Mike Chang

To end my blog, I thought I'd isolate a case example of an enterprise that has contributed to the confusion of the fitness industry. If you haven't read any of my blogs up to this point, one of my main goals is to sift through the jumbled mess of information that the commercial fitness industry has presented to the public and preach the truth.

Put simply, Mike Chang is my antithesis. So, who is he?

Mike Chang used to run a youtube channel called "Six Pack Shortcuts" (I'm not sure why he doesn't run it anymore). If you've read any of my blogs in the past, you can deduce simply from the name of his channel that his entire enterprise is based on lies, misconceptions, and false premises. "Shortcuts" implies that Mike will be telling you secrets and magical methods to achieving success that don't require any hard work. You might be able to deduce why this bothers me: the entire purpose of my blog is to demonstrate that quick & easy methods don't work!

If you don't believe me as to Mike's flawed moral character, here's some stuff he's done:

- Released a video claiming that you can gain muscle using a towel to work out

- Marketed a common pre-workout supplement as "Mike's Magic Red Drink"

- Saying that eating a lot of fat can get you ripped

- Saying in another video that you have to avoid fat to get ripped

- He doesn't have a six pack even though that's the name of his channel
- According to his FFMI, he is likely a steroid user

I'm not the only one who hates Mike. The fitness YouTube channels "Vegan Gains" and "Omarisuf" have both produced videos specifically to point out Mike Chang's flaws. I do not exaggerate when I say that Mike Chang epitomizes everything that I've aimed to reconcile in the past 9 blogs.

I thought I'd end this blog with a bang. This rant that characterizes the very reason I wanted to write this blog in the first place: to exfoliate the deep-rooted misconceptions in the fitness industry.  This blog may seem a bit too angry, but people like Mike literally make people's lives worse. Polluting the general public's knowledge of fitness can have adverse health effects and cause people to be upset from not meeting the unreasonable goals that are set out for them.

If I can end one on point, it's this: The fitness industry plays on people's desires for quick results. We all want things fast, and corporations know this. No matter how amazing the results that a product promises are, always remember to never follow an Evil Shortcut to Six Pack Abs.

How Do I Grow Muscle?

The secret to growing muscle: you've got to use steroids. There is no other way. Just go to your local drug dealer, buy some steroids, inject them into your arm, and watch the results happen. I've never endorsed anything more in my life. There are no harmful side effects of using steroids. I don't know why anyone keeps complaining about them! Plus, if you don't use them, you actually have to have a strategy in the gym in order to build muscle.

I hope you figured out I was kidding. Yea, you should never use steroids (they're illegal). For the average natural person, the muscle building process isn't that easy. However, it is not complex. In this post, I'm going to lay out the foundational knowledge needed in order to build muscle.

1) To build muscle, you must achieve progressive overload. 
Progressive overload is exactly what it sounds like. Over time, if you lift heavier and heavier weights, your body will respond by growing muscle. It's best to do this slowly, making sure that your form stays intact even as the weights get heavier and heavier. If you try to achieve progressive overload too quickly, you might develop muscular imbalances. Eventually, imbalances can lead to injury, so it's best to pace yourself with progressive overload!

2) To build muscle, you must have time under tension (TUT)
TUT, like progressive overload, is exactly what it sounds like: the amount of time (uninterrupted) that your muscles are under tension in a given exercise. If you have at least 60 seconds of TUT for a given set, you will create the muscle-building stimulus. Many people talk about rep ranges, saying that 1-6 reps should be followed for strength gains, and 8-12 for muscle building. There is a correlation between higher reps and higher amount of muscle, but the causal factor is the TUT.

3) To build muscle, you must eat.
 It's common sense, but people seem to forget this: if you're not eating enough protein and consuming enough calories, your body simply can't build muscle regardless of how well you train in the gym. Each fitness website will say something different as to how much protein should be consumed. I'm no nutritionist, but what I know is that everyone is different. Some people can get by consuming less protein than others. In general, however, having 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight per day tends to work best.

4) To build muscle, you must perform compound movements.
A compound movement is one that involves multiple muscle groups, such as the bench press, squat, deadlift,  or overhead press. An exercise that involves a single muscle group is called an isolation movement. Both types of movements should be used; however, compound movements are the bread and butter of lifting weights. Since they work multiple muscle groups, they're a "two birds with one stone" type of deal.

I am no kinesiologist. Nevertheless,  I know that these four principles, if strictly adhered to, will produce muscle gains. At the end of the day, building muscle takes a long time, but the process doesn't require a lot of complex research. It's simply a matter of discipline, patience, and hard work.

My Inspiration

I think way too often about what I want to do with my life. I'm sure any of you reading this do too. I think most of us (except the lucky few) are still pretty lost about our career goals, life goals, and finding ourselves. This stage of life is generally a transitional one.

Yet, we all love to have those people in our lives who have their shit together, and who can tell us that we will figure things out, and everything will be okay. For me, that person has always been my brother, Jonah. Jonah is a senior at the University of Pittsburgh studying exercise science. He has an exceptional gift for Ultimate Frisbee; he captains Pitt's A Team which has won several national championships. He is by far the most knowledgable, hard-working, and dedicated person I know.

Now, you're probably wondering, "what does this have to do with Evil Shortcuts or Six Pack Abs?" Well, I thought I'd err on the motivational and existential side of fitness this week, just to shake things up.

As compared to Jonah, I'm severely less knowledgable about exercise science and less disciplined. I often go to him for advice. But the main benefit in fitness that I get from having him as a brother is asking myself the question, "what would Jonah do?" Essentially, I try to use him (even when he's not there) to guide my decisions in the gym. Should I do another set? Will I get hurt? Is my technique right? What would Jonah do?

We should all have a Jonah in our lives; a person whose spirit lives within us and who without, we could not get through the day. This isn't to say people shouldn't be self-reliant, but I also think we'd be fooling ourselves to say that we could survive emotionally on our own. Anyways, the Jonah's of the fitness industry can guide gym goers in many ways. George Leeman, former holder of the American Raw Deadlift Record, uses the memory of his deceased brother every time he attempts a heavy lift in order to get himself into the appropriate state of mind. According to him, he has used his brother as motivation for many years since his death, and each time he brings him back into memory, he will undoubtedly get fired-up.

Yes, someone could make significant strength and conditioning gains without having an inspiration. However, Leeman shows us that there is a wealth of benefits waiting for us as soon as we incorporate a Jonah into our lives.

The message of this post is larger than Jonah or George themselves. You shouldn't be afraid to take advantage of whatever becomes available to improve yourself in the gym, whether it be going with a friend, bringing music, rewarding yourself with an ice cream cone, etc. Work smarter not harder! There is no limit to what you can accomplish if you are willing to explore the ways in which you can achieve your goals more efficiently, easily, and with more excitement.

I Want to Start Lifting, But...

My mom and I are very close. We often discuss our interests, concerns, problems, and worries with one another. Perhaps to her annoyance, I never shut up about lifting. I am obsessed, addicted, and in love with this transformative hobby; I can't get it out of my head. So until I curl my last curl, bench my last press, and push my last up; my mom won't stop hearing about my iron addiction.

During one of my gym rants, a thought ran through my head. I asked my mom, "Hey mom, why haven't you ever lifted?" She responded, "I don't want to look too bulky." Oh, Mom. It appears she has fallen victim to the topic of today's blog post: The "bulk" misconception. 

So, what is this misconception? From what I've heard in talking to people (mainly women), it seems that many people think that if someone lifts weights, they'll look like this: 

This misconception is understandable; as I've mentioned in an earlier post, the stereotypical bodybuilder looks like that ^. This makes it too easy to associate lifting with ridiculous, arguably unattractive physiques. The truth: lifting weights can actually make someone look better (regardless of gender). No, it will NOT make women look bulky, unless, of course, they want to look bulky. 

Honestly, I wish it were that easy. If I could get big just from lifting for a couple weeks, that would make this whole gym effort a piece of cake. But unfortunately, it's not. 

"Bulkiness" or size comes from a muscular process known as "hypertrophy" (pronounced hyper-trophy). It's important to understand that hypertrophy takes a long time: it will take you months of lifting to see noticeable muscle gains. Additionally, women have significantly lower levels of testosterone than men. Thus, the hypertrophic process takes even longer for women. Additionally, lifting doesn't have to include hypertrophy. If someone trains in the 1-6 rep range, they will experience very little hypertrophy but still be able to get stronger. If you were still worried about looking bulky, you can make the simple choice to be in a caloric maintenance (burning as many calories as you consume), which will further prevent hypertrophy. 

Overall, hypertrophy is harder to induce than it is to prevent. Yes, lifting will change the way someone looks; but in most cases, it will make a person look better (and yes, that includes women)! I'm not saying that looking good should be the goal of lifting; nor am I saying that people have to say "screw others opinion of me!" and bulk up just for the sake of lifting. My point is that lifting will not drastically change your appearance unless you will it. 

Let's admit it: we all worry about our appearance. It's perfectly fine to do that. (assuming that it is not making someone's life miserable, such as in a body-image disorder) Despite the adage "Don't worry about what others think of you," it is almost impossible to do that. In my opinion, we should embrace the part of us that wants to look good, but not prioritize it. That being said, I can understand the root of this misconception, and why on the surface it is valid. 

Photo credits to Gunter Schlierkamp

Shame and Judgement

Close your eyes. Now imagine a world where your weight determines your success. If you're too skinny or too fat, your chances of happiness are low. Not only that- you also receive the blame for not being the perfect weight. People won't describe you as "Joe" or "Sarah," they'll say you're "that fat guy Joe," or "that skinny bitch Sarah." Now open your eyes.

There's two notable things about this scenario. First, you must have read with your eyes closed. That's pretty cool. Secondly, while it's not something many of us would like to admit, this scenario reflects reality. Yes, it does sounds extreme, but allow me to explain why I believe that our society has gone to this extent in "fat shaming," how it has gotten to this point, and why this societal perspective breeds harm.

In high school, I had a group of five friends who were all very close to me. I loved them; however, they often said stuff that didn't quite sit right with me. For example, there was a girl in our school whom they despised, and she happened to be overweight. They'd often say, "stop being so fat" when talking about her (not to her face of course). There are many things wrong with saying this statement, so I'll isolate a few. First, it assumes that being fat is "wrong." Second, it suggests that she could be skinny if she wanted to be. Finally, and the worst of all, it implies that they themselves have developed the work ethic to control their weight regardless of what their basal metabolic rate was. 

Let me clarify that last statement: someone's basal metabolic rate is the amount of calories they burn per day at rest. We are all born with a different basal metabolic rate due to genetics. This means that for some, staying at a healthy weight doesn't require any effort. For others, staying at a healthy weight requires a good deal of hard work. Unfortunately, many people don't understand this, and they assume that an overweight person has become overweight because they're lazy. This perpetuates the subconscious guilt that many overweight people feel. Assuming that laziness is the cause of obesity, as my friends did with their comment, largely oversimplifies the issue.

To reconcile the common oversimplification of this issue, we as a society need to reinforce several concepts: 1) No one should feel guilty for being overweight. 2) Someone's basal metabolic rate often determines how much work is required to stay at a healthy weight, and thus 3) No one should be judged for their weight. Just as is the case if you observe a cigarette smoker on the street; if you don't know the person, you cannot judge their situation. You have no idea how they've gotten to that point in life. It could be a variety of factors, many of which could be out of their control. 

Of course, I'm not suggesting that society should encourage being overweight or underweight. We must educate our children on the best ways to live a healthy lifestyle, the best choices for living a long life, and the methods to sustain those lifestyles. Still, we need to also teach that when a child's circumstances prohibit them from executing those methods of living a healthy lifestyle, they should not be labeled as "lazy," "worthless," or viewed in any negative light. We must educate people on the complexity of this whole issue, and how thus making quick judgments is inappropriate. Stop fat-shaming! 

Too Much Hard Work

"Hard work is the key to success." Yes, I know, how original I am. Think of all the posters, ads, and quotes that have ingrained this idea! Success being linked to hard work has been a common theme throughout the history. All of the greatest musicians, scientists, philosophers, and politicians that this world has seen have had humungous work ethics. If you want to succeed, there is no way around it; you must work hard.

However, I'd like to make a ridiculous proposal: too much hard work is bad thing. Yes, I know this goes against the highly romanticized idea of the direct correlation between hard work and success; but, I think that this issue has been simplified to a fault. There are many more factors to success than just hard work, and how much work someone should put in to something entirely depends on the context. To reconcile this misconception, I'm going to provide an analogy. Yes- you guessed it- that analogy involves fitness! 

So in our analogy, let's examine a fictional character Julia. Julia is a healthy 21 year-old female who regularly engages in cardiovascular exercise. However, Julia's friend Dave had always talked about how much he loves lifting, so Julia decided to give it a try. After about a month of lifting 2-3 times a week, Julia was hooked. She decided that she'd like to compete in strength-training events, so she immediately upper her frequency: she began lifting 4-5 times a week, spending about 2 hours in the gym trip. While she still loved strength-training, she sometimes had to force herself to come to the gym. Workouts were becoming more of a chore and less of something to look forward to. But, after a year of lifting, Julia competed in a powerlifting meet and placed second. Great job Julia! 

At the same time Julia began lifting, another woman named Denise (also a healthy 21 year-old female) also began lifting. Like Julia, Denise quickly fell in love with strength training. Denise was lifting about 2-3 times a week. She wanted to go to the gym more frequently, but her work schedule didn't allow her to. For Denise the gym served as an oasis from the nagging worries that normally just wouldn't leave her alone. As a result, she looked forward to every gym trip. After a year of lifting (like Julia), Denise competed in a powerlifting meet and placed 1st, just above Julia!

What these examples demonstrate directly contradicts the "hard work = success" ideology. Julia worked harder than Denise, but still achieved roughly the same results. Denise's trips to the gym didn't feel like hard work, but Julia's did. From these examples, we learn that after a certain point (especially in the fitness considering the limits of the human body), hard work becomes futile. There is a limit to how much hard work someone can put in before whatever they're working on simply can't grow or progress. This is especially true with the human body. A 30 minute workout can grow just as much muscle as 3-hour workout. In fact, some of the world's best powerlifters only train once a week! From these examples we also learn that sometimes, putting in less work can make the work itself more enjoyable. This will allow for sustainability, and less of a chance of the person wanting to quit.

I'm not saying that people shouldn't work hard. I still think that success requires hard work. However, people (especially those in the fitness industry) need to step back and examine the situation they're in. They need to make sure that their hard work is being applied in the most efficient way possible and that most importantly, they're having fun. Unfortunately, most problems have a complex solution, and this misconception that "hard work = success" convinces people that the path to achieving their goals is simple and clear-cut. This is simply not the case. But, if someone is willing to embrace the complexity and the importance of context of any situation they're in, they will be much more likely to succeed. 

The Strength Curve

Listen to this: I can get you ripped, rock-hard abs in five days. I guarantee. The secret is at the end of this post. But don't skip to the end, otherwise this trick that personal trainers HATE will lose its value.

Okay, so if you're human, you probably skipped to the end. Curiosity got the best of you. Don't sweat it, though, no one will know ;). Now, if you didn't look at the end yet, look now, and you'll notice that there is no hidden secret. I was lying! I piqued your interest by promising something attractive and desirable; however, I ended up giving you nothing at all. 

While this example might seem rather silly, lofty promises are made all of the time in the fitness industry. They never fail to produce no results,  make the customers waste their money, and most importantly, skew the client's perception of progress over time. An ad may read something like this: "3-Day Ab Workout for a Shredded Six-Pack." All of these advertisements play on the same aspect of human nature: people's desire to get stuff fast. You'll never see an ad that says "Follow this moderate diet and exercise program to get a six-pack in 5 months." While the latter is a more effective approach, people will always go for the faster "3-day" method. Today, we'll look at how the fitness industry has made people believe in the existence of "quick results", and also how someone can reconcile their resulting skewed perception of progress over time.

Somehow, the fitness industry makes people believe that many ridiculous feats are possible- that obese people can transform in a matter of days, that someone can build 20 pounds of muscle in three months, or that a bloated belly can turn into rock-hard abs within minutes. How can they do this? How can they make people believe such implausible outcomes? For one, they might show people who were able to actually achieve the results. Unfortunately, the people they show are often genetic anomalies, steroid-users, or liars. But, since many people don't realize the immense role that genetics and steroid use play in fitness, they'll believe that "if the person on the cover of the magazine did it, so can I!" Additionally, many people (not all) are lazy. They don't want to admit to themselves that progress will take a long time, so they'll continually buy into the industry tricks.

If someone has continually bought into these false promises, how can they regain a correct perception of how long progress in fitness takes? Quite simply, people have to realize that progress always takes a long time. Progression matters more than the speed at which someone is progressing. You have your entire life to make progress, and you should be in no hurry. If you're ever wondering how long it will take to lose weight, gain muscle, gain strength, get faster, etc., the answer will always be the same: a long time.

I touched on this concept in an earlier blog, but the piece of wisdom that people overlook when they chase after quick results is this: it matters less about fitness and itself and more about what someone can learn from fitness. If gaining 20 pounds of muscle takes three years, so be it. The hard work that goes into reaching a goal builds character. 20 pounds of muscle is cool, but 20 pounds of character is even cooler.