Your Principles

Without being an arsehole, that feels like a good lesson to learn from lifting. That life isn’t fair.

I’m one of the luckiest 99.99999% of humans to ever inhabit this planet to be born where I was, when i was and with this pretty a face so the fact that some select few people are born richer/smarter/with better bicep peaks than me seems like a pretty silly thing to worry my mind with.

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Most guys find out life isn’t fair after using a public urinal.

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I don’t think there is such a thing as “life principles” beyond try your best to be empathetic and kind. I think people attempt to create “life principles” largely in an attempt to make themselves feel better and to explain whatever successes they’ve found in life.

Everyone’s lives are far too disparate to allow such principles to apply. It is easier to think about these things when you’re talking to folks in the same (or similar) socioeconomic) “zone” to yours.

I think this is actually similar to how T3hPwnisher described nutritional habits. He called it “nutritional voodoo” earlier and I feel that’s deliberate wording. It works for him but no guarantee it works for others.

“life principles” are a lot like that to me- they will work for some but not for others; because things are different between people and the shit they face on a daily basis.

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Give “Under The Bar” from Dave Tate a read.

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Wendler has a good take on this in a table talk. To paraphrase he says “Put your stake in the ground and declare that This is where I stand.”.

These guiding principals are our stakes in the ground and define how we do things, personal boundaries, what ever one wants them to be.

I think this is being overly dismissive of other’s principles. For one, some people don’t even have “be empathetic and kind” as principles. Second, principles can absolutely explain success. @dchris was homeless at one point, and, without putting words in his mouth, I think his work ethic is intertwined with principles he has about the type of results that hard work generates. Pwn has shown pictures of himself prior to looking like he does now, and he won’t be offended when I say he wasn’t a genetic specimen. In fact, it’s more of a compliment, because his lifting principles have led to him getting bigger and stronger in the face of some pretty fucked up injuries.

I also think you’ve misunderstood Pwn’s “nutritional voodoo”. Being more hungry and eating less food works for everyone when they want to lose fat. The entire point of the ‘simple but not easy’ discussion was that yes, eating less makes you lose weight, and yes, it works for everyone.

I could be wrong, but the attitude I see in this post is the reason why people come on here and say that yes, they’ve done everything right but their situation is just different and that’s why they don’t have results, when in fact, it’s just them and their choices preventing them from getting anywhere. Outside of extreme circumstances, hard work and discipline yield results.

I understand what you’re getting at with the last sentence too, but I would just say that different people have different principles. Your principles don’t have to apply to anyone else. Ted Bundy’s principle was to kill people and fuck their dead bodies. And boy, did he follow his principle to a T.

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Sorry about that

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you point is very valid; however, @magick’s perspective is definitely applicable in my case.
I was extremely arrogant in thinking that I can have established “life principles” outside of basic decent human behaviour at my age

Just to let you know, since the discussion has veered elsewhere, @dchris made that life principles topic in off topic.

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I swear, it gets bigger when it’s angry.

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Best comeback ever!

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This is actually how I came to become a fan of Eric Bugenhagen. Puts out lots of short clips of him doing absolutely absurd stuff. Also seems to have some real solid principles of his own.

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X 2 on Bugenhagen

The guy just goes for it. Very difficult not to feel inspired by his mindset

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If memory serves, this was Ireland? If so, this:

with this pretty a face

does not seem credible.

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I believe there are diets dedicated to just that, actually. LOL.

Jokes on you, I was born in Brum.

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Great thread. Just like most lifters, i have my own principles whether they make sense or not.

  1. Train 3 days a week and never train 2 days in a row.
  • I cant recover from 4 workouts and feel exhausted. 2 workouts just dont cut it. 3 days give me a great balance between lifting and family life. We have a 17 month son so family life is really tiring.
  1. Weigh yourself every morning on an empty stomach and without clothes.
  • It doesnt matter if im trying to lose or gain weight, i do this 365 days a year without exceptions. I dont track macros or count calories so scale is my main guide for reaching my goals.
  1. Train in 6-10 rep range.
  • I rarely go lower or higher. I use the same rep ranges for both upper and lower body. 15-20 reps in calves and abs only. ( I almost never train these 2 )
  1. Increase carbs if you want to gain weight.
  • My diet is almost %80 plant based. High protein carbs like legumes, pasta, oats, whole wheat bread are my main foods. If i want to gain weight like nowadays i increase them and add some simple carbs as well. My fat and animal protein consumption dont change at all.
  1. Eat more on rest days.
  • On rest days my body is always sore from previous day’s workout so i eat more. I believe most people do the opposite.
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Did you get the accent too? He giveth and he taketh away.

Luckily no, we moved when I was 2. To Cheltenham actually, so I talk proper now

Nice part of the world that, not far from me.

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