Occasionally, I run the thought experiment of, “How would I train differently if I had my time again?”.
My most recent conclusion goes as follows:
Easily the biggest mistake I made was right at the beginning when I jumped into lifting weights (and only lifting weights) without doing sufficient preparatory work.
It’s important to keep in mind that I started as a Very Fat 19 year old who hadn’t played sport regularly, let alone seriously, since I was maybe 12 or 13 (and even then I played goalie in hockey, so my “sporting activity” mostly involved standing behind my dad who was acting as a windbreak while all the action was happening on the other side of the field).
Hence, I’d developed barely any proprioception (sense of the body in space), hand-eye coordination, cardiorespiratory capacity, or strength meaning my ability to safely and effectively execute the various barbell, dumbbell, and machine movements was sorely lacking.
The result?
Some pretty gnarly injuries, including one to my lower back that in all likelihood set the stage for the catastrophic damage I did to my entire posterior chain a little while later that derailed my training for literally years.
And, less seriously albeit no less meaningfully, I made a lot less progress in those early days than I otherwise might have done, so I’d probably be a lot further along having achieved things I will almost certainly never achieve now because I am too old.
None of this is to say that what I did was entirely wrong.
If you are only going to do one form of exercise then you could pick lot worse than lifting weights a handful of times per week, using a simple full body training programme that consists mostly of the core barbell lifts (squats, presses, etc), supplemented by modest amounts of dumbbell, machine, and bodyweight work (mostly for arms and calves but also to bring up weak points).
But upon reflection, I have come to understand that taking such a narrow view is equal parts lazy and dumb.
Much better would be the approach I wrote for my eldest daughter to follow when she is old enough and have subsequently published in the form of a very expensive book.
It’s robust, flexible, and, above all, balanced enough to produce results that last a lifetime, even if you’d rather scoop your eyeballs out with a rusty fork than have your life revolve around training (the best attitude to have, in my biased opinion).
However.
I am not joking when I say the book is very expensive, which is why I have opted to take a bit of the sting out of the price by offering anyone who purchases it before Friday the 16th at 23:59 (that’s tomorrow) a bonus private 1-1 call with me.
The call is one hour long and the time is yours to use as you see fit.
Some have used the calls to have me critique their current programme (up to and including creating a new one from scratch). Others come prepared with a question or series of questions they want answering.
If you would like to use the hour in some other way, that’s fine. As I said, the time is yours to do with what you will.
But you must purchase the book before the deadline (Friday the 16th at 23:59, which is tomorrow as of this sending) to get a call.
Here’s what’s inside the book, if I have piqued your interest:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/chronicles/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman