“feels like the internet just supercharges everything out of all moderation and pushes everyone to compete in a really extreme way. It’s the reason I liked your stuff when I came across it – no crazy mad promises – but really direct. It’s unique!”
So opined a former client and now good friend of mine over WhatsApp the other day.
He ain’t wrong.
I think most are aware that the internet, and social media in particular, is built to reward the extremes of which he speaks.
It’s why I don’t begrudge those who are doing the needful to get clicks. Sure, I’ll call dumb training and dietary methods dumb, and dangerous habits like TRT abuse dangerous, but you’ll never see me attacking specific individuals posting about that stuff.
They’re just trying to make a living at the end of the day. What’s more, my engaging in “call out” content would be a spectacular own goal as it would only serve to drive more eyeballs towards those I disagree with. If only my own gaggle of detractors had the intellectual fortitude to figure this out…
Forgive me, I digress.
Returning to the topic at hand, I take the same approach with my online presence as I do with my training:
I look at what everyone else is doing and then do the polar opposite.
It’s certainly resulted in me getting stronger and more in shape than the overwhelming majority of men in their 30s (and a sizeable chunk of the younger cohort), let alone fathers of multiple children, with all of the extra demands little ones bring… and… I’ve been able to do it all without ever touching a steroid or other illicit substance, all the while maintaining a full and varied life outside of training.
Obviously I don’t look as good as the guys who take the naughty juice, keep track of their workouts on sixteen different spreadsheets, weigh every morsel of food that passes their lips, and so on.
But I’ve achieved enough to set a great example to my wife (who adapts my various approaches to suit her own purposes) and three kids (the eldest of whom demands I supervise her little workouts before school most mornings).
And that, to my mind, is sufficient.
But.
And it is a big but.
You will struggle to find stuff online that isn’t by and for those who devote their every breath to the pursuit of fitness.
This wasn’t always the case. The internet of the 2000s was a place where you could quickly and easily find mountains of thought provoking, long-form material on independent websites explaining sustainable ways to get strong and in shape.
And then social media took off in a big way and it got buried.
Bother.
Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom.
Because, if you are interested in exercising your grey matter so you can better exercise your muscles… and… you’re OK with working Very Hard for a Long Time before you see meaningful results… and… you’ve a spare £5 knocking about, you’ll likely enjoy:
“Phil Tyreman’s Big Book of Fitness”
Five books for five pounds giving you not only a first class fitness education that’s hard to find these days but also plenty enough to keep you occupied for many months and maybe even years if you gel with my methods.
But first, educate yourself about what’s inside so you can make an informed purchasing decision:
https://philtyreman.co.uk/big/
Thank you,
Phil Tyreman