Vince's 5 principles of training

Was reading some of Vince's original works and came across him laying out the 5 basic principles of his training philosophy. Pretty interesting and very applicable to any discipline, not just bodybuilding or sports in general.

1. Philosophy

Dwelling on the subject of training all day causes endocrine tension, which can upset the chemical balance of your nervous system. This form of tension can be absolutely destructive to the muscle building process and hinder formation of new tissue. For the growth process to function to its optimum level, all of your glandular processes must operate with maximum efficiency. Worry and anxiety over constantly dwelling on your workouts can prevent the free flow of endocrine secretions which is necessary for the rebuilding of nervous energy force. Remember, nerve force is essential for rebuilding tissue. When you begin your workout you are to concentrate on your training, the minute you finish your workout the training session is over, “turn it off.” Over-enthusiasm is one of the bodybuilder’s worst enemies. Tranquility is the first rule of good health. You cannot fail to make gains if you see yourself as you wish to be. There are only one or two good exercises for each muscle. The rest of the exercises are only variations. Any interruptions during a training session can ruin a workout by dissipating nervous energy. All great champions have the ability of complete concentration which allows them to use their nerve energy force to its maximum.

2. Tranquility.

The brain at rest uses 60% of the body’s energy. Thus, anything less than tranquility is disastrous to the bodybuilder. Overnight muscle loss takes place when a mental problem is encountered which upsets ones normal outlook. Excess concern regarding your workouts, diet, and conditions in your life can also place a drain on your tranquility. Such thoughts, given too much of your energy, are sure to result in less or no physical gains. Stop worrying. Choose a course of action and follow through. Champions turn it off when they leave the gym. They are also not worriers and have a positive outlook.

3. Workout Tempo.

Two people using the same routine, the same number of sets and reps, same weights, and only one of them is great. Which one? The one with workout tempo! Workout tempo is; the time wise evenly spacing of sets, without distractions and complete concentration on when to pick up the next weight and do the next set. Champions instinctively use this tempo when working out; while others are walking around the gym between sets, gossip with their buddies, or look at a magazine, or just sit down and rest. Distraction to a champion is disastrous. It results in a loss of energy and pump. If you are distracted during your workout you might as well stop and rest an hour or so and then take up where you left off. Complete singleness of purpose is the key to concentration. Each workout is progressively different than the last one, and this simply means that more muscle tension is used and tighter contractions are employed. This results in greater satisfaction with each workout. When you reach this level of accomplishment in training, you may confuse this elated state of feeling with the need to do more work. Beware! This is where you could make your biggest mistake by taking on more work and over-working.

4. Concentration.

Year ago Vince predicted bodybuilders of the future would exercise less than back in his time. Why, mainly due to bodybuilders advancement in the field of concentration. Every top bodybuilder uses concentration to the point they are oblivious to the activity around them. In conjunction with knowing how and where the muscle is attached and its function and what exercise involves the part of the muscle you wish to develop forms a foundation for training success. Every muscle has a low-middle lateral and high aspect. You must choose either the difficult or weak area to work on. The slow growing areas call for maximum concentration, while the faster growing areas call for considerable less concentration.

5. Visualization.

Champions obviously possess something others do not. Even though they may do the same routine set for set, rep for rep, they do not obtain the benefits of champions. Vince often stated that he had observed champions train in a manner he did not approve, but they received results that were phenomenal. What is it that they possess? What do they do different? They are using mental suggestion, mind control! You can actually produce the desired condition by picturing in your mind what you wish to manifest. Picture in your mind a clear image of the muscle or area of the body you wish to develop and hold the image throughout the performance of the set. The technique of mental suggestion is what all physical culture writers are trying to explain when they throw the term, “concentration” out to you. The subconscious believes any thought you perceive and stores it. It accepts everything that is spoken by you or someone else if you accept it as truth. But it must be repeated again and again until the subconscious accepts it as truth. Then it will produce the condition pictured in your mind. Whether or not a champion is aware of it, this is why they are champions, they have this ability. They are convinced of a successful outcome. This awareness is more important than any steroid, drug, diet plan, supplement, or exercise routine ever conceived.

To Squat or Not To Squat?

Myth #1: Squats are bad for the knees

You've probably heard this one a thousand times, but not only are squats not bad for the knees, virtually every legitimate research study on this subject has shown that squats help improve knee stability. This dramatically reduces the risk of injuries. Provided you don't relax or bounce in the bottom position of the squat, you have nothing to worry about! What happens when you relax is that the knee joint opens up slightly and exposes the connective tissues to stress levels higher than their inherent tensile strength. This doesn't mean that you can't pause in the bottom position, but that you have to ensure you keep the muscles under tension when doing so. In other words, just don't relax at the bottom of the squat and allow your connective tissue to over-stretch like a rubber band!

Myth #2: Squats widen the hips

The origin of this myth comes from old-time bodybuilding guru Vince Gironda. Despite his many contributions and insights into weight training, there has been no scientific or empirical evidence that the squats do widen the hips. If this were true, olympic lifters, who can devote as much as a third of training volume to squats, would have the widest hips of all (and we know that to be untrue!). One of the prime movers in the squat movement is the gluteus maximus, and when it develops, it grows backwards, not to out to the sides, because the insertions nor origins of the attachments at at the hips. So ladies, take not, if you want to firm up your butt, deep squats are the perfect exercise for it!

               

Myth #3. There's only one way to squat

As the saying goes, 'there's more than one way to skin a cat'. Regardless of whether you decide to do front squats, back squats or squats with various different bar positions, you will still force adaptation and growth.

A good example of changing up the way you squat for various different benefits can be illustrated by how bodybuilders and powerlifters squat. Many bodybuilders like to squat while keeping their backs as straight as possible and gives rise to an increased forward movement of the knees. Powerlifters like to squat by bending more from the waist, so there's minimal forward movement. Also, powerlifters often don't squat as deep as bodybuilders (but still past parallel), in an effort to handle as much weight as possible. From the standpoint of human biomechanics and neurophysiology, the depth of squatting, degree of forward lean and knee movement patterns can affect the muscle recruitment patterns.

What this means is that you can take a page out of these different athlete's books. By squatting like powerlifters, you would tap into new motor-units and learn to develop the posterior side of the legs, which are often proportionally weaker due to under-training; and by squatting deep like bodybuilders and getting a good range of motion, you would help to increase the development of the VMO (vastus medialis oblique) muscle and hamstring muscles which will greatly increase knee stability, bullet-proofing you against knee pain!

The Concept of Discipline

As an avid practitioner of the iron game, I train with weights virtually everyday. In fact, rarely a day goes by where I am not in the gym. As a result, I often get comments from friends, and even strangers, that I must be very disciplined to lead the lifestyle that I do. Often I would thank the person for the compliment and not give it much thought beyond that.  

Recently, however, one of my colleagues mentioned to me that they felt so guilty for skipping a few days worth of workouts because they were ill disciplined (basically they felt lazy that day and decided to indulge themselves). This incident got me questioning the whole concept of discipline - is there even such a thing?  

One of the most common questions that I get from people who have just started a training program is 'How can I ensure that I am disciplined and motivated enough to continue my workouts?' I usually pose this question in response, 'How much do you love yourself?'   You see, discipline is a lie - there is no such thing. There is only love. Love is virtually THE most powerful creative force in the universe. Think about it, you are a result of what you love the most. You either love washboard abs more than that dessert, or you don't. You either love being the fittest and most healthy version of yourself, or you don't. Do not beat yourself up thinking that you have no discipline, or that further downing another slice of cake in an effort to drown your sorrows out of guilt will help alleviate this pain. Just admit that you love crappy food more than your health or strength, and that's all right, provided you could live with it.  

A person's self-esteem is a reflection of their self-judgement. As a result, one of the best ways to raise your self-esteem is to make truly loving choices that lead an increased strength of your body and mind. To continue using training and diet as an analogy, if you truly love yourself in the gym, you would choose doing full squats over leg extensions. If you truly love yourself in a food court, you would choose clear fish soup and plain rice over fried hokkien mee and carrot cake.  When faced with a difficult choice, it would be helpful to ask yourself, 'What would a knowledgeable expert with your best interests in mind recommend?' For example, if you wanted to train chest, would an expert recommend cable crossovers or full range dumbbell presses? If you wanted dessert, would an expert recommend a sugar-rich slice of double chocolate fudge cake, or a bowl of greek yoghurt with berries?  Of course, I am not suggesting you immediately start preparing meals of chicken breast and brown rice with broccoli and start training every single day. In fact, this idea extends beyond training and dieting, to encompass a more holistic idea of self-fulfillment. In anything you do, you either love yourself enough to make the smart choices, develop a plan to reach your goals and incorporate it such that it is a part of your lifestyle, or you love being a subpar, mediocre version of yourself.  

Every successful person who reached their success did so by doing what they needed to do every single day; no matter how negligible it may have seemed or how painful it might have been at that time. They did so because they believed in the end product, and they loved the future successful version of themselves so much that they would do what was necessary to get there. They understood that the fulfillment of reaching their eventual goal was worth way more than any form of instant gratification.  Knowing all this, how then do we free ourselves from this archaic concept of discipline? 

Here are a couple of things you can start doing to liberate yourself.  Firstly, accept that whatever choices you make are a reflection of what you truly love, and choose to love yourself more than external things. Treating yourself well will accelerate the growth of your self-esteem and your self-judgement will improve exponentially. When you achieve results as you progress, and people compliment you by saying you have a lot of discipline, tell them you just love making the right choices for yourself. Reinforcing your own positivity will help it manifest in strength.  Also remember that what you appreciate appreciates, so whenever you make a truly loving choice in yourself, reward yourself positively. For example, when you meet a certain goal, reward yourself with a vacation or a new piece of equipment. The more you believe in yourself, the more objectively you will be able to take criticism from others, because your self-esteem is already strongly reinforced.  

There is an old Hindu saying 'The World is as we are.' If you are tired of the condition of the world around you, then change it. Start by taking control and changing yourself, and BE the change you want to see in the world. We are what we attract in life, so be that which you want the most. Being loving towards yourself and making the right choices towards that end will ensure you lead the most fun, enjoyable and productive life possible.

Introduction

We are Team 22 and we love iron. That is to say, we love lifting heavy shit. 

We first met in the gym while studying at SMU and NUS. As we bonded over a common passion for lifting, the idea of Team 22 grew from a desire to build a community that encourages and inspires, both inside and outside the gym.

Our vision is to foster a community through which we can share our knowledge and experience with  people who are interested in lifting - whether you are a guy or girl; weak or strong, looking to better yourself in your sport, or simply look better. Having been there ourselves, we know that everyone begins somewhere, and it is our genuine hope to help you better yourself.

This blog was created so we could document our thoughts and personal experiences on lifting, training, and leading a healthy, active lifestyle. Simultaneously, we recognize that everyone has their own unique journey and we welcome everyone visiting this blog to share their thoughts with us by commenting.

So…. welcome to the Team!