Sunday, September 16, 2007

As some of you know, I've been working on a book for the past couple months. I'm glad to announce it is coming along very well, and I hope to finish it and have it available through the site by the end of the year. Although it is primarily geared towards natural bodybuilders, there is going to be a lot of information of interest to anyone who strength trains for any reason.

I've found the hardest thing for me in writing this book isn't knowing what to write, but what not to write. Since nearly every aspect of exercise is related to every other, it's difficult to not go off on tangents. I've been doing a good job of keeping everything focused so far, but expect a very large amount of side bars throughout the book - this way I hope to include tangential information, examples, and anecdotes alongside the sections they relate to without interrupting the flow.

One thing that has helped considerably has been spending less time on discussion forums and answering e-mail. If I spent half as much time over the past year writing the book as I have writing posts in the forums it would probably have been finished already. I'd also have saved myself a good deal of frustration. Unfortunately, some of the better high intensity training forums have turned to crap due to an overwhelming amount of bullshit and bickering. A new trainee would probably end up more misinformed and confused after reading them than if they hadn't visited at all. They're still not nearly as bad as the majority of bodybuilding and fitness forums on the internet, but that's not saying much. Most bodybuilding and fitness forums contain almost nothing of value and a tremendous amount of misinformation. It is both amazing and sad how confused people are about the subject.

I plan to still visit a few high intensity training forums, but most likely will no longer actively participate unless a question is specifically directed to me, and then only if I haven't already answered it in writing elsewhere.

After reading Tim Ferriss' book The Four Hour Workweek I'm also following his advice and cutting back on the time I spend checking and reading e-mail. I currently check e-mail only once or twice daily - around lunch and/or in the early evening - and either once daily or not at all on weekends. Between spending less time on the discussion forums and less time answering e-mail I've been able to spend more time writing the book and working on other projects. Rarely does any of my e-mail need an immediate response any way, and everyone who might need to get in touch with me for something requiring my immediate attention already has my cell number.

He makes some good points about income that people should also consider with regards to exercise concerning time investment versus results. One of the great things about high intensity training is that compared to other methods, it requires a lot less time in the gym to produce results, and that is time that could be better spent with friends or family or enjoying other pursuits. If two different methods produce similar results, but one requires a fraction of the weekly or monthly time investment required by the other, they are not equal. The one that produces the greater return relative to the time invested is better. Put in different terms, if offered two jobs both paying the same salary, but one required you to work 40 hours a week and the other only required you to work 10, which would you choose? The only way a person would choose the 40 hour work week over the 10 would be if they just really loved the job, which I think has a lot to do with why some people prefer higher-volume training methods. They enjoy the social atmosphere of the gym and justify the amount of time they spend there by claiming it's necessary for results. It definitely is not about results, because if most people objectively measured their progress they'd find they get better results spending less time in the gym, not more, assuming they're training properly otherwise. Even assuming a person works out during peak hours and has to spend a lot of time waiting for equipment, the absolute longest it should take them to get through a workout of reasonable volume is 45 minutes to an hour if they don't spend time socializing, and probably closer to 30. The most times they'd need to work out during a week might be three, and for some people two or even less depending on various factors. Anyone training longer or more frequently is doing it for social or psychological reasons - not physical.

To help with the book and other things I'm working on my wife bought me a laptop for my birthday. I've been doing all of the writing on that since, which has made things much easier. I've always prefered desktops since I like using large, dual monitors for graphics work, but I'm enjoying the freedom of being able to write outside on the back porch, down at the park by the lake, at Starbucks, or wherever I feel like it. I only wish the battery lasted longer. Eventually, I plan to trade the desktop and laptop for a 17" MacBook Pro (which I can still use with a second monitor at home for graphics work). I have a lot of friends and personal training clients who have switched to Mac and if Windows Vista is any indication of the direction PC's are headed I think it's a smart move.

Unfortunately, my birthday was not a particularly happy one. Arthur Jones, the inventor of the Nautilus equipment and the person most responsible for revolutionizing the fitness industry, passed away that morning, Tuesday, August 28th at 4:40 am. I received the news from Joe Mullen by e-mail at work, and although I was hardly shocked considering his age and his condition the last time I saw him, it was still difficult news to take. Arthur was always very generous with his time and knowledge, for which I am grateful. I feel very fortunate to have known him, and owe much thanks to Jim Flanagan for introducing me to Arthur, and to David Landau for bringing me along when visiting him.