the past I would read hours worth of blog posts and cover enough information to sink a ship, however, I didn’t retain nearly enough info for it to be worth my time. Focusing in on a few things and prioritizing what my interests/goals are is key. For example, when I hit the weight room now, I concentrate on perfecting my big lifts, and maybe incorporate a new assisting exercise once in a while. Forget trying to recall the 50 Best Ways to Gain Strength – as you say, pick a couple to a few and roll with those. A useful and informative article my friend, keep it up!
Thanks Jeremy. I’m glad you share similar feelings and have started to stick to some basic principles.
Hey Anthony,
I compared “lifestyle,” with “physical culture; on google trends, and keywords,” and I think you’d be wise to use the former. “Lifestyle” garners 165,000 global monthly searches, while “physical culture,” only 1,900. You’re definitely giving your audience much value for free, so I’m sure you’ll drive some serious traffic with the release of 242.
All the best,
Marc
Thanks Marc. Suggestion is noted and thanks for the reply. Welcome to my little home. Hope to see you around frequently!
I’m a bigger fan of the phrase Athletic Physical Culture. Athletic Lifestyle Design makes it sound like you’re an interior designer or something totally unrelated to blog content. Just my 2 cents.
I tend to agree.
I have way over-read and under-applied for more time than I’d like to admit. I like “homestyle fitness” with resistance bands, kettlebells, sandbags, bodyweight, etc, and yet a lot of what I’ve read is for gyms using machines and barbells.
I’ve been working on simplifying and cutting out the extra chatter and just stick to 1-2 experts from each category I’m interested in. Maybe now, I can actually be useful to others.
That’s enough equipment to do damage. Not as versatile as barbells, but enough.
I actually like list posts, a lot. Sometimes it just fun to read a bunch of things because my favorite bloggers right it. For me, they’re fun to read but it is true that I don’t remember 80% of the things written.
I’ve tried read-for-later thing myself multiple times now and it never works for me, It’s hard for me to go on my day knowing I haven’t read the latest Zach Evenesh, Jason Ferrugia or the almighty Anthony Mychal blog post hahahaha.
In regards to the two choices, Athletic Physical Culture BY FAR. Makes you sound like a sophisticated but bad ass strength coach haha. To me, lifestyle design is all the way in the “other side of the spectrum” if you get me but that’s just me.
I will re-try your 3 step plan though – I kind of need it now! lol
Ha! Fantastic!
It’s alright to differ. Everyone has their own way to organize thoughts. I agree with your sentiments.
There’s more than one level of Tetris…?
Heh, seriously though, I agree about the insane amount of stuff on lists. You remind me of Bruce Lee, who said “I don’t fear the man who knows 10,000 kicks. I fear the man who knows one kick, and has practiced it 10,000 times.”
I remember reading something by a well-known “help skinny guys gain muscle” trainer, who shall remain nameless, detailing 72 “top tips.” I scanned it, and gleaned exactly one: take a cold shower after a workout. He admitted that he didn’t know why it helped (I have some theories on it), but he had tried it and it really did (which I also find to be the case.)
I think when you have a list that goes beyond a few bullets, you’re admitting (and this isn’t necessarily bad) that you’re using a shotgun approach to throw out tips to a general audience, and seeing what sticks. Maybe he helped 72 different people in different ways, I dunno. I do know that it’s a way of avoiding having to go into depth on any one of them, which can be a mixed blessing (I mean, how much depth do you need for ‘try taking a cold shower after you work out’?)
Well, with 72 tips you’re bound to strike one thing that works.
Hi, Anthony. I suffer from paralysis by analysis. I know experts like Eric Cressey and Mike Robertson are darned smart guys in the fitness industry, but every time I read about a new exercise or condition, I feel like I have to add it into my programme. The only problem is I end up re-writing my programme to add them in. I guess that’s what makes a perfectionist’s life so stressful.
I’ve recently taken to reminding myself that I shouldn’t pile so many exercises into my training. I love minimalism: it takes the stress from the training and I can focus on other aspects of my life. That’s why I disagree with you: top 10 lists are necessary, but insomuch as they limit your repertoire of movements and STOP this unnecessary complication.
What exactly do I mean? I’ve created two top 10 lists: the top 10 movements I should be doing (and they will be the only 10 exercises I do in my training) and the top 10 newsletters in the world (you’re in it!). This limits the amount of information I’m exposed to and will allow me to stop being distracted by the information out there.
I thought I’d share my top 10 movements:
1. Zercher squat (my current gym doesn’t have a squat rack)
2. Deadlift
3. Floor press (no bench)
4. Military press
5. Dumbbell rows
6. Lunges
7. Chin-ups (I hurt my shoulder doing pull-ups, but chins work fine)
8. RDLs
9. Glute bridge
10. Hanging leg raise
And nothing else.
Honored to be in your Top 10 and I think your Top 10 exercise list is great and something more people should adopt!
Great post. I definitely suffer from under-application. I have whittled down my reading list but will still regularly read 4-5 blogs a day. The only difference now is that I have a plan for the next 3 months minimal (in the gym) and will take what useful information I can from these blogs and the rest is either for entertainment or informative purposes (like your file for later folder).
I personally like athletic lifestyle design. It’s a broader category to slot into that gives you much more room to move outside of just physical culture.
Cheers.
Thanks Cameron. I read a lot too. But like you said, take what’s important. Disregard the rest.
At one point I tried to get around this problem with meticulous tagging. But the truth is you can’t really categorize what is really important unless you have “seen the forest” so to speak.
I end up making an archive of everything I read, and later on when I have a question, I”ll refer back to the lists.
I agree that a post with just 2-3 items is much more useful than a huge one (I might even say that 7 is the upper limit, as that is supposedly the max amount of items you can store in your short term memory. Just thinking about ONE concept for a day lets it swoosh around and mingle with my existing training thoughts, so that I come to truly *own* the principles contained within it (I think this first occurred to me when I found I would visit Bret Conteras’s blog so frequently because I could always count on some sort of new lower body posterior chain work from him ).
True Cam. I think 7 is a good number too, actually. But even then some are likely to get lost. Once per day is good.
I like Athletic Lifestyle Design. Athletic Physical Culture is a more old school term that has lost its popularity. I say go with something new and who knows who else will start using it.
Thanks for your take Talal!
I like athletic physical culture. It’s different and something that I think will stand out more than lifestyle design.
Thanks for sharing your opinion, Ben. I tend to agree.
Thanks Anthony…I already figured this out some time ago and unsubscribed from many websites…I only subscribe to 4 at the moment. Yours, Ferruggia, Nick Nilsson and John Alvino.
I like Athletic lifestyle design.
Again, I appreciate being in your list. Much thanks.
I dig this post.
I too always suffer from information overload (which is kinda ironic given my job since i’m basically eyeballs DEEP in creating and reading/editing/proofreading lawyer documents 5 days a week) and I read a lot of these different blogs and articles, but end up being too overwhelmed with trying to put what I read into action.
So, now, i’ve really been focusing on trainers and/or bloggers who write in pretty straightforward and simple ways, i.e. conversational and not antagonizing with all the knowledge and arrogance that their words are dripping with…
you, John Romaniello, Eric Cressey, Jason Ferruggia and Mike Mahler have been the few folk (And i’ll also add Precision Nutrition’s John Berardi, though he rolls into nerdville quite a bit, I don’t mind because he always manages to make a LOT of sense at the end) that I can pull information from that I can understand *AND* put into action…small steps but steps/action nonetheless.
Oh, and I still have your beta copy of your 242 method…I’m sitting down to read it over in depth this weekend because I haven’t been able to touch that or much of anything ELSE these days with the work craziness, etc.
Thanks Ryan. And if you get the time, give me an honest review of the book. The lawyer gig doesn’t sound too fun. Best wishes with that hah!
the job is blah, but it pays well.
I just have to keep approaching it with the end goal of: this won’t be the rest of my life, etc.
that’s how I see my current job, etc.
Good luck. Hopefully it won’t be the rest of your life.
More information is not bad per say.
More action is rarely ever bad.
Decoupling information from action is bad.
If you take in more than you can act on it, it is not good long term.
I am still working on this myself too.
Good stuff
Rock on
Mike T Nelson PhD(c)
It’s a tough balance.
Athletic Physical Culture.
I don’t think I suffer from any. I’m a glutton when it comes to drinking from the fountain of knowledge. My thirst can’t be quenched. With regards to application, if you’re going to apply something & get significant, meaningful results, you can’t run through every method there is in a year.
Make sure the information(summarized into principles being the best way) is stored well for reference when a change in application is needed, is how I try to do it.
Up until a few months ago I really liked top X lists. Now I despise them. Mainly because I’ve been through every list imaginable with regards to any topic I’m interested in, alongside reading more in-depth articles & as a result most lists are 90% of what I already know. I still check them out because I’m a sucker for a list when I get mailed subscription notifications, but it only takes me as many seconds as there are points in the list to scan through & realise I’ve read this stuff 1000 times before.
Hah, yeah, redundancy is often a crux.
Oh & I love any ice cream with cherries, nuts &/or peanut butter in.
Finally, someone responded about ice cream. Nuts and peanut butter. <3
Excellent article as usual. Anthony I think you’ll like this video on how many choices affects our ability to chose:
http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/sheena_iyengar_on_the_art_of_choosing.html
Thanks. She’s the one that actually did the study!
I suffer from under application but just mostly as it pertains to pressing excercies. When it comes to building my chest and pressing strength up it definitely feels like I am fighting final boss battles (never was a huge Tetris player, big fan of old school boss battles from Mega Man and the like), and I never can seem to find that perfect method or mix of excercies to win. Hopefully dropping of bench for swiss bar floor press and weighted ring pushups will allow me to get the results I seek.
Mentally it is definitely somewhat difficult to drop bench completely especially when the first thing people ask is “how much you bench?”. But I definitely care more about looking good and being athletic than being real damn strong on one excercise that does very little for me.
When it comes to ice cream I like to keep it simple with Vanilla and carmel. Sundaes are fun when you get all the works every now and then but the staple for me is always basic.
Athletic Lifestyle Design
I no longer bench, and I too have trouble with pressing exercises. Damn them. I don’t flat bench though. Right now, it’s incline presses, overheads, and dips. Pretty standard. Caramel is nice. A little sweet for my tastes.
Talking about ice creams, what about frozen yogurts???
However, Anthony, this post is extremely important, particularly for us who are keen to programs hopping.
In my example, I’m in the fourth week of the training program that you recommended for the SF beginners, and doing intermittent fasting with carbs cycling as well. Even though I like it, once I got the mail from Nate Green and John Berardi about the new Scrawny to Brawny program, I’ve been teased to give it a try!!? Thanks to your posts, I will (probably) stick with the current program.
I’m among APC fans…
Ah, Zidar, yeah. I enjoy both of their work and this PN is a great resource. But I think their program is more about the mentoring aspect of things — someone that’s there to help guide you, not necessarily outrageously slick or new age programming.