Training For Failure (Why you aren’t making gains) by Jerry Brainum 8/25

 

 

When I began training at the age of 12, there were few sources of information on how to train correctly. A few books on resistance training existed, but these primarily focused on rehabilitative techniques rather than how to build muscle and increase muscular strength. Information about training was gleaned from observing how others trained and from bodybuilding magazines. While the magazines were inspiring with their photographs of bodybuilding champions, they could also be misleading and unrealistic. As a teenage novice bodybuilder, I followed the routines published in the magazines. I recall following the published workout routine of Val Vasileff, the 1964 Mr. America winner. Val had an impressive physique and was strong, able to curl a 105-pound dumbbell with one hand. So, I followed his training routine, hoping to emulate his success at least partially. However, with all due respect to Val, his listed routine was preposterous. The chest workout alone consisted of approximately 40 sets, including 15 sets of various pullover exercises. The routine featured a split workout, training different muscles on different days for six days a week. Completing each workout, because of the extensive training volume it entailed, took me about 6 to 8 hours to complete. I went to the gym after school and trained each day until the gym closed at 10 p.m. They would have to throw me out of the gym. Despite the gross overtraining, I still made some gains, especially in my chest. I developed a giant ribcage that I still have after all these years.

Therefore, the lack of sensible bodybuilding training information at the time was at least an excuse to justify incorrect training techniques. Moving on to the present day, where training information is readily available. Countless videos, blogs, and articles on the Internet offer "science-based" information about the best training techniques to build muscle and increase strength. While much of this information is accurate and valuable, much is nonsense. Anyone can post a video or write a blog about how to train without having any noteworthy background, success, or basic knowledge. Even some people you would typically consider experts, such as those holding advanced degrees in exercise physiology and related fields, often get it wrong. In most cases, this occurs when they venture outside their specialties, such as when an exercise physiologist becomes an expert in nutrition despite having no formal education or knowledge in that area.

Training information is plentiful and readily available, unlike in the past. It's mystifying to go to a gym and observe that nearly everyone training there doesn't seem to know how to train effectively. I know this is true at the gym where I train, the famous Gold's Gym in Venice, California. This was the training headquarters . . .