Big Is Inside

To deadlift or not to deadlift?  DOES a bodybuilder REALLY need to deadliftingt?  Deadlifting is for powerlifters, isn’t it?  You know those guys; the slightly nerdy mountain men with barrel chests and disregard for "ab definition."  

So MUST a bodybuilder deadlift?  

And for that matter, do I ABSOLUTELY need to squat to get big wheels?  Is there ANOTHER way, or are squats a MUST?

And what about snatches, jerks, cleans, good mornings, roman chairs, decline press, dips, preacher curls, cable cross, hamstring curls . . . and on . . . and on . . .

Do I NEED to do certain exercises?

Well, this week, I pulled something in his back — NO not from lifting.  Just s minor pull, just due to my usual being a clown.  But this little temporary boo-boo prompted some smart-ass kid to ask, “do you think it’s because you do deadlifts?”

Short answer: “No.”

But then they came back with: “Well, does a bodybuilder even NEED to do deadlifts?”  And THIS question reminded me of a thread in the forums — and a topic that REALLY gets my wheels turning.    

I so often see this doubt from people about the power movements.  There is always this lingering line of questions . . . all revolving around “whether it’s necessary to do power exercises.”

When asking “should I do such-and-such exercise?” it is kind of like you are at 100 feet up in the air, looking down at the problem.  From this height, you are able to look at one particular exercise.  And this vantage point is useful; it may help you figure out the efficacy of THAT ONE exercise.

But even if an exercise is “effective”, does it mean EVERY lifter MUST incorporate that lift in their program?  And how does one know whether squats or deads or any power exercise is “really necessary” . . . ?

Well, instead of looking at the specific exercise (whether it’s right to squat, or clean, or do deads), try to look at a bigger version of things. Y ou need to get up to 1,000 or 10,000 feet up to really see the lay of the land . . .

From up there you can not only get the facts, you can BUILD A THEORY . . . Which is a better process in general.

ALL BODYBUILDING METHODOLOGY IS BASED IN THEORY.

Let me repeat . . .

Now, a LOT of people are probably not gonna buy that.  All bodybuilding is THEORY?  "No way DUDE!  ALL the top guys are ALWAYS on abotu science!  It ain’t THEORY, man!"  

Many folks are convinced; they want to believe that solid bodybuilding is based on fact, not theory.

Well, by saying bodybuilding is based in theory, we are nOT throwing our scientific fact.  Indeed, we NEED scientific fact to even have solid theories.  All the most solid THEORIES of bodybuilding are, in fact, based in scientific facts.  One must USE science to SUPPORT a theory.

But in the end, your bodybuilding –from the 10,000 feet view — is only ever just theory.  

To see how this is so, let’s be clear on what a theory IS.  A theory (simply put) is anything:

- you can SHOW TO BE CONSISTANTLY TRUE
- you can NOT 100% PROVE TO BE TRUE
- you can NOT 100% PROVE IS WRONG.

For example, one very popular theory applied in bodybuilding doesn’t even SOUND like a theory:

"Individuals will best progress by determining unique specifics of to do their individual work."  Or, in short, This is what people are referencing when they say "do what works for you."

This "do whjat works for you" concept is actually just a theory.  Think about it . . . we have TONS of proof to show it is accurate and consistant.  Meanwhile, we can also see how there is NO final way to prove this theory is 100% true 100% of the time.  However, you also can’t totally PROVE that this theory might be untrue.  Some may disagree with the theory, but that alone does not prove that it is false.

Now, like I mentioned before, good bodybuilding theory can be supported by FACT — typically science.  Two different bodybuilders may take a fact and build two different theories based on that fact, but the fact itself remain the same.  

For example, let’s look at a couple theories behind deadlifting . . .

Some bodybuilders emply deadlifts because "deadlifting builds core strength, which you need for stability in OTHER lifts."  This is based on the FACTS of which muscles get worked in the deadlift movement.  And logically, to get bigger, you need to have ALL your lifts be powerful, so the deadlift is a means to encouraging this advancement of other lifts.  According to this theory, a bodybuilder would use deadlifts almost as a means of "cross training," sort of similar to how a football player might employ deadlifts.

Yet other bodybuilders theorize that "heavyt deadlifts build mass."  This theory is based on the FACT that deadlifts cause a HUGE neurological impact on the body — an impact that triggers adaptation and growth.  So, here, a bodybuilder might treeat deadlifts similar to a powerlifter, shooting for a maximal lift.  Deadlifts become their own focus in the training.

Two different theories, both based in fact, and both are valid.  Both provide an athlete with a "template" for how to use the exercise in question — in this case, deadlifts.  They result in two different approaches, and although the two are not in perfect agreement, both bring results and both can be defended by fact and logic.  

When you see people arguing on "which method is better" and "which exercise is a must," they are NOT discussing facts, they are discussing THEORIES.  This is also true in dieting issues, and even in discussions of steroid ethics.  people can USE facts to SUPPORT theories, but in the end, all we have is our theory.

This is why there has yet to be one "master plan" in bodybuilding.  The broader your vision — the higher up you go to 10,000 feet, 20,000 feet or even higher — the more you see how the landscape is theories.  It’s sort of like the borders between countries or states.  The "line" between Nevada and New Mexico is imaginary; it was drawn on a map.  The LAND is a fact — it exists.  But the LINE drawn across the land, well, that is just a theory . . .

Now, you can not determine the borders on the ground when you are only 100 feet up.  That is not enough of a view; how do I know if I am in Canada or Greenland?  Is this Brazil or Lima?  Am I standing in France or Spain?  To know where you are, or where you want to be — you need a view that is REALLY HIGH up.  

Bodybuilding is like the land, and our theories are like the borders we draw on the map.  And, like any borders drawn, there will ALWAYS be arguments and border skirmishes . . .

Some people think that their theories on lifting are the BEST ones.  They are tired and frustrated with how the other theories work.  They run campaigns of attack, thinking their borders should be expanded . . . their land should be bigger.  They try to conquer neighboring lands — trying to push their theory forward towards becoming a "bodybuilding theory empire."  They use facts upon facts to attack other theories . . . sometimes ruthlessly.  And sometimes needlessly.  Because just like the real world, some borders are just fine left alone.  Some theories work fine all by themself.

However, when you get high up you can also see theories that are just plain wrong.  Bad theories use innacurate facts as support, use poor logic int heir construction, or can be PROVEN wrong beyond a shadow of a doubt. Yet some people still stick with these theories anyway, and even defend them . . .

and then, sometimes, a GOOD theory can BECOME BAD!  A lot of guys base their lifting on what other people tell them.  They just take plans and suggestions from other people and trust that they are "good."  The people who they got the plans from may have themselves been using solid, sound theories, but often lifters don’t bother learning that.  They just want a lifting plan.  "Tell me what to do," they say. "But I don’t have time to learn WHY . . . "

If you just lift without knowing the THEORY behind WHY you are doing what you are doing, then that is just as bad as  a BAD THEORY.   A good lifting theory that you do not understand is automatically a bad theory.  If your theory is based on "copying what I saw," then that is also BAD theory.

You wouldn’t live in Moscow without owning winter clothes.  You wouldn’t live in New Mexico without having a water supply.  You wouldn’t live in Paris without learning French.  When you live in a country, there are certain things you need to do to live there . . .

And bodybuilding is the same way.  You should not adopt a lifting method unless you knwo the theory BEHIND it . . . you should not use a lift unless you have a theory which addresses that lift.  

I find a lot of new lifters do not have ANY solid theories working for them. Instead, they try to mimic and copy what they see around them. Then they see something nthat is new to them (like you with deadlifts) and try to incoporate it. They take everything in the gym on a case-by-case basis.

This will get you only so far. Eventually, you need to develop (or at least align with) solid theories. These theories will help you determine what exercises to use, how to use them, and why.

So, for example, I hold to the theory that "anything which builds the body’s strength can be useful for mass gain." This theory is not radical — MANY people most likely hold similar "master theories" in their workout methodologies. it is pretty basic — but pretty useful.

But think about what this theory now allows me to determine. When it comes to ANY exercise, all I have to assess is if it can be used to build my strength. My theory can take me the rest of the way there.

Deadlifts can be shown — through fact AND anecdotal evidence — to build strength. If my training methodology employs the above theory that "anything that builds strength can be useful for mass gain", then I know to use deadlifts.

I do not need to ask "if" I should use them. My master theory — which is solid and based in fact — tells me whether or not I should.

I am NOT addressing the usefulness of deadlifts in this blog. Nor am I trying to address the relationship between strength and mass gain. Nor am I explaining HOW to use deadlifts. I am just trying to address how to answer those "should I or shouldn’t I" types of questions.

All bodybuilding is based in theory. KNOW WHAT THEORIES YOU ARE WORKING WITH. This mode of thinking will not only answer many questions, it will likewise take you much further in your bodybuilding than trying to work everything on a case by case basis.

Not to mention that operating under solid theory will save you a LOT of time.  It is like seeing the landscape from 10,000 feet.

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 29th, 2007 at 8:00 pm and is filed under A Bodybuilding Education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.