Stronger After Sixty: What Surviving Cancer (3 Times) Taught Me About Strength

Stronger with Age: How Adaptation, Experience, and Resilience Forge Strength Beyond Limitations

When people talk about strength, they often imagine bulging muscles, intense workouts, or youthful energy. But real strength—the kind forged over time—is far deeper. It’s built not just in the body, but in the mind, in the will, and in the quiet, persistent choices we make every day. It’s in the moments when no one’s watching—and in the comeback stories we live through.

I’m over 60 now. I’ve survived testicular cancer not once, not twice, but three times. Each time forced me to rebuild, to re-learn what it means to live in my body. But here’s the surprising truth: I’ve never felt stronger.

This may seem counterintuitive—especially after the toll of illness and age. But strength in later life isn’t always about muscle mass. It’s about adaptation. It’s about experience. It’s about the deepened connection between mind and body, and the smarter, more resilient way we move through the world.

Here’s how age, adversity, and adaptation converge to make us stronger—even after cancer, and even past 60.

1. Neuromuscular Efficiency: Getting More from What You Have

As we age, we may lose some muscle mass—but we gain something else: efficiency.

• The nervous system becomes more skilled at recruiting and coordinating muscle fibers, making every movement more precise and controlled.

• For cancer survivors, especially, this efficiency is essential. Whether due to post-surgical changes, chemo fatigue, or hormonal shifts, we learn to move smarter—not just harder.

• Our bodies adapt to work with what remains. And in many cases, that makes us better.

2. Adaptive Strength: Cancer Builds a New Kind of Toughness

Three battles with cancer changed my body—but also strengthened my mind.

• Scar tissue, hormonal imbalances, or physical limitations can restrict movement. But they also force innovation.

• We become hyper-aware of stress signals and better at adjusting our training to prevent setbacks.

• This is adaptive strength—not brute force, but intelligent, responsive, durable power born out of necessity.

Cancer didn’t just change how I trained. It made me listen more closely to my body—and respond more wisely.

3. Mental Resilience: The Power Behind the Strength

After what I’ve been through, my perspective is different.

• What once felt hard now feels manageable.

• Training isn’t just about fitness—it’s about reclaiming my body. It’s about defiance. It’s about purpose.

Younger people may train for aesthetics or numbers. I train for life. For the ability to keep showing up. That mindset fuels consistency, and consistency is where true strength is built.

4. Muscle Memory and Lifelong Habits: You Don’t Start Over—You Start Ahead

Years of training don’t disappear, even with time off.

• Muscle memory allows faster recovery, even after breaks due to illness or fatigue.

• Ingrained movement patterns and neural pathways stay accessible, making progress more sustainable over the long haul.

When I continued training in the gym during cancer and chemotherapy, and with a testosterone level of 55, I wasn’t starting from zero—I was starting from experience.

5. Mastery of Technique: Moving Smarter, Not Just Harder

At 60+, every movement is more intentional.

• I’ve learned to prioritize form over force, breathing over brute effort, and posture over PRs.

• I don’t chase short-term wins. I train for longevity and function.

• This refined technique doesn’t just prevent injury—it increases performance.

I’ve found I get more output with less input—because I train smarter now.

6. Neuroplasticity: The Brain Keeps Adapting

Even with illness or age, the brain retains its ability to adapt.

• Neuroplasticity allows for the formation of new neural connections.

• After injury or chronic conditions, the body and brain learn new strategies for movement.

• That’s why adaptation is possible even after major life disruptions like cancer.

This capacity to rewire—not just recover—is one of the most powerful tools in aging strong.

7. Hormonal Shifts and Recovery: Training Still Works

Yes, hormones like testosterone and growth hormone decline. But:

• Strength training can still stimulate anabolic growth factors, aiding recovery and muscle maintenance.

• Active older adults often outperform inactive younger ones—not because of superior biology, but because of consistent, mindful effort.

The point? Aging doesn’t stop growth. It just changes the path.

Stronger After Sixty: Why I Keep Training

I don’t train to impress anyone. I train to live fully.

After cancer, every workout becomes an act of gratitude. Every set, every stretch is a reminder: I’m still here. Still rebuilding. Still growing.

The older I get, the more I rely on wisdom instead of willpower. My movements are cleaner. My purpose is sharper. I know what works. And I know what matters.

This isn’t the strength of youth. It’s the strength of survival.

In Summary: Aging Isn’t the End of Strength—It’s the Evolution of It

Getting stronger with age isn’t about resisting time—it’s about working with it.
It’s not just biological. It’s neurological. Psychological. Emotional. It’s built through practice, reflection, and resilience.

At 60+, after three rounds with cancer, I’m not chasing what I lost—I’m celebrating what I’ve gained:

• The wisdom to train with purpose.

• The skill to move with intention.

• The resilience to keep going—again and again.

And in that, I’ve found a kind of strength that youth can’t touch.

Gaining Weight With A “Fast” Metabolism

I often get asked how to gain weight when you have a fast metabolism. My response is usually something like this: “You need to eat the right foods in the right amounts, consistently. If you’re not willing to eat five solid meals a day and supplement one with a protein shake, then it’s probably not going to happen.”

Here’s my story of how I gained 40 pounds (from 115 to 155) in my first year to a year and a half of training at home. As I approach 63 this September, my progress since turning 40 has been primarily due to changes in my nutritional habits. While altering my training has helped me build more muscle and shed fat, the real difference came from changing what I ate. You can find my specific training and nutrition guidelines in The Fitness Mindset, Chapter 1, “Food Macronutrient Ranges.”

The Start of My Journey – A Snapshot

I started training when I was 15 and weighed only 115 pounds. My setup was basic: training three times a day in my garage with a barbell and dumbbells, with no nutritional guidance whatsoever.

After six months of daily training and knowing little about nutrition, I gained just 10 pounds (from 115 to 125). My fast metabolism made it hard to put on weight, and my diet wasn’t helping—candy and junk food were my go-to. If you think you have a fast metabolism and are considering drugs or supplements to slow it down, I strongly advise against it unless a doctor has diagnosed you with a metabolic disorder.

My Decision to Eat, Eat, Eat

In search of a way to gain weight, I ordered a weight-gain program by mail. I stuck to the diet religiously, and in 8 months, I gained 56 pounds (from 125 to 181). I ate six meals every day, spaced out every 3 to 4 hours, and consumed anything I could—meat, desserts, milk, bread, and protein shakes. I was relentless.

At 181 pounds, I switched to a different training and diet regimen to preserve muscle and lose fat. Two months later, I dropped to 155 pounds (losing 26 pounds of fat). In my first year of serious training, I gained 30 pounds of lean muscle at home. Three months later, I joined a local gym, but I now realize I would’ve gained even more if I had started sooner.

A Closer Look at My Weight-Gain Diet

When I first started weight training, I was a skinny 115 pounds. I trained in my garage, using an old toy box as a bench, and worked out three times a day. After six months, I only gained 10 pounds. Then, just before school let out for the summer, I discovered a bodybuilding ad in a magazine. Excited, I ordered the Universal Bodybuilding program.

Starting in June 1978, I followed the program and its weight-gain diet religiously. By mid-February 1979, I weighed 181 pounds—a gain of over 50 pounds in less than 9 months! I was getting attention, but the rapid weight gain wasn’t healthy. I had no understanding of nutrition, so I just ate until I felt nauseous. The diet was extremely high in fat, and my waist ballooned from 27 to 36 inches. This experience made me realize that with determination and willpower, anyone can gain weight—unless they have a rare eating disorder or a disease affecting their metabolism.

To lose the fat I gained while “bulking up,” I switched to Universal Bodybuilding’s fat loss program. In two months, I dropped 26 pounds, going from 181 to 155 pounds, and my waist shrank from 36 to 31 inches. During this time, I also came across my first bodybuilding magazine. Inside was a photo of a bodybuilder doing a double biceps pose—a man whose physique was so sculpted, he looked like a Greek god. This man was Arnold Schwarzenegger, and that was my introduction to the man who would inspire me for years to come.

Still training at home, I ordered Arnold’s bodybuilding program and started following his approach to gaining weight. Within a month and a half, I felt healthier, looked better, and had a more athletic appearance. Soon after, I joined my first gym.

The First Year of Training

That first year of training, I not only gained and lost weight as I experimented with different bodybuilding programs, but more importantly, I gained self-confidence. I began to see myself as someone in control of my destiny, sculpting my body through hard work.

Overcoming Obstacles and Shifting Mindsets

Claiming that you have a fast metabolism, lack the right equipment, or can't train in the ideal environment to gain weight is simply an unfortunate conclusion. It reflects personal preferences and represents a significant obstacle that must be addressed. We all fall short of our goals at times because we let our minds dictate what’s possible. The limitations we impose on ourselves, the boundaries we create, and the way we compare ourselves to others all play a role in this fitness journey: they determine whether or not we feel we measure up. And honestly, that’s a real shame.

At one point, I thought I had to move to California to train at the famous Gold’s Gym, where the positive energy and mindset around bodybuilding would help me grow faster. In the early 80s, I asked Arnold about the importance of training environments, and his response was,

“If you can’t be a first-rate bodybuilder where you are, then forget it.”

At the time, I hated him for that response. It made me feel small and foolish. But as the years passed, his words started to resonate. I realized that my excuses—whether about my location or my gym environment—weren’t valid.

This journey took me from training in my hometown of Gresham, Oregon, to gyms across the country—in Michigan, Montana, and California. I also had the privilege of training with Bill Pearl (Mr. Universe, author of Keys to the Inner Universe, Bodybuilding Hall of Fame) at his ranch and home gym in Phoenix, Oregon. This same mindset took me overseas, from Osaka and Chiba in Japan to the West Bank, Palestine, and Israel. Ultimately, this mindset brought me back home—this time to Spokane, Washington.

No matter what the gyms looked like, the environment, or the types of equipment—I took full advantage of everything available. It didn’t matter how limited, outdated, or unconventional the equipment was. If the gym was basic, I worked with what I had. Compound exercises, which use the most energy, are key to building muscle and losing fat. With just an Olympic bar, a few plates, and a bench, there’s a lot you can accomplish.

Arnold’s philosophy taught me that your mindset is the most important factor in achieving success. Whether it’s in bodybuilding or life in general, it's your mental attitude that will determine whether you succeed or fail.

Copyright © 2002, 2025 Randy M. Herring

Human Enhancement and PEDs

Human enhancement refers to the use of biotechnologies to alter the natural functions of the mind and body, aiming to improve performance and achieve goals beyond what is naturally possible. In Beyond Therapy: Biotechnology and the Pursuit of Happiness, Dr. Leon R. Kass argues this pursuit is driven by the desire to gain a competitive edge, climb social ranks, increase wealth, seek recognition, or fulfill personal aspirations by excelling in activities we enjoy.

The idea of “superior performance” can take many forms—whether it’s performing better than one’s past self, beating an opponent, or surpassing even the best-known standard. In this context, “superior” often means achieving more than what could be done naturally, through external means that offer an “extra edge” or “performance enhancement.”

Performance, in this sense, refers not only to the physical actions we take but also to the mental and emotional expressions of who we are. It encompasses everything from involuntary bodily functions to self-directed actions, such as walking, thinking, or exercising. Dr. Kass says:

“The idea of performance also suggests a relationship with other performers and spectators: performance before others, with others, and against others. Yet it is also possible to perform certain activities without others, on one’s own and for oneself, manifesting who we are for our own enjoyment… ‘Performance’ suggests … also the possibility of being or seeming to be something other than who and what we are.”

This last idea invites us to consider whether we are willing to transform ourselves in our quest for excellence—whether it involves reshaping our nature to achieve something beyond our natural limitations. The temptation, of course, lies in using performance-enhancing substances to achieve this goal. This raises the ethical dilemma: Is the use of such substances—specifically performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) like anabolic steroids—a “cheat” or an unfair shortcut that undermines true self-directed effort?

PEDs have been shown to improve physical performance—enhancing strength, endurance, appearance, and other attributes—by altering the body’s natural state. These substances effectively “reshape” us into something unnatural, making the performance seem superhuman, as though we have transcended our innate abilities. Dr. Kass addresses this concern, noting:

“In trying to achieve better bodies through muscle-enhancing agents, pharmacological or genetic, we are not in fact honoring our bodies or cultivating our individual gifts. We are instead … voting with our syringes to have a different body, with different native capabilities and powers.”

By using PEDs, athletes are replacing natural physical and mental gifts with artificial ones, setting new, “unnatural” standards of achievement. This drive to improve oneself through external means can be likened to undergoing cosmetic surgery to achieve an idealized version of oneself—striving to become someone else, someone “better” or “more perfect.”

In our quest for self-improvement, the line between striving for excellence and altering who we are becomes increasingly blurred. The question we must face is this: When we enhance or transform our bodies through substances that shift our natural abilities, are we still honoring our true selves? Or are we simply pursuing an idealized version of who we are not, attempting to become someone other than the person we were born to be?

With the issues surrounding steroid abuse today, Dr. Kass warns:

“[T]he very ends we desire might become divorced from any idea of what is humanly superior, and therefore, humanly worth seeking or admiring. We would become a society of spectators, and our activities a mere spectacle. Or a society of parasites, needing and taking, but never doing or acting. Worse of all, we would be in danger of turning our would-be heroes into slaves, persons who exist to entertain us and meet our standards and whose freedom to pursue excellence has been shackled by the need to perform—and conform—for our amusement and applause.”

Today, the public often serves as an audience to the athletes and influencers who represent a distorted vision of human achievement—one that prioritizes larger, faster, stronger, and more extreme appearances at the expense of what genuine excellence represents: the authentic product of personal effort, discipline, and self-determined growth.

As society increasingly glorifies artificially enhanced physiques and performances, we risk losing the distinction between real excellence and the counterfeit version driven by chemical enhancements. This obsession with appearance over substance is even evident in how we are drawn to these figures—often not questioning how they achieve their extraordinary feats, but simply celebrating the results, no matter how they are obtained.

Strength—whether in athletic competition or casual fitness—has become an obsession, particularly because PEDs often go undetected and unchallenged. For many, PEDs provide a less scrutinized route to achieving “superior” strength, bypassing the discipline of natural training. This false strength, amplified by PEDs, is celebrated in both competitive and non-competitive spaces, generating billions in the drug and sport industries. Athletes and fitness enthusiasts claim to be “natural” when in fact they rely on unnatural means to perform beyond their true capabilities—a practice that misleads the public and distorts the reality of athletic achievement.

This trend extends to the use of lifting gear and suits that artificially aid in lifting weight far beyond a person’s natural capacity. These feats often result in new “world records,” but the truth is that these records are not born of pure effort. They are products of external assistance, distorting what it means to truly achieve something through one’s own, raw strength.

Appearance, too, has become an obsession—particularly the idea of a “perfect” body. Female athletes and influencers often claim that their shapely, sculpted physiques, particularly larger, rounder buttocks, are the result of dedicated workouts. In reality, many of these transformations are not due to exercise alone but rather to cosmetic procedures such as Brazilian butt lifts (BBLs). Their images serve as the currency of social media, fueling financial success by promoting a distorted version of beauty and fitness that attracts thousands or even millions of followers.

Similarly, many men enhance their physiques by injecting substances like synthol to artificially inflate their muscles, creating the illusion of larger, more balanced bodies. These “fake” muscles—along with the use of exaggerated weight plates that make lifting look more impressive—contribute to the culture of deception that runs rampant on social media. People often fall victim to these illusions, believing they are witnessing genuine strength and achievement when in fact they are being shown curated, altered realities.

The prevalence of such deception raises an important question: What is the true value of these “fake” achievements? What does one do with fake strength, fake records, fake bodies, or fake images? They serve only to deceive others into believing they are witnessing something authentic. Unlike the books one might keep on a shelf to enrich their knowledge and deepen their understanding of life, these false representations serve no purpose beyond financial gain or the satisfaction of feeding into a system of superficiality.

Athletes, influencers, and individuals who pursue fake perfection in this way are not seeking to better themselves, but rather to manipulate public perception and gain financial rewards through deception. These “fake naturals” don’t seek to improve through hard work and self-discipline, but through the manipulation of their bodies and images to meet external standards that are entirely constructed.

Ultimately, this is a reflection of a larger societal issue—the distortion of values that emphasize appearance, fame, and monetary gain over authentic achievement. Just as Dr. Kass warned, we may find ourselves living in a world where the pursuit of excellence has been replaced by the pursuit of spectacle. The danger lies in not recognizing the difference between what is real and what is false, and in becoming complicit in a system that rewards illusion over truth. As we continue to chase these “fake” ideals, we must ask ourselves: what is the true purpose of achievement, and at what cost are we willing to pursue it?

The pursuit of human enhancement through biotechnologies and performance-enhancing substances reflects a growing societal trend to prioritize appearances and external validation over true personal growth and achievement. While these shortcuts may offer temporary success, they ultimately undermine the essence of genuine self-improvement—the result of effort, discipline, and authentic talent.

As we increasingly celebrate artificial standards of excellence, we risk losing sight of the deeper values that define real success: hard work, resilience, and the development of one’s innate abilities. The pursuit of perfection, when distorted by deception and artificial enhancement, may not only harm the individual but also degrade the meaning of achievement itself, turning it into a spectacle rather than a testament to human potential.

In this age of instant gratification and visual appeal, it is essential to reflect on the true purpose of excellence and whether it is worth sacrificing our authenticity for a fleeting and illusory ideal.

Copyright 2025 by Randy Herring, “Human Enhancement and PEDs,” Reflections on Growth: An Existential Journey, pp. 358-363

Do You Need TRT Treatment?

Disclaimer: The content in this article and on this site, including images, is for informational or educational purposes only, and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with healthcare professionals.

Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT) is the most popular Google search word for a man or woman looking for that extra boost, that extra edge to either enhance their performance and get faster results or just to feel better. I am familiar with TRT because I take it, but not by choice. And I am 100% natural.

Do you need TRT treatment? Consider the following reflective questions to answer this for yourself. Why might I want TRT? Why might I consider TRT? Why might I need TRT? How might I increase my testosterone naturally without TRT?

I consider myself a regular guy in good athletic shape for my age at 62. I’ve been resistance training for over 45 years following a bodybuilding-fitness regimen.

Since February 2022 I’ve survived testicular cancer three times. The first occurrence appeared in July 2009 (discovered by me), which resulted in the removal of my left testicle. The second recurrence appeared in July 2019 (discovered by me), which resulted in the removal of my right testicle. Since I had no balls and, therefore, could no longer produce testosterone naturally, it was then that my primary care physician (PCP) treated my condition with Testosterone Replacement Therapy (TRT). The third recurrence appeared in November 2021 in the middle of my chest (discovered by CT scan), which resulted in 10 weeks of 40 bags of chemotherapy.

The only thing that I regret—but could not have known, as I was unaware of it and, therefore, not considering it—is what my natural testosterone levels were when I had two testicles before July 2009 and one testicle before July 2019, before having none. But it was obvious. Even when I had one testicle, I didn’t need TRT to enhance my performance to build muscle. Building muscle is and always has been simultaneously mental activity and hard physical work along with eating well and recovering sufficiently.

The pictures below are screenshots from my YouTube Channel @TheFitnessMindset while I was making cauliflower casserole on January 12, 2020.

Guys who have balls or at least one and produce testosterone naturally, be thankful. USE your natural testosterone to maximize your physical potential and congratulate YOURSELF for it because it derives from your own effort and not foreign-directed derived from performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs).

I’m steroid-free and natural, but testosterone is a steroid. However, I have NEVER used PEDs. In other words, I have never “chosen” to take testosterone to “enhance my physique” and have NEVER used testosterone “beyond” the normal value range to enhance my physique. I have built my physique from my own effort self-directed and not foreign-directed by taking PEDs. PCPs prescribe TRT to males who have low or no testosterone. My body cannot produce testosterone naturally because I have no testicles. My PCP manages the amount and frequency of my TRT injections.

I use a 10 mL (200mg/mL) bottle to inject 0.5 mL every other week or 1 mL monthly, which is enough for a low testosterone value of 250 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL). A 10 mL bottle for me lasts 10 months, whereas for a competitive bodybuilder can last only 3 days. According to a Google search “testosterone value range,” a normal male testosterone value for adult males 19 years and older is between 300 to 1,000 ng/dL. For adult males 50 years and older the value range is between 200 to 750 ng/dL.

In January 2022 I had an elevated prostate value. For this reason, my PCP took me off TRT. There’s a widespread belief among oncologists that intramuscular testosterone can fuel prostate cancer, potentially enlarging the prostate and raising PSA levels. Although this claim has largely been debunked, it was the basis for my physician’s decision to halt treatment.

A study by the University of Washington School of Medicine, which analyzed nearly 150,000 patient cases, found that intramuscular testosterone injections or TRT treatment does not increase the risk of prostate cancer. You can access the study here: Brain Donohue, “Study: Testosterone therapy does not raise prostate cancer risk” (June 21, 2018)—UW Medicine. Retrieved: https://newsroom.uw.edu/news-releases/study-testosterone-therapy-does-not-raise-prostate-cancer-risk.

Intramuscular testosterone injections or TRT treatment does not increase the risk of prostate cancer

After just three weeks without TRT, I experienced 20 to 30 hot and cold flashes every day and night. My doctor prescribed a low-dose antidepressant to help mitigate the symptoms. My sex drive disappeared. My physiological drive to train intensely dropped. Recovery became slower. I felt more pain throughout my body. My skin became soft, smooth, and slippery. And I gained fat around my midsection. To fight back against these changes, I modified my training approach, adjusted my variables, and trained as intensely as I could.

On March 11, 2022, my testosterone level measured just 39 ng/dL, derived solely from my adrenal glands. At that time, I was 60 days into post-chemotherapy recovery. Just over two weeks later, on March 27, 2022, I hiked up a mountain in Montana—without TRT.

Frustrated and angry at my doctor’s decision, I took matters into my own hands. Using the remaining testosterone from a 10 mL bottle, I resumed TRT without medical supervision in mid-May 2022, injecting 1 mL weekly for four weeks. The hot and cold flashes stopped after three weeks, and my workouts became energizing once again.

At a follow-up in mid-June, my bloodwork showed a testosterone level of 1500 ng/dL. My doctor was nearly ready to drop me as a patient. Fortunately, my prostate was still within the normal range, so he resumed TRT at a lower dose of 0.5 mL every other week. I promised to follow his guidance moving forward.

In mid-September 2022, however, my prostate values spiked again, and my doctor discontinued TRT for a third time—this time for 10 months. During that period, my testosterone level hovered around 74 ng/dL. Still, I continued to train and exercise. On June 25, 2023, I even ran my first half-marathon in Montana—again, without TRT. In mid-July 2023, my doctor resumed TRT at 0.5 mL every other week, or 1 mL monthly.

In August 2023 I had left rotator cuff surgery. It took nearly a year to recover from rotator cuff surgery. For 10 months I could not perform compound exercises that work the large muscles of the lower back, legs, and lats (e.g., deadlifts, squats, rows) to train hard and intensely. From mid-August 2023 to mid-May 2024 my exercise training and energy expenditure was minimal and limited.

Compound exercises—such as squats, deadlifts, bench press, rows, and clean and jerks (i.e., the tough exercises most people tend to avoid)—can significantly boost testosterone levels when you push yourself and train with serious effort.

From mid-May to mid-July, thanks to muscle memory, I saw major gains:

• Deadlifts increased from 135 to 315 pounds for 10 reps.

• Squats went from 135 to 245 pounds for 10 reps.

• T-bar and dumbbell row weights also rose dramatically in just two months.
  Check out the progress in my videos on Instagram: @randymherring.

On August 2, 2024, during a follow-up with my primary care physician, I received confirmation that my testosterone levels had increased—without any change to my prescribed 0.5 mL dose of TRT every other week.

Since my last testosterone reading on January 25, 2024, and after returning to intense compound training between May and July following shoulder surgery, I successfully increased my testosterone from 253 to 347 ng/dL—a 94-point rise—driven by my adrenal glands, not the TRT itself.

This increase was achieved solely through hard, intense training—by me, and me alone. See the comparison results below.

Do You Need TRT Treatment?

If you think you might need TRT (testosterone replacement therapy), consider one of the following three steps:

1. Get blood work done to check your testosterone levels. If your total testosterone is below 300 ng/dL—or especially under 200 ng/dL—talk to your doctor about whether TRT is appropriate for you.

2. If your levels are low, try boosting your testosterone naturally by training hard. But don’t just go through the motions—evaluate your workouts to understand what truly intense, consistent training looks like.

3. If you don’t have testicles, like me, then TRT is essential to function normally. In this case, you’ll need TRT to support your body’s hormone balance—and with hard training, you can still help your body optimize testosterone production from other sources like your adrenal glands.

Are You Natural or Unnatural?

If you’ve chosen to take TRT, consider these three points to help determine whether you are natural or unnatural in the context of training and performance:

1. If your body already produces a sufficient amount of testosterone naturally within the standard reference range, but you take TRT to raise your levels beyond your natural capability in order to perform at a higher level, then you are using TRT as a performance-enhancing drug (PED). This means your training results are not solely the product of your natural effort—you are being assisted by synthetic hormones, and therefore, you are unnatural.

   Large quantities of synthetic testosterone—i.e., PEDs—replace your body’s natural testosterone in excessive, unnatural amounts, often resulting in a fake or enhanced physique that doesn’t reflect your natural limits.

2. If your body produces a low amount of testosterone (below the standard value range), and you use TRT only to restore levels within the normal physiological range, allowing you to function at your natural capacity, then you are not taking steroids in the performance-enhancing sense. Your training results are based on your own effort and consistency, and therefore, you are natural.

3. If your body produces no testosterone at all—such as in cases where you no longer have testes—but you take TRT within the standard reference range to maintain normal function, you are also not using TRT as a performance enhancer. Your training outcomes reflect your personal effort, and thus, you are natural.

Reclaim Your Energy!

Your energy gets zapped either before you start exercising or while you are exercising!

You walk into the gym half sluggish because you're thinking about your day you've had and thinking about getting through your workout to face the battles in your life. You already feel drained of energy before you start exercising.

Or it might be you are working out and you look around. The set you are performing, or the duration of your cardio suddenly becomes harder to complete.

In both cases, your energy becomes zapped because you are focused on the past and future events. Or you find yourself looking around the gym rather than being in the moment and focusing on yourself.

Rather than focusing on what goes on outside the gym or looking at others, redirect your attention to being "in the moment" by focusing on yourself. After all, it's all about YOU! 

‘Flow’ is a concept that utilizes process goals to help make exercising intrinsically motivating and enjoyable. ‘Flow’ builds self-confidence that allows to develop the skills to enhance exercise focus to exercise well and optimize training performance.

The motivation of exercising to optimize training performance is the self-satisfaction of the skill that produces it. The skill that produces an optimal training performance is called a “flow experience.” Repeated instances of flow experiences can enable us to focus single-pointedly on performing an immediate task of a particular exercise movement at that moment and, therefore, optimize training performance.

To produce a flow experience, center your focus and energy on an exercise movement and not on something else. Suppose a person, for example, is focused on keeping up with another person next to him. He may produce more internal stress (anxiety), which can negatively affect his behavior and diminish his workout. A person, however, can change his or her construal of the environment by focusing on him or herself and the movement of the exercise he or she is performing, which can positively affect behavior and enhance the workout, and not obsessing about what is going around so it prompts a different and unfavorable behavior.

“Flow” is characterized by an “intense and focused concentration on what one is doing in the present moment” unimpeded by contrary pleasures (e.g., past and future directed thoughts or looking around the gym), which only reduce the flow. Flow experiences are described as being fully engaged in a goal-directed activity requiring the investment of “psychic energy” and is intrinsically rewarding after overcoming the challenge. If the goal is to improve fitness, then one will suffer through the hard work of exercising and use flow to overcome the discomfort because “flow” is its own reward.

Flow experiences is a skill in acquiring a razor-sharp single-point unhindered concentration by focusing on the movement of a limb on the body in every stride, revolution, step, rep and set in an instant of time while one is exercising. It is optimizing training performance and enjoying the experience at the same time in that instant of time.

A distinctive feature of flow are people who become so involved in what they are doing that the activity becomes spontaneous, almost automatic; they stop being aware of themselves as separate from the actions they are performing and sense that they have become one with the activity itself.

Focusing on what you are doing at a particular moment increases the efficiency of both parts of the brain working together and helps keep your attention on a single goal to carry out a specific task. A good but crude example of experiencing an unrelenting focus to optimize performance and accomplish a specific task at hand is the character John Wick.

PEDs: A Detailed Dilemma

Disclaimer: This Article is for Educational Purposes ONLY

Testosterone is both a hormone and an anabolic steroid. Testosterone is a hormone naturally produced by the body—primarily in the testes for men, and in smaller amounts by the ovaries in women and the adrenal glands in both sexes.

As a steroid, testosterone can be used as a performance-enhancing drug (PED), promoting muscle growth beyond natural levels and enabling physical performance that exceeds typical human limits.

In the context of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), however, testosterone is administered to restore hormone levels to a normal, healthy range—not to enhance performance. While testosterone is chemically classified as an anabolic steroid, it’s the purpose and dosage that differentiate legitimate TRT from steroid abuse.

Rich Piana was a modern Nietzschean figure of experimentation and a Socratic seeker of knowledge and self-mastery. He would repeatedly say:

“Use your brain! Don’t follow everyone else!”

Widely recognized for his raw honesty about steroid use, Piana became a cult figure in the bodybuilding world—not just for his physique, but for his willingness to break taboos and speak openly about performance enhancing drugs (PEDs). His YouTube channel became a platform where he shared not only training advice, but hard-earned wisdom about life, self-discipline, and the cost of chasing size.

In an April 2014 video, Piana recounted starting anabolic steroids at age 18. Within just eight weeks, he gained more than 15 pounds—going from 185 to over 200—and experienced dramatic strength increases, including a bench press from 315 to 405 pounds. He framed the experience not as a shortcut, but as part of a deliberate and extreme pursuit of growth.

However, Piana never glamorized steroid use. In an April 2016 video, he offered a stark warning to viewers:

“If you have the choice to stay natural or do steroids, stay natural. There’s no reason to do steroids—you’re only hurting your body, you’re hurting yourself.”

While he never denied the results and easier muscle gains associated with steroid use, he emphasized the risks and long-term consequences, especially for non-professionals.

For a deeper understanding of Rich Piana’s perspective on muscle, mindset, and the reality of human enhancement, his full catalog remains available on YouTube—part cautionary tale, part personal testimony.

The Four most commonly googled Steroids

The four most commonly Googled steroids—excluding testosterone (Test)—are:

1. Nandrolone (Deca), in use since the 1960s

2. Trenbolone (Tren), popularized in the 1980s

3. Oxandrolone (Anavar), also dating back to the 1960s

4. Fluoxymesterone (Halotestin or Halo), introduced in the 1950s

Deca is three times more potent than Test. Tren, the current favorite, is five times stronger than Test. Anavar often used by female athletes, bikini competitors, and bodybuilders, is six times stronger than Test. Halo, the most powerful of the group, is nineteen times stronger than Test.

In competitive sports, when everyone’s looking for an edge, steroid use becomes a way to “level the playing field.” Over time, this mindset turns enhancement into expectation—fueling misuse, abuse, and ultimately, denial.

Steroid Abuse Is Claiming More Lives Than Ever

Steroid abuse and misuse are major contributors to heart and cardiovascular disease. When used in excessive amounts, too frequently, or for prolonged periods, steroids can lead to early heart attacks and premature death. In the 2020s, more male and female competitive athletes are losing their lives to steroid-related complications than ever before. An increasing number of competitors and social media influencers in their 30s and 40s have died as a result of extreme physical conditioning—pursuing a lean, muscular, and vascular physique—combined with steroid abuse and severe dehydration.

Jo Linder

German bodybuilder Jo “alien gains” Linder, aka “Joesthetics,” was a social media fitness influencer with over 9 million Instagram followers. He died at his home of an aneurysm on June 30, 2023, at the age of 30.

Antonio Souza

Brazilian bodybuilder Antonio Souza complained of a “strong pain feeling in his chest” before competing. He died just hours after winning a trophy from a heart attack on August 3, 2024, at the age of 26.

Nasser El Sonbaty

Nasser El Sonbaty, known as “The Professor,” began bodybuilding in 1983 and turned professional in 1990, competing against legends like Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman. He weighed 300–315 pounds off-season and 265–290 pounds during competitions, with his best Mr. Olympia finish being second in 1997, just behind Yates. Sonbaty’s last Olympia appearance was in 2002, and he retired in 2005. In 2013, he was denied a heart transplant due to severe heart damage and died at 47 from kidney failure and heart complications, both linked to long-term steroid abuse, which enlarges and weakens the heart over time.

Rich Piana

Rich “Whatever It Takes” Piana was known for his massive physique and outspoken honesty about steroid use, openly stating in YouTube videos, “I’ve been taking steroids for 25 years. I started when I was 18.” While he began using steroids for competitive bodybuilding, he also warned others against it, saying,

“It’s not a good idea… If you can stay natural for as long as you can, that’s the way to go,”

emphasizing that mindset is more important than drugs. Piana admitted that steroids make it easier and faster to reach goals, and that in a competitive environment, using them often feels necessary to stay on a level playing field—even if it’s unnatural and inauthentic. He died of cardiac arrest in 2017 at the age of 46.

Bostin Loyd

Bostin Loyd, known for the motto “Get Big or Die Trying,” was born into a bodybuilding family and began using steroids at 17. He was open about his drug use, sharing injection videos and claiming steroids were essential for elite physiques. Loyd took extreme doses—up to 25 mL of PEDs daily, spending over $1,000 a week—and called himself a drug addict, though he didn’t promote his choices to others. He competed in amateur shows but lost interest in going pro due to the lack of rewards, with his last competition in 2016. Diagnosed with stage 5 kidney failure in 2020, he continued sharing his health journey until his death on February 25, 2022, at age 29, from an aortic dissection.

Dr. Mike Israetel

Dr. Mike Israetel, a 41-year-old competitive bodybuilder with a PhD in Sport Physiology, is a popular author and YouTuber with over 2 million subscribers. Despite his academic background, he openly admits he's willing to risk his health—and even his life—for a bodybuilding pro card, stating,

“If I die before my due time… this is what I wanted.”

Israetel is candid about his steroid use, acknowledging intense mental side effects like anxiety, rage, and constant thoughts of violence. He explains that stacking drugs like Deca, Tren, and Halo can raise testosterone to 25 times the normal range. While he believes the risks are worth it, his mindset challenges the natural human instinct for self-preservation.

My Story From Fat to Fit, Fit to Cancer, and Life Without TRT

My first major body transformation occurred between the ages of 15 and 16. I went from a skinny 125 pounds to a solid 155 pounds in just one year. During the first eight months, I bulked up to 180 pounds, then cut down by 25 pounds over the next four months—resulting in a net gain of 30 pounds of muscle in a single year.

More than four decades later, between the ages of 56 and 57—from January 2019 to March 2020—I experienced a second major transformation. I went from a fat 200 pounds to a fit 175 pounds in just 15 months. In the first 16 weeks alone, I lost 17 pounds and ultimately shed a total of 25 pounds over the year.

Midway through this transformation, in mid-July 2019, I faced a second recurrence of testicular cancer, which resulted in the removal of my right—and only remaining—testicle. With no testicles, my body could no longer produce testosterone naturally. This marked the beginning of testosterone replacement therapy (TRT), carefully guided and monitored by my physician.

Despite my testosterone level being just 172 ng/dL—well below the clinical norm—my transformation from January 2019 to March 2020 was entirely natural: no caffeine, no supplements, no muscle enhancers. And to be absolutely clear, I’ve never used performance-enhancing drugs.

In November 2021, just a year and a half after my second transformation—and only six months after publishing The Fitness Mindset—I was hit with a third recurrence of testicular cancer. Over the next ten weeks, from November 15, 2021, to January 21, 2022, I underwent an intense chemotherapy regimen (Etoposide 204mg and Cisplatin 40.8mg), totaling 40 bags.

Despite the physical toll, I stayed committed to my fitness routine and continued exercising throughout treatment. On December 7, 2021—23 days into chemotherapy, just days after losing my hair, and right after a six-hour chemo session—I tested my strength and deadlifted 315 pounds for two sets of 10 reps.

In mid-January 2022, due to a history of elevated prostate levels and blood clots, my doctor discontinued TRT on two separate occasions—totaling 14 months without treatment. During those times, my body relied solely on estrogen—the only remaining endogenous hormone—and a minimal testosterone level of just 55 ng/dL.

There’s a widespread belief among oncologists that intramuscular testosterone can fuel prostate cancer, potentially enlarging the prostate and raising PSA levels. Although this claim has largely been debunked, it was the basis for my physician’s decision to halt treatment.

A study by the University of Washington School of Medicine, which analyzed nearly 150,000 patient cases, found that intramuscular testosterone injections or TRT treatment does not increase the risk of prostate cancer. You can access the study here: Brain Donohue, “Study: Testosterone therapy does not raise prostate cancer risk” (June 21, 2018)—UW Medicine. Retrieved: https://newsroom.uw.edu/news-releases/study-testosterone-therapy-does-not-raise-prostate-cancer-risk.

After just three weeks without TRT, I experienced 20 to 30 hot and cold flashes every day and night. My doctor prescribed a low-dose antidepressant to help mitigate the symptoms. My sex drive disappeared. My physiological drive to train intensely dropped. Recovery became slower. I felt more pain throughout my body. My skin became soft, smooth, and slippery. And I gained fat around my midsection. To fight back against these changes, I modified my training approach, adjusted my variables, and trained as intensely as I could.

On March 11, 2022, my testosterone level measured just 39 ng/dL, derived solely from my adrenal glands. At that time, I was 60 days into post-chemotherapy recovery. Just over two weeks later, on March 27, 2022, I hiked up a mountain in Montana—without TRT.

Frustrated and angry at my doctor’s decision, I took matters into my own hands. Using the remaining testosterone from a 10 mL bottle, I resumed TRT without medical supervision in mid-May 2022, injecting 1 mL weekly for four weeks. The hot and cold flashes stopped after three weeks, and my workouts became energizing once again.

At a follow-up in mid-June, my bloodwork showed a testosterone level of 1500 ng/dL. My doctor was nearly ready to drop me as a patient. Fortunately, my prostate was still within the normal range, so he resumed TRT at a lower dose of 0.5 mL every other week. I promised to follow his guidance moving forward.

In mid-September 2022, however, my prostate values spiked again, and my doctor discontinued TRT for a third time—this time for 10 months. During that period, my testosterone level hovered around 74 ng/dL. Still, I continued to train and exercise. On June 25, 2023, I even ran my first half-marathon in Montana—again, without TRT. In mid-July 2023, my doctor resumed TRT at 0.5 mL every other week, or 1 mL monthly.

Can a man live with low testosterone? Absolutely.

Can he work out? Without a doubt.

Can he make physical improvements? Yes, he can.

Now, does any man want to live with less-than-optimal testosterone? Of course not.

But here’s the truth—I’m living proof that it’s possible. On two separate occasions—from mid-January to mid-May 2022, and again from September 2022 to July 2023—I went without TRT for a total of 14 months and still made measurable physical progress. It wasn’t easy, but it was real.

Low, Normal, and High Testosterone Levels

The “normal” range used by most labs to measure naturally occurring testosterone in men—produced by the testes—is typically between 200 and 600 ng/dL. However, some labs use broader reference ranges, such as 280 to 1,100 ng/dL, depending on their testing methodology.

Now, imagine a man with a natural testosterone level of 500 ng/dL who decides to inject 0.5 mL of testosterone weekly (totaling 2 mL per month) to boost his physical performance. This is considered a misuse of testosterone—it’s steroid use. Why? Because this practice artificially elevates his levels well beyond the normal range, often pushing them to 1,500–2,000 ng/dL or even higher. At that point, he is no longer “natural.”

In contrast, I no longer produce testosterone naturally—my testicles are gone. My adrenal glands supply only a minimal amount, reflected in testosterone levels between 39 and 74 ng/dL when I’m off TRT. Fortunately, now that my prostate is stable, my primary care physician has allowed me to resume TRT.

Currently, I’m on a modest dosage: 0.5 mL every two weeks (or 1 mL per month). At this dose, my testosterone level holds steady around 253 ng/dL. While that number is on the low end of the spectrum, it’s enough for my body to function well. I don’t need more, and I’m not chasing inflated numbers. That’s why I can confidently and honestly say: I am natural. I’ve never used steroids to artificially “enhance my physique”—and I take pride in that.

Building a strong, muscular body doesn’t require sky-high testosterone. What it truly requires is a strong mindset—a fitness mindset. If you want to naturally boost your testosterone, train hard—especially your legs. Intense exercise (not necessarily heavy lifting) is one of the most effective natural testosterone boosters.

Yes, testosterone plays a role in libido, general drive, and recovery speed. But it doesn’t directly give you the energy to work out. That energy? It comes from your mindset. Fuel your mind with purpose. Fuel it with The Fitness Mindset!

The Truth About Supplements

SUPPLEMENTS ARE NOT REGULATED by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For this reason, new companies are sprouting up each year with newer and better products “promising” more energy, more muscle and weight loss.

Companies and popular fitness figures market supplements by targeting to arouse the emotions like a “herd mentality” seeking to entice the public to jump on the bandwagon in order to win the conclusion that the marketed supplement may give us more energy, give us more muscle, and make us leaner.

Many retired bodybuilders have discovered the supplement industry as a lucrative business because it appeals to the admiration and vanity of having a muscular and ripped physique. The argument is to look like someone you admire you must buy the supplements he takes, eat what he eats, and train the way he trains. Let’s get real. You are NOT going to look like your favorite athlete just by simply taking a supplement that he or she markets for a company that sponsors him or her.

Supplement companies, bodybuilders, and popular fitness figures manipulate the attitudes and emotions of the general public to incline them to accept popular claims of supplements that have not been established. It is the claim that certain ergogenic and thermogenic “performance enhancing” aids are “clinically proven” to build muscle and burn fat. It is no wonder that the supplement industry is a multibillion-dollar business! It profits from the emotions of the general public. 

Do supplements work? Ask yourself: “How do ‘muscle building’ and ‘fat burning’ supplements work to assist with my goal?” If they don't work, then why not? What factors must be present that influences or contributes to the efficacy of such highly marketed supplements? Must I supplement my exercise and diet plan also with a marketed product that “may” help with enhancing my performance and altering my physique?

Taking a protein powder supplement to supplement one’s nutritional needs may or may not augment protein food sources for the day. The kind of protein powder (concentrate, isolate, whey, plant, beef, soy, egg) may be a personal preference based on one’s own body, research, and taste buds. But instead of buying a marketed protein powder supplement, why not create your own protein shake yourself? Simply mix some oats, milk or water, fruit or peanut butter, yogurt, and maybe even ice cream, for a delicious drink!

Anyone can build muscle without the use of muscle building supplements so long as the proper training environment is created to “stimulate” muscle gain. This is what people did before supplements were created and were ever “known.” In addition, anyone can lose weight and transform his or her physique without the use of caffeinated supplements, so long as the proper training environment is created to “stimulate” fat loss.

Following the right training routine, using proper form, exercising with the right amount of intensity, eating the right foods often, having the right attitude, and repeating this routine progressively builds up a healthy habit toward acquiring a mindset to make a physical transformation and beyond! You cannot win the war against what is popular to believe, if you cannot win the war against your own mind to think otherwise. Augment your mind with innate knowledge and work ethic to work hard, work harder, repeat, and never give up!

To say that muscle building and fat loss supplements work is an oxymoron. Putting one’s work in necessarily comes first. It is moving forward with one’s own momentum! That IS the driving force! And with the right focus, success is inevitable. It is learning how to use and control one’s energy and channeling it more effectively.

Some might argue that it’s not about what kinds of foods are consumed, but how much the body absorbs. A probiotic is suggested to get the gut working first. But then again, eating cleaner and often in smaller amounts can help with better absorption. Again, it starts with you. Getting healthier and fitter is not rocket science as some make it out to be by using technical jargon.

The late competitive bodybuilder, Jeff Everson, was an innovator, fitness model, former husband and trainer of 6x Ms. Olympia Cory Everson. Jeff railed against the supplement industry that came with bodybuilding. He wrote in an editorial, “Fifty percent of our supplement-industry revenues are earned selling horseshit – nothing less than hogwash. The whole industry is saturated with too much snake oil slithering down the toilet bowl… [but] if the magazines only printed workout information, they’d go out of business.”

The general populace looks for an easy way, a magic formula if you will, to get healthy and fit. Fad diets and social networks are quite successful at arousing the emotions of the crowd to be associated with a trendy name, social group or following.

Some, if not most, jump on one bandwagon and fall prey to marketing tactics that sell magic formulas, such as, “Lose weight fast, guaranteed!” But they cannot follow a formula for long, which is why, for example, there are so many different diet and fitness programs and supplements being sold, generally to the same people. Others jump on another bandwagon and look to the admiration of athletes for having a muscular and ripped physique. The reasoning is to look like someone you admire, you must buy the supplements he or she takes, eat what he or she eats, and train the way he or she trains. But just because you do what he or she does, doesn’t mean you will look like him or her.

It is interesting to note that Joe Weider’s net worth was only 35 million at the time of his death in 2013. He was 93. First, Joe Weider established himself as the “trainer of champions” of bodybuilding and founded the first sports nutrition company in 1936. Second, Joe Weider co-founded (with his brother Ben) the Mr. Olympia contest in the mid-1960s. Third, Joe Weider launched successful magazines including Muscle & Fitness, Shape, Men’s Fitness, and Flex. But the biggest reason why Joe Weider’s net worth was only 35 million is because his sports nutrition company was bought out by a German food company called Schiff Nutrition International in 2012 for 1.4 billion dollars! This is how much supplement companies have sway over their claims and the public’s purchasing power.

When the proper training environment is created, supplement(s) may enhance the work that a person already does in the gym. But if one cannot or is unwilling to create the proper training environment by training with the proper intensity first, then marketed supplements that one already might take will be to no avail and money will be wasted. Putting in one’s own work comes first. When one improves the mind-body connection, results will inevitably follow.

The bottom line: Don’t waste your hard-earned money on marketed supplements. Let’s get real. Athletes, models, entrepreneurs, and social media influencers may or may not take “supplements.” Athletes, most likely, yield to taking performance enhancing drugs to give them that strong and ripped physique for the purpose of appealing to the emotions of the public to gain admiration and monetary support.

Tarrying with the Negative

The Power of Negativity In Weight Resistance Training

WHEN WE WEIGHT TRAIN, we oppose the law of nature (gravity) of motion in two ways. One, when we resist a weight downward toward us or when we resist a pull of a weight away from us. And two, when we push a weight upward away from us or when we pull a weight toward us. The first way is natural motion and the second way is artificial motion. The natural motion is positive because it affirms the law of nature. The artificial motion is negative because it opposes the law of nature. We are called to tarry with both motions if we are to yield the positive benefits of weight resistance training.

The notion of “tarrying with the negative” originates with the 19th century German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel in the 45-page Preface to explain the aim in his famed book, Phenomenology of Spirit. [1]

In this article, I propose to offer a different way of thinking about weight resistance training by applying the notion, “tarrying with the negative.” Rather than thinking of the natural motion eccentric (the negative repetition) and the artificial motion concentric (the positive repetition), I propose the opposite in relation to the law of nature: the natural motion is positive and the artificial motion is negative.

Affirming, Tarrying, and Transforming the Negative into the Positive

Opposing the positive motion is to affirm natural motion. This is the first negation. Opposing the negative motion is to affirm artificial motion. This is the second negation. When one opposes the first negation (weight resistance toward or away from the body) and opposes the second negation (weight resistance away from or toward the body) one affirms and tarries with the negation of the negation and transforms it into something positive. The antecedent of affirming the negative and tarrying with it, is the consequent of the positive of getting healthy and fit.

Re-thinking Weight “Resistance” Training

Considering “the negation of the negation” as positive is applying and re-thinking the conventional definition of weight resistance training. Conventional thinking defines the resisting motion negative and the opposing motion positive. Unconventional thinking (what I am proposing) defines the resisting motion positive and the opposing motion negative.

The Law of Nature is Positive

To affirm that natural motion is positive and artificial motion is negative is to understand the true nature of gravity. Gravity naturally pulls objects toward each other. With weight resistance training, we artificially oppose gravity by either resisting it or pushing against it to get healthy and fit.

The first picture below, demonstrates the first motion for performing the flat bench press. The downward motion of the weight is being resisted against gravity toward the body. Conventional thinking defines the downward motion negative. However, this motion is positive and natural because it is affirming the law of nature and tarrying with the first negation.

The second picture below, demonstrates the second motion for performing the flat bench press. The upward motion of the weight is being opposed against gravity away from the body. Conventional thinking defines the upward motion positive. However, this motion is negative and artificial because it is opposing the law of nature and tarrying with the second negation.

The former negation is natural, whereas the latter negation is artificial. Both negations combined reveal the negation of the negation, which yields the positive for positive results.

Conclusion

By opposing two negatives (one natural and the other artificial) when engaged in weight resistance training, I conclude, the positive arises when and only when negativity is directed not at the negative but at one’s initial efforts at negating it. [2] The power of the negative is the creative element that assures the advancement of something positive.

Endnotes
[1] Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit (1807), “Preface,” Section 32.

[2] Messinger, Eli. “The Power of Negativity.” Book Review. Science and Society. Spring 2004, Vol. 68, Issue 1 (pp. 123-125) p. 124.

Benefits of Exercise

PHYSICAL EXERCISE IS THE PERFORMANCE of an activity to promote and improve health and fitness. Exercise improves the overall quality of life. It affects mood and mental state, physical appearance and performance, and brain activity.

We engage in exercise for psychological reasons: to feel good about ourselves and have more confidence so that we can get things done and pursue other things in life that are worth enjoying (an activity, going out, taking a trip, etc.).

We also engage in exercise for physiological and neurological reasons: to change physical appearance and increase functional ability (i.e., strength, muscle, endurance, coordination, flexibility) and to improve brain activity (i.e., cognition, focus, memory).

The benefits of exercise are incommensurable to any prescription, recreational drug, supplement or therapy can offer. Exercise contributes to positive thinking, increases confidence, metabolism, bone density, cardiovascular health, energy, and hormones. Exercise decreases anxiety, improves sleep and digestion, slows down the aging process, releases endorphins into the brain that reduce pain as a natural opiate, and boost the feeling of well-being.

Studies show that exercise can improve mental function and performance by reorganizing and restructuring brain activity called neuroplasticity. Plasticity is creating new neurosynaptic connections by sending new and repeated signals to the brain, such as learning a new physical ability like an exercise or developing the motor-skill of mastering an exercise to perform at an optimal level. This repetitive action can “physically change” brain activity because of the continued firing of learning new neurosynaptic pathways.

Summary of Exercise Benefits

• Improves the overall quality of life

• Creates a positive mood and mental state

• Produces positive changes in physical appearance

• Boosts self-confidence and the feeling of well-being

• Increases the body’s functional ability and performance

• Increases metabolism, bone density, cardiovascular health, energy, and hormones

• Decreases anxiety and improves sleep and digestion

• Reduces pain by releasing endorphins

• Slows down the aging process

• Improves brain activity by creating new neurosynaptic connections

• Increases mental function and performance

No question about it. Sensible exercise is good for everyone. Yet, while we know it’s in our best interest to exercise regularly we find it too easy not to exercise.

Many people sacrifice their health for family, for friends, for a job, for wealth, or their happiness for these things, but do not put health as a priority to be rich. Good health gives us more time to enjoy life with the ones we love, travel more, build wealth and pursue the finer things in life. Healthy people often have long life expectancies, which give their investments time to grow. Good health is the least expensive investment we can give ourselves.

Physical exercise is a vital element of a healthy lifestyle. A sensible, balanced and consistent exercise program is good for the body. Movement is what we were meant to do. To meet the demands of life one needs to exercise their heart, lungs, muscles, bones, and joints to stay strong and healthy. We live, move and have our wellness through regular physical exercise.

Wake-Up Call

The Information Age in which we live, along with its technological advances, has caused a decrease in physical exercise. It has made us move less, eat more food, and expend less energy. The creation of online social platforms has exacerbated the problem. In the last 20 years healthcare costs have more than quadrupled due to a sedentary lifestyle with a lack of physical exercise in the United States.

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), physical inactivity currently costs the United States $117 billion annually. Statistics show that is costs much less to stay healthy and physically fit that it does to treat health ailments as a consequence of not living a healthy lifestyle.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) reports that diabetes and depression are highly prevalent in the United States. They are associated with increased mortality, lost work productivity, increased disability, decreased quality of life, and increased healthcare costs.

Five Groups of People

According to a report by the CDC, 74% American adults over 20 years old are overweight and obese and, therefore, disconnected from exercise. The CDC also reported that 23% of American adults occasionally participate in physical exercise 60 minutes four times per week. It seems logical to conclude that the remaining 3% of American adults involve themselves in physical exercise 60-90 minutes five to seven days a week.

But this doesn’t mean that 3% are engaged in physical exercise. Direct observation and statistical probability can predict that 2% are withdrawn from exercising for reasons about looking good to others or because of relative ignorance to exercising by going through the motions. It is relevant to presume that the remaining 1% are immersed in exercising for reasons to get healthy and fit.

From the stats above, we derive five groups of people:

• Group 1: Disconnected from Exercise - 74%

• Group 2: Participates of Exercise - 23%

• Group 3: Withdrawn from Exercise - 1%

• Group 4: Ignorant to Exercise - 1%

• Group 5: Immersed in Exercise - 1%

Exercise is Quality Over Quantity

What does it mean to exercise? The most basic definition of exercise is carrying out an activity requiring “physical effort” to sustain or improve health and fitness. Physical effort includes training intensity of which proper form is observed with the right amount of stress that stimulates the muscles and heart, which invariably can lead to a series of body transformations. It’s quality (how well you exercise in relation to your goal) over quantity (how much weight you use and how often and how long you exercise). The physical effort in exercise is only one aspect in the transformation equation. The other two aspects include nutrition and recovery.

Only group 5 can make the highest claim to exercise and, therefore, have the highest success rate of achieving a complete body transformation since they are immersed in all aspects of the transformation equation with sustainable action. It is reasonable to say that groups 1 thru 4 cannot make the claim to exercise, and if they do, only a lesser success rate.

Group 1 is disconnected from exercise. Group 2 doesn’t exercise enough. Group 3 exercises for reasons other than to get healthy and fit. And Group 4 exercises out of ignorance by going through the motions. Which group do you find yourself in? And why?

Transform Your Body

Most people fall into groups 2, 3, and 4, which make up 25% of people who are unsuccessful in achieving a complete body transformation for the reasons given above. If you find yourself in these groups, then you are in the contemplative stage of behavior change and need to re-wire your mind for a process of a transformation.

Re-Wire Your Brain

The first three sequential pictures above or to the right illustrate my 8-week and 14-week transformations, respectively. The last picture in the sequence illustrates my complete one-year transformation from a fat 200 pounds to a fit 180 pounds at 57-years-old.

The Deadlift: King of Exercises

I remember certain deadlifting workouts that stand out in my mind. These are the ones that truly fuel my heart, motivate me, and give me strength. What makes these sessions unforgettable is how I lost awareness of everything around me. The world faded into the background as my focus sharpened, completely absorbed in the results I wanted from each rep, each set, until my entire body was on fire!

My Deadlifting Inspiration

In the early 1980s, I recorded my first deadlift workout at the university gym in Riverside, California. I completed three sets with 205 pounds: two sets of 8 reps and one set of 6 reps. The following week, I logged my second workout: five sets total—two sets with 205 for 8 reps, one set with 255 for 5, one set with 305 for 3, and one set with 345 for 1. A Samoan named Tali looked over and said, “Iron Randy is back!”

By the next month, I was consistently deadlifting over 300 pounds for reps. After my first year of deadlifting, at 20 years old and weighing 170 pounds, I was pulling 405 pounds for three reps. By the age of 44, at 190 pounds, I was deadlifting 435 pounds for 8 reps, 455 for 5 reps, 465 for 4 reps, and 485 for 3 reps. Ever since, I’ve always felt that deadlifts were my lift.

On December 7, 2021, at 59 years old, in the midst of my third battle with testicular cancer and just 23 days into chemotherapy—only days after losing my hair and finishing a brutal 6-hour chemo session—I still managed to perform two sets of deadlifts with 315 pounds for 10 reps each! Deadlifts have been my anchor, keeping my mind and body resilient and strong! Watch the video below.

I hadn’t deadlifted 2 sets of 315 for 10 reps since December 7, 2021. But on April 9, 2025—at 62 years old—I decided it was time to test my deadlift strength. I warmed up with 135 for 8 and 225 for 5, then hit my first real set: 315 for 10 reps, followed by a second set—another for 315 for 10! A friend and fellow gym rat who watched me knock out those two sets said:

“I fact-checked his lifts—solid form, excellent reps and sets. Really impressive, especially considering everything you’ve been through.”

Here are a few deadlifting tips:

1. Avoid using lifting straps—they’re often considered a form of “cheating.” Half the challenge is maintaining a strong grip on the bar. Use a mixed grip (one hand overhand, one underhand) to help you hold on.

2. Apply liquid chalk to your hands to improve grip strength around the bar.

3. Use an Olympic bar that is straight—a bent bar can rotate and affect your grip and performance.

4. Choose a bar with rough ridges (not smooth) to help secure your grip.

5. Wear shin protection to prevent cuts, bleeding, and scares from the bar scrapping against your shins as you pull the weight up for multiple reps.

6. Always wear a lifting belt for safety and extra support.

7. Build momentum on the first rep of the pull to generate energy and motivation and to ensure each rep is strong until the last.

8. “Tap” the plates on the floor between reps for control and to maintain grip and momentum.

Deadlifts Stimulate the Whole Body

Unlike squats, deadlifts stimulate both the lower and upper body. Deadlifts engage the glutes, upper thighs, hamstrings, lower back, upper middle back, traps, and chest. Paul San Andres writes in Romanian Deadlifts that it is primarily a “hip dominant exercise” and “one of the best hip extensor exercises available” that works the thighs, hamstrings, and butt. Curtis Dennis Jr. writes in The Importance of the Deadlift that it “hits the back, the lats, the quads, the glutes, the arms and forearms, and even the abs, which proves that the deadlift produces more results than the bench press and squats.” Deadlifts is the king of exercises for expending great amounts of energy and wasting calories!

Performing the Deadlift

I recommend using a 10, 8, 6 rep scheme warm-up before doing your three sets that really count towards muscle growth. I use a conventional deadlift style starting in a semi-squat position with a shoulder width grip. Bruce Berezay (in the picture above) is using a stiff-leg deadlift (SLDL) style with knees slightly bent and back straight. In both cases, grasp the bar with an over/underhand grip outside of the thighs. I strongly recommend you alter your over/underhand grip with each hand every so often so that muscle imbalances can be avoided which can cause injuries. You might want to take off your lifting gloves and chalk up before you pull the weight up off the floor. Wearing gloves can prevent you from wrapping your hands all the way around the bar for the nice tight grip that you need and chalk does wonders for maintaining a strong grip!

While leaning forward over the bar with your hips flexed, grasp the bar in either position (conventional or stiff-leg). Now ignoring all that your parents told you to do (i.e., to lift with your legs and not your back), keep your head up, chest up, shoulders back, back arched, shoulder blades together, butt out and pull the weight up, stand erect, extend the hips and shrug back! Return the weight to start position. Tap or reset the weight on the floor, but do not bounce the weight, as this can be dangerous to the lower back. Do an 8, 10, 12 reverse pyramid system scheme. Do 8 reps for your first set. Lower the weight and do 10 reps for your second set. Lower the weight for the third and final set and do 12 or more reps.

Deadlift Articles: Praise and Criticism

Surprisingly some authors who feel themselves an authority on the subject advise against doing deadlifts off the floor, but rather off a power rack where the bar is either:

• “Just above the knee” (Paul San Andres)

• “Knee height, maybe slightly higher” (Todd Blue)

• Or “below knee level” (Francesco Casillo)

Curtis Dennis Jr. believes in doing deadlifts off the floor or off a power rack as does Paul San Andres, Todd Blue and Francesco Casillo. Todd Blue makes the excuse for not doing deadlifts off the floor because it involves “too much leg” and imagines his own authority admitting without knowledge of the facts in his mere 300-word article.

Francesco Casillo contradicts himself on the one hand, when he says to start deadlifts with the torso erect (hips extended) rather than the torso prone (hip flexed) as in the case of starting in a power rack or off the floor, and, on the other hand (near the end of his lengthy article), he speaks of the flexion of the hip for a greater degree of “stimulation.” He emphatically states that if the trunk or hips have a lesser degree of flexion (beginning at knee level or slightly below) then the trunk when it is extended (finishing the deadlift in an erect position) has a lesser degree of stimulation. And this is true. However, if this the case, then Casillo is confused where to begin the deadlifts: either just below knee level starting with a lesser degree of trunk flexion, and, therefore, lesser stimulation of hip extension or further down with a greater degree of trunk flexion, and, therefore, greater stimulation of hip extension “during the upward phase.”

If Casillo is not confused where to begin deadlifts, then he believes both ways (like Curtis Dennis Jr.) are beneficial but favors the one starting below knee level. One cannot have both. It’s either one or the other. However, teaching a novice how to perform deadlifts, thus, teaching safe execution, is in most cases best taught in a squat rack, and having the floor as the starting point something to work towards for greater flexion to effect greater stimulation, and therefore, release greater testosterone levels (Casillo). This is how I read Casillo’s article: it is more educational than dogmatic. So, I applaud Casillo for his fine and educational article. Since these authors advocate starting deadlifts above or below the knee they essentially support doing partial rep movements. I do not advocate doing partial reps. I make my reasons clear in my book, Chapter 3, “Recuperation.”

Deadlift form styles

Performing the deadlift has three styles: conventional, stiff-leg, and sumo. In the sumo deadlift (pictured above with a younger picture of myself at 40 yrs) the stance is wider and you simply grip the bar on the inside of the legs with an under/over handgrip and stand erect. This style primarily involves the hips and quads. The stiff-leg deadlift is shown by Bruce Berezay. This style primary involves the hips and hamstrings. The conventional deadlift is shown by me. This style primarily involves the hips and glutes. All three styles have their advantages and disadvantages.

The advantage of the sumo deadlift is that you are standing more upright and not as close to the floor as you are as with stiff-leg and conventional deadlifts, and therefore, have a lesser range of motion in hip extension to stand upright than stiff-leg and conventional deadlifts.

The disadvantage of the sumo style is that it can be more hazardous, especially if one has the tendency to cave their knees in toward the floor like when one does wide leg squats or leg presses. A person with long legs like myself might be more suitable bio-mechanically for doing the sumo style than the stiff-leg and conventional styles. But I prefer the conventional style because I can keep my joints more aligned and more stable, which causes me to have more leverage for strength. It is important that you feel comfortable and safe with a particular style.

The advantage of the stiff-leg deadlift is that the joints in your knees and hips are more stabilized because they are centered at the core of your body and also because of better joint alignment with the knees, hips, ankles, and shoulders. The disadvantage is that there is a strong tendency to round the lower back, i.e., curve it, and, therefore, invite injury.

The advantage of the conventional deadlift is that all the joints are in alignment and the upper body is not horizontal to the floor (like the stiff-leg style), which means you can generate a lot of power with both the upper and lower body when pulling the weight up off the floor. The disadvantage, like the stiff-leg style, is that there is a tendency to round the lower back.

Since I do the conventional style I am always telling myself: “Chest up, blades together, back arched, butt out – pull up and sit down!” Do the style that best suits you physically and psychologically, and one which allows you to generate power with good form.

Copyright 2003, 2019, 2025 by Randy M. Herring

Training Intensity, Rest, and Goals

HOW MUCH REST NEEDED between sets and exercise sessions depends on training intensity and outcome goal. I talk about training intensity in relation to rest and goals in Chapters 2, 3, 5, and 6 in my book, The Fitness Mindset: 7 Habits for Peak Performance.

Intensity is not training hard with how much weight you can lift but rather training hard by how well you are able to keep the muscles contracting under a certain amount of time until the contractions consciously fails while maintaining good form. Set done! On to the next exercise to keep the exercise flow moving (reference to Chapter 2, “Optimize Training Performance”). I talk about intensity in my book as “time under tension” in various places and give examples. Accomplishing more in less time (and in less sets) is what intensity is all about.

If the outcome goal is to lose fat and build muscle, then training for muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance practically every day for 45 to 60 minutes is necessary. Time and intensity go hand-in-hand to lose fat and build muscle simultaneously. Training intensity can be measured by dividing the total number of repetitions performed in a training session into the time it takes to complete a training session. For example, say you did 30 sets and 600 repetitions in 60 minutes. This turns out to be 10 repetitions every minute. This can be a combination of high-volume and high-intensity training.

There are many training variables that depend on the outcome goal. One of these is recuperation. Recuperation (Chapter 3) is the time it takes the body to recover from intense exercise to function and perform better. Recuperation is broken down into three phases: (1) 30 seconds to 5-minute rests intervals between sets during training, (2) 15 minutes to 3 hours after training, and (3) 48 to 72 hours after a training session.

Rest intervals between training sets (phase 1) are related to the outcome goal. If the goal is to increase muscular and cardiorespiratory endurance and decrease fat, then rests between sets are 30 to 60 seconds (30-60s). If the goal is to build muscle, then rests between sets are 1-2 minutes (1-2m). If the goal is to increase strength, then rests between sets are 2-4m. And if the goal is to maximize power, then rests between sets are 4-5m.

The figures below reveals a recovery pattern of dynamic muscular endurance in an elbow flexion isometric contraction performed between 70 to 170 degrees until failure. Notice the 50% recovery after the first 2m15s! The 5s recovery can be compared to a “rep-pause” while the exerciser pauses the resistance during a set to do more reps.

Rest Time > 5s = 15.4% recovery

Rest Time > 2m15s = 50% recovery

Rest Time > 20m = 90% recovery

Rest Time > 45m = 91.8%

If the outcome goal is to lose fat and build muscle, some people might ask, “Well, don’t you need a day or two of rest to recover?” My answer is no, not necessarily. Working out 60 minutes 7 days a week only makes up 4% of the entire week. The other 96% accounts for the recovery process – “rest periods” if you will. When this is broken down to 60-minute training sessions each day ask yourself, “What am I doing in the 23 hours after exercise to recover?” Recall that the second phase of recuperation (reference to Chapter 3) occurs 15 minutes to 3 hours after exercise with nutrition, and the third phase occurs 48 to 72 hours after exercise with Supercompensation.

Acquire The Fitness Mindset to train at an intensity that makes you UNSTOPPABLE!

Valuation Excuses

We all encounter obstacles and experience setbacks in life. When I refer to setbacks, I’m talking about physical challenges, such as illness or injury—like my own experience with testicular cancer for the third time. Obstacles, on the other hand, are the everyday things that make it difficult to prioritize our health and fitness. These can include work, family responsibilities, indulging too much in life’s pleasures, injury, genetic factors, or even depression. These “I can’t” moments are often just “valuation excuses.” I discuss them in Chapter 4, “The Fitness Mindset,” of The Fitness Mindset: 7 Habits for Peak Performance.

We talk ourselves into believing our valuation excuses. As such, we accept our own closures and limit our possibilities. They arise in the mind as an excuse not to care for ourselves and exercise. I have my own and you have yours. But I choose to make it a priority to exercise every day. Why? It makes feel good and I get stronger. I actually conquer my obstacles and overcome my setbacks every day!

There are so many benefits to exercising that outweigh the excuses NOT to exercise. I mention them very briefly in the Introduction of my book, The Fitness Mindset: 7 Habits For Peak Performance, before talking about extrinsic and intrinsic motivation in regard to social influences and behavior and the alarming statistics of overweight and obesity in the United States.

“Exercise contributes to positive thinking, increases confidence, metabolism, bone density, cardiovascular health, energy, and hormones. Exercise decreases anxiety, improves digestion, slows down the aging process, releases endorphins into the brain that reduce pain as a natural opiate, and boost the feeling of well-being… [And] studies show that exercise can improve mental function and performance by reorganizing and restructuring brain activity” (pp. 8-9).

I am a third time testicular cancer survivor. I think I might be the only one who holds that title! I had 10 weeks of aggressive chemotherapy from November to January. I continued exercising during that time when I could. Since my last chemo session, I’ve had 24 training sessions in 31 days. That’s six training sessions per week.

I had a recent injury to my right shoulder in the gym with chronic pain and limited mobility but I still exercise – the left side of my upper body only, e.g., left arm cranking, left chest, left lat, left bicep, left tricep, until my right shoulder heals.

My problem, and my obstacle these days, is very low recovery. My body is running on chemo, blood thinners, estrogen, no testosterone, and my RBC and hemoglobin is low which causes low stamina and dizziness.

But I still make time to exercise for an hour alternating between upper and lower body with cardio. I do cardio first (in most cases it should be done last). I choose three machines for 10 minutes each for 30 minutes. This gets me sweating and motivated to fire up my mind for an intense one all-out-set of an exercise with the weights for 30 minutes. Exercise with NO EXCUSES!

Stages of a Transformation

THE PROCESS OF A TRANSFORMATION includes many behavior change stages to where a person can reach self-efficacy and balance. Self-efficacy occurs when improving fitness promotes behaviors that are influenced by self-monitoring strategies, which includes the confidence and perceived benefits of a regimented exercise routine. Balance occurs when exercise benefits increase, and a person moves between the maintenance and action stages. The process of a transformation includes the following stages: (1) precontemplation, (2) contemplation, (3) preparation, (4) action, and (5) maintenance.

Precontemplation Stage

Individuals may be in the precontemplation stage because they are not informed about the consequences of inactivity, or they do not know about the health benefits of exercise. They may have tried before and failed. As a result, they feel less confident and have become demoralized by their inability to stick with an exercise routine to succeed.

Contemplation Stage

When individuals become aware of the benefits of exercise and are considering becoming more active, they are in the contemplation stage. People in this stage begin to see more value in exercise participation, but misconceptions and myths about exercising may still be present. They seek out informational support to educate themselves to boost their perceived value of an exercise program. They focus on small achievable goals. This helps them build momentum.

Preparation Stage

People in the preparation stage are working on their plan to change. They may already have joined a gym, or they may already exercise sporadically but are planning to start a formal weekly exercise plan within the next month. This stage is all about establishing a plan that clients feel confident they can follow.

Action Stage

The action stage are those who have been consistently exercising for up to 6 months. Barriers to exercise still might exist and what is needed is to anticipate any potential setbacks that could arise. Specific plans should be put in place in advance if an exercise session is missed. Alternative preplanned workouts become important for maintaining progress.

Maintenance Stage

Maintenance is the stage in which individuals are consistently working to maintain their active lifestyle and who have been sticking with their exercise plan for 6 months or more. At this stage, self-efficacy levels are generally high. Dedicated fitness enthusiasts will shift between preparation, action, and maintenance.

The 80/20 Rule Myth

GETTING RESULTS BY CHANGING physical appearance and improving functional ability is not 80% nutrition and 20% exercise, but quite the opposite: 80% exercise and 20% nutrition.

We spend less time meal prepping than exercising during the week. Meal prepping makes up 2%, whereas exercising makes up 4 to 6% of the entire week. After prepping meals all there is to do is eat them. Exercising takes more time (and effort), even in preparation.

But the reason why most people have heard getting results is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise is that this ratio is used in reference to a bodybuilder’s lifestyle: eat, train, sleep.

Training is relatively the easy part for a bodybuilder because it is a pleasurable activity compared to around the clock high-performance nutrition to aid with recovery and promote increases in performance levels.

The latter ratio must be applied to the majority who do not find exercise pleasurable and do not adhere to the regimen of a bodybuilder. An 80% exercise and 20% nutrition ratio must be applied to a domestic 9-5 lifestyle: work, home, sleep.

Living a domestic lifestyle can make exercise difficult to become a priority in order to make it a habit and exercise well. Learning how to exercise well by allowing the body to adapt and transform itself is not 20%, but 80% (given the perspective that movement is what we were meant to do throughout our lifetime).

Learning how to exercise well takes time, which is how habits are formed. When a training session is more difficult to get through it is likely the case that one did not eat high-performance nutrition in regard to the right foods in the right amounts at the right time and often enough to allow the body to recover for the next training session. This recovery period, although ongoing throughout the day and night, would in fact constitute 80%. Eating high-performance nutrition meals definitely increases exercise performance and invariably aids in a series of body transformations.

However, the common belief that results are 80% nutrition and 20% exercise is scientifically unfounded. Studies show that exercising influences healthier food choices, not the other way around. Movement comes first, and eating better comes second. The fact is that when one exercises, then one will want to make better food choices in order to perform and function at one’s best. We eat for energy, but we exercise to change.

Yet, when talking about an 80/20 exercise and nutrition ratio it is more pragmatic to speak of a holistic 34/33/33 exercise modality, nutrition, and recuperation ratio that include all three components working together to increase performance and transform the body.

Mindful Athleticism

AN ENERGIZED MIND WITH A FIT BODY is an enriching quality of life marked with each step that is motivating and exciting to live! Tap into your mind and actualize it for self-worth like philosophers and athletes! Use your mind and transform YOURSELF that is not confined to the preconceived constraints of the body!

Philosophers are analogous to fearless athletes in mental training seeking to broaden perspective that is not confined within the limits of language. In his leftover notes, and a book known as The Will to Power published posthumously by his sister a year after his death, Nietzsche writes, “Language is founded on the most naïve prejudices… We read contradictions and problems into everything because we think only in the forms of language… We cease to think when we refuse to do so under the constraint of language… All rational thought is interpretation according to a scheme [of thought] we cannot throw off” (no. 522, Nietzsche’s emphasis).

The Mind: Igniting the Spark!

In Philosophical Investigations Wittgenstein similarly says, “Philosophy results in uncovering one or another piece of simple nonsense, and in bruises which the understanding has suffered by bumping its head against the limits of language. These bruises make us see the value of that discovery” (no. 119, my emphasis).

There is much that philosophers and athletes understand regarding mental and physical training of the mind or of the body for enhancing the quality of life all together: Improved intelligence, increased performance, superior aesthetics, and above all self-worth. Both philosophers and athletes pursue mental and physical extremism. Philosophers drive their minds to the border of insanity seeking to understand this chaotic world we call ‘Life’ in order to have a deeper appreciation of it. Athletes push their bodies to the brink of cardiorespiratory and muscular collapse seeking to perform and look the best that they can be.

It may not be pleasurable to endure pain along the way, but PAIN is the motivation of each stepping-stone of success! Both philosophers and athletes alike subject their minds to gain excellence and mastery of oneself as a constant self-overcoming for more life and extol this joy on others to experience the same. Without the mind the body cannot function. To accomplish any goal in life the rendering of the mind ignites the spark of a specific quest and an unfailing plan to succeed that is fueled with a passionate devotion of self-worth, an unrelenting force within, and an obstinate desire that explodes! The parallel between the rigors of philosophical thought and the disciplined athlete in training enhances both the mind and the body on the way to balanced perfection.[1]

Making the Mind/Body Connection

The connection between athletic fitness and philosophical thought is that first, both are an aesthetic art of self and human worth, one of the body, and the other of the mind, (strictly speaking). And second, they require the active engagement of the mind necessary for coordinating and improving both the mental and muscular functions to power the body. Since physical training is more mind than muscle – at least 70% - for improving physical performance we understand that the mind is the most important “muscle” to engage.

Just like there are distinct levels of "progressive" training programs to follow in accordance with the adaptation of the central nervous system's (CNS) learning capabilities and the growth of the mind, an athlete learns how to progressively engage his or her mind to adapt to a higher level of training to improve his or her quality of strength, muscle, performance, and appearance. We get better doing things through habitual practice because our minds make a stronger connection to whatever we are trying to better coordinate. This is why I do not believe in “changing up” one’s training too frequently because the mind ceases to think by refusing to suffer and be bruised to make a stronger connection with the CNS to metaphorically “overload” one’s training (not necessarily an amount of weight or technique that makes a set harder to complete) for the sake of improving the body.

Properly controlled movements or actions of the body are achieved with the mind that reaches a point called mind-body unity. The body is subjected to the mind because the mind controls the body. Any individual sport or activity like bodybuilding, karate, tennis, gymnastics, etc. are just a few positive mental effects of using one’s mind to teach self-confidence, self-discipline, and self-worth.

A Self-Actualized Mind is a Stronger Self-Worth

The parallel between athletic training and philosophical thought John Stuart Mill states a relationship between mental and muscular powers. In On Liberty he says, “[They] are improved only by being used” and “are called into no exercise by doing a thing merely because others do it, no more than by believing a thing only because others believe it. If the grounds of an opinion [like the grounds for exercise] are not conclusive to the person’s own reason [i.e., a reason to exercise must be your own, not anyone else’s], his or her reason cannot be strengthened, but is likely to be weakened, by adopting it [i.e., a reason other than one’s own to exercise]: and if the inducements to an act [such as exercise] … are not … to his own feelings and character … it is so much done towards rendering his feelings and character… inert and torpid instead of active and energetic” (Ch. 3, pp. 122-23; my brackets and emphasis).

We can draw an analogy from the quote above concerning well-meaning fitness enthusiasts wanting to become fit when in fact their actions speak otherwise:

1.    Lack personal passion

2.    Accept to be guided by reason other than their own

3.    Refuse an unfailing training plan by a bonafide personal trainer

I see these well-meaning fitness enthusiasts in the gym nearly every day. Whether someone became a new member 6 weeks ago or if someone has been training for years, it makes you wonder why they still look the same. The purpose of exercise is to improve your health or change your appearance and improve your performance. But these people walk around the gym like half-zombies refusing to devour their own passions and consume energies to ignite the spark in their minds! When I am in the gym my energy, focus and time is on me. But I am not unaware of witnessing the lifeless energy emitting from both the fit and the fat refusing to bruise their minds to exercise their bodies to make that mind/body connection that can create a better and healthier YOU. Why am I not gaining muscle, losing fat or increasing energy? Ha! I’ve already answered this! Because you are “inert and torpid instead of active and energetic!” Movement is all too familiar to us! What?

Well-meaning fitness enthusiasts who have no exercise plan or an exercise plan chosen for them without question, Mill says, “He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him has no need of any other faculty than the ape-like one of imitation” (Ibid.). While visiting the Detroit Zoological Park I came across this inscription of the gorilla exhibitions: “Gorilla’s speak to one another through… vocalizations including grunts, barks and hoots… The day is usually spent resting and socialization with other members of the troop” (emphasis mine).

Some, if not the majority, “aping” or copying what other members of the troop do in the gym from the advice of fitness gurus on Instagram or YouTube or an App without question or understanding is nothing but motionless lazy imitation. In the sarcasm of Nietzsche, this has become the norm of the “genius of the species” for improving itself?

Whether we have grown more moral by following the herd, Mill brilliantly states, “Instead of great energies guided by vigorous reason, and strong feelings strongly controlled by a conscientious will, its result is weak feelings and weak energies, which therefore can be kept in outward conformity to rule without any strength either of will or of reason. There is now scarcely any outlet for energy … except business” (Ibid., 135). Pause for reflection…

Enduring Pain and the Will to Advance Growth

Athletes become relentless in desiring to achieve the most excellent body or performance. They do this by getting command of their minds and choosing actions in their own best interest. And as a result, their ability to endure pain to bring their dreams into fruition through self-discipline becomes a great sensation! As for enduring pain, the body has a natural chemical it releases to relieve pain, an occurring morphine-like substances called "endorphins." When endorphins are released, we can continue to train harder and make a difference in effecting change to our bodies! If endorphins are not experienced, then it means training hard is not an option because it is the mind that actually ignites their release! In this respect the power of the mind cannot be underestimated in anything we set out to do or wish to accomplish. If endorphins are kicking in it means that the challenge of enduring pain along the way to bring your dream into fruition has been accepted in-spite-of mental and physical exhaustion! It means you have won the Will to turn on and advance your own growth!

Ask a woman in labor about to give birth and she'll tell you birthing involves excruciating pain. Schooling a child or educating an adult involves pain to increase knowledge in preparation for life's challenges. An athlete's training for a perfected physical state, likewise, involves the physical and mental threshold of pain and unrelenting sacrifice. A mother, an educated person or a winning athlete will acknowledge it was pain and sacrifice to get their just reward: the aesthetic pleasure of creating and advancing their own growth!

Affirming Pain and Learning to Ascend above it Invites Growth

Losing one pound a day without dieting and exercising brings no profit to the mind and body. The good, desirable, and profitable life is applying one’s mind to construct a strong healthy body and endure pain along the way to bring one’s dreams into fruition in order to be successful and live well. One who knows how to live well would not in their right mind take pleasure in sleeping all the time because it is living the life of a slumbering plant only existing bringing no profit to oneself or others! It is a great consciousness of being alive to pursue one’s personal self-worth with the dignified effort of over-pouring in blood, sweat and tears!

Affirming pain in-spite-of the negation of pain and learning to ascend above it invites growth. Life’s meaning is oddly found in life’s negative failing experiences. Coordinating together the mental and physical powers whether in busiest, lazy or idle times one must "painfully endure" a philosophy of "mental exertion" and a body of "physical exertion" to build or re-construct a willful and disciplined mind for a strong body to ascend to a higher type of being (as Nietzsche would say) “to more life” for ourselves and share it with others twice saying, “Yes to Life!”

The Fitness Mindset shows you how to construct a willful and disciplined mind for a stronger body.

Endnotes:

[1] It is ridiculous to think we ever reach physical and mental perfection, but we constantly strive to attain our idea of a perfected state because we are stubborn enough not to want it that is within our genetic potential and environmental means to improve our self-worth!

This article was originally written July 26, 2002 and appeared on Bodybuilding.Com

Ab Training is “Back Flexion”

WHEN TRAINING THE ABS keep in mind that the main function of the abs is to "flex," i.e., round, the lower back, not to arch it or twist the spinal column like in seated twists or side bends. Therefore, proper ab training is a "back flexion" movement even when working your "love handles" or oblique muscles.

Technically speaking, the ROM for working the ab muscles to a fully contracted position is a 2-inch movement. Try it yourself, but only flex the lower back. Any more than that means involvement of hip flexion and back extension, which should be minimized in order to maximize your time doing ab training. To MAXIMIZE back flexion pull your rib cage and pelvis in toward one another at all times (no hip flexion and back extension). Remember the 2-inch movement ab rule!

The main goal is to bring the ribs and hips closer to each other or to close the gap between the ribs and the pelvis. A person can only do that if the abs are consciously pulled in and tightened as in any crunch position. When performing sit-up crunches from start to finish try and keep your neck in line with the upper body by looking up (not forward and tucked down) or place your hands behind your head for neck support to avoid hyperextending the neck and possible neck pain.

avoid low back pain

When the abs are weak the lower back tends to arch rather than flexing at the hips to work the abs. We may do this without realizing it, especially when the abs fatigue. At this point, most people start relying on the lower back for strength or support. The result might be low back pain, if not now then later. If you have low back pain conventional lying leg raises should be avoided and replaced with reverse crunches.

When performing reverse crunches for your lower abs keep your lower back snug against the pad or floor. This exercise is performed by raising your hips (not your thighs) up and back while pulling your abs in. Bring the hips up and in (not your thighs) to perform a “back flexion” movement. The same motion is also true with hanging leg raises, except that by lengthening of the spine might make it more difficult to perform a “back flexion” movement. To avoid this, pull yourself up to a 1/3 pull-up position by your lats for more stability and less momentum and pull your hips forward to get yourself into a curling or rounded back position.

Quality NOT Quantity

Perform two sets for the upper, lower and side (oblique) abs.  Remember, you are aiming for quality not quantity. Accomplishing more in less time means quality, not how much or many.  So it might be beneficial if you do not count your ab reps, but instead aim for complete muscle fatigue per exercise performed in a tri-set fashion. My motto, “train hard, not long,” also applies to ab training, not just weight training. Abs should be trained slow and concentrated since they contract fast throughout the day during daily activities. The contracted position should be held for a tight 2-second count. Try to avoid using momentum as much as you can and also avoid using the strength of the legs, hips and ankles to reassure yourself that you are getting a good quality ab workout!

Best Time and How Often?

Abs can be done as part of your initial warm-up at the beginning of your workout or be used as a warm/cool-down last in your workout.  It is can also be used as an intermission between muscle groups worked if you are following a split routine. Ab training should be performed three to four days per week – not everyday.

One more important thing…

Most people train their abs doing countless sets (even with weight) in hopes of reducing the fat around their waist quicker. This is a mistake. What you must do is perform compound movements like squats, dead-lifts, standing military presses, standing curls, etc. because these exercises involve large muscle groups of the whole body by using tremendous amounts of energy! Compound movements build muscle and hasten the “after-burn” after exercise!