How to fix mental problems with training
Lately, I’ve become burned out on training. Worst I’ve felt in the seventeen years I’ve been at it, actually. Not physically. I’m healthy and uninjured (aside from the little aches and pains that are par for the course when you train hard, and don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise). Performance in the gym is […]
I’m many things, but a quitter ain’t one of them
If the rumours are to be believed, come November, we’re in an act of financial pedication unlike anything since probably the “temporary” introduction of income tax to fund the Napoleonic wars. Like, for example, the rumoured removal of VAT exemptions. Which, as the purveyor of informative and entertaining fitness books and newsletters would obviously have […]
The tragedy of the foolish builders
What’s interesting about a lot of the “pre-steroid” era bodybuilders and sportspeople is the strong “anti-steroid” stance many of them adopted once these substances exploded onto the scene. With some even going as far as to claim a hearty diet would produce results equal to or greater than anabolic steroids (for example, Vince Gironda allegedly […]
Is training just once weekly “enough”?
Behold a question from a reader (asked me to keep him anon): === “I’ve kind of resigned myself to a steady state of one session a week, solid full body. And on hard run a week. Is that going to be enough?” === Response: One is better than none. Moreover, it’s better to do one […]
A remedy for when you feel like you don’t measure up
If you’ve ever felt disheartened seeing monstrous loads being shifted by monstrous humans (who are almost always taking monstrous amounts of pharma), a great remedy is to read articles penned before 1960 or thereabouts. Like, for example, this letter published in the August 1947 issue of the York Barbell Company’s “Strength and Health” magazine (which […]
My secret sauce
Is the fact that I am a 5’ 7” bald manlet who has no special genes, according to Jess anyways. What she means is that everything I have (being strong and in shape, not to mention her and our three immaculately behaved children) is what I have won through persistent effort. Take note: “Persistant” not […]
Top 4 reasons people don’t subscribe to The Phil Tyreman Letter
Are thus: Reason One: They can’t afford it At least, that’s what they tell themselves. A subscription costs £20 per month, a sum basically anyone in gainful employment can spare (and the few who genuinely can’t would probably benefit more from getting their financial house in order than reading about training on the internet). Those […]
The road less travelled
Behold a point I’ve made before (and will doubtless make again and again and again): Broadly speaking, you have two options for getting strong and in shape. The first is to decide to go “all in” on your training and probably your diet as well, vastly increasing one or a combination of the volume, frequency, […]
Ideas for when you get bored of your routine
“More lifters fail because they are bored with training than for any other reason. Static exercise programs don’t give results, are monotonous and interest in training soon ebbs when they are followed for any length of time.” So sayeth Reg Park in an article he penned in 1951 on the topic of “Irregular Training” (you […]
How to develop a “cellular level” understanding of training
Easily one of the most effective ways to improve the quality of your workouts is to write them out by hand in a notebook. It’s something I did for the first four or five years I trained and I credit it with not only building a rock solid foundation of strength and muscle that I’m […]