PUBLISHER ’ S LETTER
KEEP IT SIMPLE
M aybe it ’ s just me , but the older I get , the more I seem to hark back to the past for motivation and inspiration . I feel there ’ s little originality in music and bodybuilding these days . What I find truly authentic resides in the past , which means I often turn to YouTube to watch the athletes of old – the greatest to have ever roamed the planet , in my opinion – to draw inspiration and absorb as much as I can about their mindsets and their attitudes .
Bodybuilding today seems to be a watereddown version of the hardcore lifestyle it was a decade ago . I really miss the nobullshit , hard and heavy approach to training that the golden era of bodybuilding used . Back then things were simple . A deadlift meant a heavy-ass weight on the floor that you either picked up properly , or not at all . There weren ’ t 50 ways to get creative with this simple movement , which forms the foundation of muscle growth . Today there are ways around hard and heavy training that people swear by . Everything seems to have been made easier and more accessible in the modern era , to make training more “ adventurous
“ THE MAIN THING I ’ VE LEARNT IN MY LIFE IS THAT THE MORE ADVANCED THE ATHLETE , THE SIMPLER IS HIS APPROACH . NOVICES TEND TO OVERCOMPLICATE THINGS .” and fun ”. No wonder hardcore bodybuilders are on the endangered species list .
Coleman stated it best when he said : “ Everyone wants to be a bodybuilder , but no one wants to lift no heavyass weights .” And that applies to everyday life , too . Everyone wants to be successful and wealthy , but very few seem to want to put in the hard work .
I don ’ t expect things to return to what they were in the past – what ’ s done is done – and bodybuilding and fitness has never been more popular and accessible to the average guy and girl , which is great to see . However , I ’ d like athletes to be more honest with themselves , especially when it comes to training . One of the biggest lies people tell themselves is that they ’ re training hard enough , or that they ’ re eating enough . The more you transform your physique , the harder it gets to keep adding solid , quality muscle . The same shit you ’ re doing to maintain your current weight and look isn ’ t going to achieve a better body in six months . If you want to pack on more meat , you need to keep pushing . Every new phase of physique development will require a different approach . And it never gets easier , it only gets harder .
So don ’ t be fooled by new training techniques , new movements , new rep ranges or new training styles . Look at the era of Dorian , Paul , Kevin , Flex and Shawn and ask yourself if there are better bodybuilders on stage today than those from the ‘ 80s and early ‘ 90s . If you think there are then you might need to re-evaluate your bodybuilding ideals . But if you agree , then go back and watch a few YouTube videos of how these guys trained , and witness the kind of intensity they used . Movements were pure ; they were simple ; they were intense .
Meals were simple , too . There were no shortcuts and none of the “ special ” ingredients that we see today .
If you really want to stand out from the crowd , don ’ t follow the crowd at all . Bodybuilding is a simple yet multifaceted sport : it ’ s painful , challenging , daunting , overwhelming , and it requires a massive amount of personal sacrifice , and blood , sweat and tears . But one thing it is not is complicated . People make it complicated and then don ’ t understand why they ’ re not advancing . Peak week , as it ’ s known , has become a 180-degree change in protocol from the 18-20 week period that gets athletes into shape . People then step on stage not understanding why they don ’ t look the way they did a week before . If you didn ’ t look right a week before your “ peak week ” then no amount of water depletion , carb induction , diuretics , sodium loading and depleting , or any other “ revolutionary ” shit you put into your body is going to make you look any better . The main thing I ’ ve learnt in my life is that the more advanced the athlete , the simpler is his approach . Novices tend to overcomplicate things . I ’ ve travelled the globe and toured with Ronnie Coleman , Shawn Ray , Dexter Jackson , Flex Wheeler , and Gary Strydom , and I ’ ve spent time with many great fitness athletes , and it never ceases to amaze me how the finest athletes always use the simplest approach to training and prep ( and in life ).
Simplicity is , without a doubt , the most underrated element in bodybuilding today . If you really want progress , keep things simple . You ’ ll be amazed at just how far this approach will get you . Enjoy the mag !
Andrew Editor-In-Chief
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