With the wide spread use of the internet as it is now there is a large amount of free information out there for all to see.  Now upon creation, I doubt those early users of the internet and of course the self proclaimed inventor Al Gore sure didn’t see the culture of trolls, misinformation, and general idiocy coming about.  The internet allows us to find all sorts of treasure troves of information and in turn allow people to become self stylized “Guru’s” of just about everything out there.  In the fitness and nutrition industry this is particularly true.  Someone, somewhere, read an article that said you should never do X, always do Y, and avoid doing Z too much.  They are so devout in their beliefs that they will fight vehemently against those who oppose no matter what sort of opposing information they may be presented.  This has resulted in 150 lb “Guru’s” telling veterans of the iron game that they will surely die if they continue to do something they have been doing for 20 years.  That they won’t get big (even though the vet may outweigh the Guru by 100 lbs of muscle), they won’t get lean, or they won’t meet their goal if they do something one way or another.  This is not sparta, no, no, this is the internet.

Recently, I had yet another one of these instances of someone who can barely squat 225, tell me that I of course shouldn’t do something a particular way in my training, because of course they know everything.  Well here’s the thing, what takes someone from 225 to say 405 isn’t necessarily going to take someone from 405 to even 495 and then again from there to say 750.  Yet, in the age of the internet, he who has read the most current article knows best.  Even though I out squat, deadlift, bench, etc. said person and I have trained people of every caliber from the total beginner that is 12 to the internationally competitive athlete, I do not know what I am doing compared to this person that has minimal results to speak of but has read everything on the internet.  Even though my results in my own training as well as the success of my clients, in my opinion speaks volumes, I must not know what I’m doing because I haven’t read the latest article that says I should only eat carbs at X time and that eating too much fat will undoubtedly just kill me.

In the world of fitness, simply listen to people who have done what you are seeking to do.  I’m not going to go tell a super heavyweight looking to squat a grand that what they’re doing is all wrong.  They squat more than me, so something must have been done right.  Does that mean the stronger person knows everything?  Absolutely not, but it does mean they have walked the path and taken things to a new level and those experiences should not be discounted.

If I want to learn to squat a grand, I’ll talk to the person that’s done it.  If I want to get super super lean and hop on stage to do a bodybuilder show I’ll contact competitors or nutritionists who have done it.  I’m not going to listen to the trainer at the commercial gym who looks as though he’s never trained and carrying a gut for fat loss advice.  I’m not going to ask the kid that struggles benching 225 how I can get my bench to 500.

Just remember, what you know should be evolving.  Don’t be dogmatic in your beliefs, continue learning, continue striving for more knowledge and success.  Talk and train with people who are BETTER than your current self.  Learn from them.  If the internet warriors simply fought as hard for success and strength and muscle as they did on some of their e-penis measuring there would be a lot less mediocrity and more success as a whole.

And for those of you that may be an internet warrior thinking you always know the best way and that your way is the only right way, you’re moronic.

I don’t claim to have the best way of training or nutrition or recovery.  But I do have experiences, I have found ways of doing things that work for myself and work for others.  If I say something on here regarding a way of training or eating then it’s because I’ve seen success with it, not because I think it’s the only way to do it.  In this short life I’ve had so far, I’ve found there are many different ways of getting from point A to point B and not every way is for every person.  

I coach for results, not for a belief.  If I found that wearing a pink tutu while squatting would give me 50 lbs on my squat I’d do it.  Find ways to meet your goals, to get the success your wanting.  Climb the mountain of adversity and misinformation and find what works for you.  If you can’t seem to meet your goals then start seeking out help from people that have already surpassed those goals and have walked the walk.  Don’t talk to the fat person about getting shredded, don’t ask the weakling how to get strong, and don’t give your money to a crack addict expecting a return on investment.

Generally it’s upon work-load though it also depends where I am in my training phase. I could care less about hypertrophy - and in doing so I never have an issue putting on size. Simply lift heavy shit, eat lots of food, and you’ll grow. I basically let my weight travel up until I get to the upper range of my ability to make weight and then I’ll tighten lower the carbs slightly, up the volume (usually during an accumulation phase), and get my bodyfat down a bit and a bit lower in the spectrum of my weight range. Then I repeat the process of allowing my weight to go up, all the time making increases in strength and then holding on to as much strength as possible while coming back down. Essentially I recomp my body as a stronger self. 

No my accessory isn’t much like the stuff in 5/3/1. My accessory work is based upon MY weaknesses and changes as I fix weaknesses and new ones arise. I don’t see a point in doing a template created for someone else when I know what I need to work on. Yes I’m still powerlifting - I have a meet April 7th where I intend on breaking the APC world record in the squat, deadlift, and total for the 181 lb class. 

I generally don’t do much stuff geared towards hypertrophy as I said. Sure I may be in higher rep ranges because I feel as though I get better carryover on certain lifts doing various things. I know that I get better hamstring activation and strength carryover with slightly higher reps, and I know I get better tricep work with singles, doubles, and triples. The thing is, I know what works for me. When training my clients we find what works for them because undoubtedly they are not me, nor do they have my training history, nor my body-type or leverages. Finding what works for you will have you making progress above the norm. 

You say you’re weak because of shoulder issues….I say you’re weak because you’re too lazy to fix them. Hard truth but it is the truth. I’ve had surgery on one shoulder, torn a hamstring, torn apart my ankle, torn all tendons in my wrist and had glass embedded in my hand for 3 months, cracked my head open, broke 9 ribs (all from lacrosse in college) and herniated my L5 disc with my L4/L3 rotated on the axis (from rowing for so many years in conjunction with a shitty job of taking care of my body). Since herniating my disc in October I’ve managed to fix it enough to still add close to 100 lbs to my total without having to have surgery simply by studying, reading up everything I could on fixing it, and doing the necessary shit to fix it. You have shoulder issues? Stop being lazy, and find out how to fix them and address the problem instead of forever being relegated to shitty strength because of a fixable injury. 

Here’s the thing though, if you want to succeed - have a reason for the things you do. 

Prowler sprints? Sure. Now answer why. 
More volume? Sure. Now answer why. 
Shoulders suck? BFD. Find out why and how to fix them, and then ask yourself why did they get messed up, and how can I keep it from happening. 

Have a reason why you do the things you do. “I love the feel of testosterone” is probably not a good reason, nor is “chinese hookers are awesome.” (that last one may be an acceptable reason). 

Why do prowler sprints? Because they can help promote recovery, help improve hip mobilization, help work capacity. 
Why add in safety squat bar chain suspended good mornings? Because they suck ass but they teach me to strain and hold my arch while teaching me better hip extension that has solid carryover to my deadlift when done for singles and in my squat when done for 5’s. 
Why fix your shoulder? Because it sucks operating less than what you are capable of. 

Have a reason, have action, have results.

Tuesday Q&A.  Training?  Nutrition?  Life?  Feel free to ask away!

Vikings.  They’re fierce, blood-thirsty, legendary, fear inspiring, powerful, and strong.  Running through villages, pillaging, wielding axes and hammers as if they were children’s toys with vice like grips they destroyed and terrorized much of coastal Europe.  In a nut shell they were bad ass. 

Morality issues of pillaging and terrorizing aside, vikings were physical specimens of the highest caliber.  They were constantly on the move always in search of the next town to raid, seemingly making war quite often, destroying their enemies and in general, looking good doing it.

So why would I want to be a viking (besides the obvious?).  In today’s time, men have become weak, whereas women have become stronger - emotionally, physically, mentally.  Women have taken off their chains of servitude and started really making an impact in society outside of the home.  They have more responsibility, obligations, and more women today are engaging in physical activity and are generally kicking ass.

Men on the other hand, have slid downwards into a devolving spiral of weakness.  Gone are the days where men did what was necessary and instead, have been replaced with self-serving, whinny, and weak-minded pseudo-men.  Men that shy away from strife, from hardship, instead of embracing it like our forefathers.

Vikings sought out strife, believing it made them stronger, that ultimately what was hard of mind and body was something that could make them stronger.  It is this approach that I take with my life, seeking out things that may not be easy, that may not always be enjoyable, but will ultimately make me stronger of mind and body.  

I travel onwards as a Viking pillaging and destroying what I was and molding some new and I encourage all of you to follow along in the journey that has begun, casting off average and taking your passions, your struggles, your strife, and ultimately your success to new levels.

The Viking

This originally was supposed to be my first “post” but I kind of forgot about it.

Sometimes in life we spin our wheels, we put the effort in, we do what we’re “supposed” to but we’re just not getting the results we want.  Maybe we’re not even getting that intensity in, maybe we’re truly just LOST.  Sometimes it’s this realization that can cause change in our lives to get us to the place where we want to be.  So ask yourself a few things.

1.  What are my goals?  Define them, and try to quantify them.  Often times I ask my clients this when we first start out and they say “I want to be in better shape.”  Well what is better shape to them?  Is it 30 lbs lighter?  Is it 30 lbs heavier?  Is it a 500 lb deadlift?  Is it six pack abs and broad shoulders?  Is it “tight” arms and no flab?  The problem is that many people simply do not define their goals well.  They don’t know what they want.  Again, ask yourself, “what are my goals?”

2.  Why are these my goals?  You’ve defined them now ask yourself why you want this.  If you are doing it for someone else, rethink this.  This needs to be about you, about yourself, because ultimately internal motivation to do better, to be fitter, faster, leaner, more muscular, stronger, sexier needs to come from within.  Why do you want what you want?  Is it more then just a whimsical idea?

3.  What if I succeed, what if I don’t?  At times people get so caught up in their problems, their worries, their goals, their day to day life, that they don’t think about anything past the current day.  What happen if you do not succeed in your fitness goals?  Will you live to see future grandchildren?  Will you live out the rest of the year?  For some, it truly is that dire where they are at a point that their current fitness levels are killing them, at times, quickly.  On the flip-side, what happens if you do meet your goals?  How much better will your life be?  How will it be better?  Will you be more confident?  Will you be be happier?  More capable of talking to the opposite gender?  Will you be better at your sport?  Will you simply feel better?  WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN YOU SUCCEED?  and again, what will happen if you do not?

4.  What is my plan of action?  What am I doing to make myself have the body I want?  Am I eating healthier?  How?  Am I training?  Is it actually smart how I’m training?  Am I moving around more, am I participating in things that I say “this sucks” but afterwards have the gratification of knowing I just did something hard?  Have I talked to people who know what they’re doing?  If I can’t make a plan have I thought about having someone else make it for me?  Am I learning?  Am I striving to make improvements in my lifestyle?  What the hell am I doing to make me have the body I want?  If the answer is nothing, then it starts here.  It starts today.  Today I will do something.  That something is parking farther away in a parking lot.  That something is taking the stairs instead of the elevator.  That something is passing on that late night milkshake.  I AM GOING TO DO SOMETHING.

5.  How can Valhalla Training Systems help you?  This is what I do.  I help people answer the above questions to make themselves a better version of themselves.  Be it through my paid consultation or through the simple tid bit like this, I hope that I can help YOU do something.  

As a tumblr special I’ll be offering up my services as a “you made it past new years, now make it the whole year sale” at a reduced rate of $300 for 12 weeks (instead of my normal $150/month).  If interested, shoot me a message on here or e-mail me at TTucker@valhallatrainingsystem.com  Due to current client workload I will only be taking on 6 more clients for the next 12 weeks, so act fast and let me help you meet your goals!

Know someone who needs help?  Feel free to pass this message on or reblog!

The Viking

Got a question about training, nutrition, or life?  Feel free to ask away, got a few minutes free to answer questions.  Also planning on putting some time in with my writing, anyone have anything they’d like to see an article about?

The Viking