Lessons learned in a decade of lifting

[drudixon]

Thought I'd close the decade by sharing a few things I've learned, many of them right here on this very site.

Just over 10 years ago, I was a smoking, boozing, lost person. A whopping 6' 148lbs. Through this journey I've learned how to love myself and appreciate all that life has given me. A lot has changed since then, but that's a subject for another time.

1 know why you're there. Changing your looks, setting prs, learning new things, being heakthy, meeting new friends, tickling your ocd are all valid reasons to get in and be in the gym. Knowing why you're there allows you to align goals and expectations appropriately.

2 keep it simple. Even the most advanced workouts used by elite athletes are remarkably simple. The mystery around dieting and supplements and workouts is amplified by a gross industry that wants to sell you something. They can't sell you anything if you eat eggs and squat.

3 sweating the small stuff is a waste of time. Your squat doesn't suck because you no longer get tingles from beta alanine, it's because you only do squats one day a week for 3 sets. Look at the big picture.

4 constantly changing programs is the best way to never know what works. Ideally any program should be run for at least 2 months and or as long as prescribed.

5 progression is the only empirical measure of success. Did the scale change, did arms get bigger, did you rep more weight? Many times I've felt like I was regressing only to look at my logs and realize that I was progressing.

6 there is volume, intensity and frequency. You can have a high amount of one, maybe two, but never all three. Trying leads to injuries and burnout.

7 whole foods are always superior. I've tried a lot of different supplements over the years and frankly the best results always came from simply eating more.

8 you don't need as much protein as you think (unless dieting) 300g protein is a total waste for anyone reading this post.

9 be willing to continue to learn and accept change. After 10 years I'm still tweaking form and learning new things. you can always get better at any age.

10 and lastly, be consistent. Fitness is very much a tortoise endeavor. You will not add 40 lbs lean mass in a year. You won't drop 10% body fat in a month. Figure out number 1, then match your diet and exercise to your goals and then just put one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you're well down the path.

As a completely average guy, hope this helps.

Feel free to add your learnings from the last decade.

[willybrokeback]

Nice post. Have fun and enjoy the ride.

[Jtbny]

Good list Dru. Happy New Year!

[OldFartTom]

... Just over 10 years ago, I was a smoking, boozing, lost person. A whopping 6' 148lbs....

Hey that's about my target weight I'm trying to cut to. How did you program that drinking and smoking to get it to work? Was it a grease the grove method? I'd quite like to get to 6' also, maybe I need to start smoking

[ElrondHubbard]

I haven't been lifting for a decade yet, so I'm trying to absorb as many lessons as I can.

[StinnerOzz]

9 be willing to continue to learn and accept change. After 10 years I'm still tweaking form and learning new things. you can always get better at any age.

After nearly 20 years of lifting I'm still tweaking, learning, and finding things that work better than when I enjoyed my greatest results in my 20s. There's always something you can learn something from for sure.

I agree on pretty much everything you said!

[Garthug]

Its really good to see something like this written out in front of me from time to time. I'm still new to the lifting world, but a list like this helps keep me grounded. I still haven't figured out #1 on the list. I want everything and still can't quite focus on something a little more concrete. Two more things I have on my personal list:

Set some concrete goals. If I have something to shoot for, it makes it a little easier to hit the gym on a day where I'm just not feeling it.

Listen to your body. Something I've learned the hard way. If I feel a tweak in my back, its better to shut it down for the day than to try to power through it. If my knee feels achy, skip that squat session and get back at it next time. "Marathon, not a sprint" is a phrase I tell myself frequently.

[Garage Rat]

Got four plus decades under my belt.
You'll continue to learn more and evolve and wish you had this knowledge at the beginning.

[Payton1221]

You killed it Dru, and unbelievably, reps STILL on spread

Happy new Year!

EDIT: Dru I just noticed that I joined bb.com two months after you

[drudixon]

Happy new year fam! Thanks for chiming in. Looking forward to the next decade. Enjoying the transition to learning Olympic weightlifting. Best yall

[Corbets]

Seems like I don't rep people often enough - you've been on spread for a while - but good sh*t. My 1.5 years of serious lifting agrees with all of that, for what it's worth. ;-)

[Vampirelol]

sound advice all around.

I'd add in, your health/longevity > all. Nobody cares about that 1RM PR and you can get as big if not bigger by being more conservative

[ectoBgone]

Wholeheartedly endorse it all. Congrats on the great transformation and discovered passion for the journey. On spread.

[bodyhard]

Great post, been training all my life and I never stop learning, but one thing I learn the most, its not rocket science and consistency is key over everything else.

[adamgentile]

Good stuff! My list would be very similar, and totally agree with you on the protein intake, glad I'm not the only one who feels that way.

[NorwichGrad]

Very good post.

I have nothing to add other than:

Taxation is theft.

Epstein didn't kill himself.

[x-trainer ben]

Great post Dru and number 9 jumps out at me the most, ok well number 8 and 10 too but in that order.

[Garrettm02]

Thought I'd close the decade by sharing a few things I've learned, many of them right here on this very site.

"They can't sell you anything if you eat eggs and squat."

This right here is the single most simplistic, glorious, accurate quote I have ever seen.

[zinji]

Thought I'd close the decade by sharing a few things I've learned, many of them right here on this very site.

Just over 10 years ago, I was a smoking, boozing, lost person. A whopping 6' 148lbs. Through this journey I've learned how to love myself and appreciate all that life has given me. A lot has changed since then, but that's a subject for another time.

1 know why you're there. Changing your looks, setting prs, learning new things, being heakthy, meeting new friends, tickling your ocd are all valid reasons to get in and be in the gym. Knowing why you're there allows you to align goals and expectations appropriately.

2 keep it simple. Even the most advanced workouts used by elite athletes are remarkably simple. The mystery around dieting and supplements and workouts is amplified by a gross industry that wants to sell you something. They can't sell you anything if you eat eggs and squat.

3 sweating the small stuff is a waste of time. Your squat doesn't suck because you no longer get tingles from beta alanine, it's because you only do squats one day a week for 3 sets. Look at the big picture.

4 constantly changing programs is the best way to never know what works. Ideally any program should be run for at least 2 months and or as long as prescribed.

5 progression is the only empirical measure of success. Did the scale change, did arms get bigger, did you rep more weight? Many times I've felt like I was regressing only to look at my logs and realize that I was progressing.

6 there is volume, intensity and frequency. You can have a high amount of one, maybe two, but never all three. Trying leads to injuries and burnout.

7 whole foods are always superior. I've tried a lot of different supplements over the years and frankly the best results always came from simply eating more.

8 you don't need as much protein as you think (unless dieting) 300g protein is a total waste for anyone reading this post.

9 be willing to continue to learn and accept change. After 10 years I'm still tweaking form and learning new things. you can always get better at any age.

10 and lastly, be consistent. Fitness is very much a tortoise endeavor. You will not add 40 lbs lean mass in a year. You won't drop 10% body fat in a month. Figure out number 1, then match your diet and exercise to your goals and then just put one foot in front of the other and before you know it, you're well down the path.

As a completely average guy, hope this helps.

Feel free to add your learnings from the last decade.

Ability of being constant, that works for me

[LWW]

I learned that, as long as I lift weights I can near starve myself and not get "skinny-fat", I lived off bread and pasta mostly for about a year or longer and only did high rep squats. I got real lean, but not very strong, it was an experimental time for me, it was the Obama years, the Bush years turned me somewhat progressive and I was living in a shack, barely working etc.

[tblodg15]

Great post!

(and I was actually able to "add rep" which is rare).

[DeepDishPlate]

Thanks for the advice and wisdom, as a relative noob it's nice to get confirmation that consistency is king and to keep an 80/20 approach to the rest.

Particularly liked "They can't sell you anything if you eat eggs and squat."