We could all do with being a little healthier. There are little things that we can do day in and day out to bring ourselves up to the level of health that we want. Look at the list below and read over it. I gurantee that you will learn something new as well as have old truths reaffirmed to you. Health is a complicated subject, and this done purposefully.
There are many people out there who would lose a lot of money if you were healthy or don’t want you healthy for other reasons. This includes the government, your doctors, and the medical establishment as a whole. Governments fear strong and smart populaces as strong and smart populaces don’t tolerate bullshit very long. Hence America has a very corrupt government because it’s population is neither strong nor smart. Likewise a healthy populace presents another problem. Factor that in with many want to reduce the world’s population and it’s a wonder we haven’t been told to ingest anti-freeze by the government and medical establishment (at least not yet). This is a topic I cover more in depth in my upcoming book Pareto Fitness designed to cut through all the B.S. that is out there surrounding health. What you see below may run counter to what you have heard. This is good as you have likely been given false information.
Now let’s get started.
The Tips
- Natural trainees are better off on full body routines as opposed to body part split routines
- Fat doesn’t make you fat, carbs make you fat
- Wheat is not good for you
- Most man made branded health foods are incredibly unhealthy
- Protein from powder and supplements is inferior to protein gotten from natural sources
- You need at least one gram of protein per pound of muscle you have a day
- Steak is delicious and good for you
- Fats are an essential part of feeling and looking your best
- Following the USDA Food Pyramid is a guaranteed way to have bad health
- The vast majority of doctors don’t want you to be healthy (it’d be bad for business)
- Stick to compound lifts over isolation
- Long distance running is a great way to be injured and weak
- Barbell complexes, Tabata method, and sprints are the best forms of conditioning and to peel off fat
- 5×5 is a just about, if not the best routine for new trainees
- All muscle magazines are crap
- Supplements are over-hyped and unless you have a specific deficiency, generally not worth it
- The overhead press is a safe exercise when done properly
- The squat is a safe exercise when done properly
- Every exercise done for the last one hundred or so years is safe when done properly
- Any exercise can be unsafe when done incorrectly
- The government does not want you healthy (or strong, or smart, or independent)
- The older a fitness book is generally the better it is (obviously there are some major exceptions here, just a general rule)
- The squat, deadlift, bench press, overhead press, row, pullup, and power clean should just about always be in your program
- There is no replacement for the back squat or deadlift
- Water is incredibly important, if your not getting at least eight or more glasses in a day don’t worry about anything else health wise and start doing so
- Mindset is a fundamental part of life, fitness is no exception to this
- Lifting and eating right gives people the body they were designed to have, it makes men muscular and strong and it makes women fit and curvy
- Weight training will not stunt your growth or make you slow (the stronger you get the fast you get given that you weight remains comparable)
- Strength is the base upon which all else is built (endurance, speed, power, even aesthetics)
- Squats will do more to make you abs standout than sit-ups ever will
- Your number one goal overall should be to add weight to the bar
- No supplement is a miracle supplement, remember they solve particular deficiencies that can usually be solved with correct diet, nothing more and nothing less
- The simpler a program the more effective it generally is
- Hard work matters more than what particular program that you are on
- If you’re eating the right foods you won’t have to worry about counting calories
- As far as calories go your bodyweight times nineteen is a good daily measure for adding muscle
- As far as calories go your bodyweight times sixteen is a good daily measure for maintaining muscle
- As far as calories go your bodyweight times twelve is a good daily measure for losing fat
- Remember your better off just eating the right foods for general health, use the above only for specific circumstances
- How much you eat equals size and weight, what you eat equals body composition and leaness
- Don’t get stressed (or at least keep stress levels as low as possible)
- The overhead squat is great for athletes (in addition to back squats and deadlifts), shoot for bodyweight for one rep (at least)
- If you play sports make sure you are doing some sort of jump and throw in your training
- Don’t look up during the overhead press
- Treat light weights heavy and heavy weights light
- Try to normally stay between fifteen and twenty five reps per exercise
- Women can tolerate a higher training volume relative to their one rep maximum than their male counterparts
- Most important part of a gym is the atmosphere (the attitude of the gym)
- Your better off buying an old rusty bar and lifting in your backyard than going to a Planet Fitness with all the bells and whistles
- The importance of water cannot be overstated
- Doing sets of twenty in the back squat is an excellent way to pack on muscle
- The body is one piece
- For the 5×5 routine is you get below fifteen reps your going too heavy and if you get all twenty five reps you need to add weight
- Abs on a skinny guy are like boobs on a fat chick, they don’t count
- Eat whole eggs
- Nature designed is greater than man designed when it comes to food
- There are no miracle health foods, just because a company is pimping the latest berry doesn’t mean its great for you
- You must be getting at least eight hours of sleep a night
- Figure out a routine that will help you sleep well
- For skin and hair health make sure getting in enough sleep, water, and fats
- Fats are needed for hormone optimization
- Stay away from fads they will generally lead you down the wrong path
- For the majority of your workouts stick with what is tried and true while adding in things here and there to test their effectiveness
- Athletes should include either speed lifts or Olympic lifts in their program
- Strength makes a world of difference in contact sports
- The strong athlete will often beat the more skilled athlete in contact sports
- Never limit what you can do
- The powerlifts (back squat, deadlift, and bench press) should form the core of your program
- The overhead press can be substituted for the bench press if needed (though should generally just work them both in and if training for a powerlifting meet do not drop the bench press)
- Read books written over fifty years ago (one hundred if you can find them), you won’t regret it
Remember
These are just to get you started or refresh your memory. There is a lot covered above. If this piqued your interest I would encourage you to check out my upcoming book Pareto Fitness.
If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it. You can follow me on Twitter here.
-Charles Sledge
I like the list. I’ve just coming off an insane schedule and am wanting to focus on my fitness again. Sadly, it’s been sliding the past couple of weeks due to unending work.
Happens to the best of us. Always good to get a refresher on the basics especially after a layoff.