May 5, 2020

“It Depends”

I saw post today from a fellow gym owner who is feeling the pressure of the mandated lockdown currently taking place across America.  I made the mistake of venturing into the comment section, I know nothing useful is ever found there but sometimes I can’t resist.  Unbeknownst to me he was lucky enough to have somebody succinctly answer his question with a link to a Time magazine article and a smug comment referencing “here’s the dataâ€.  There’s a lot wrong with basing your argument on Time magazine being the standard of data but that is for another time. 

My problem was honestly not with the flawed argument it was with the simple view that this individual had in regards to arguably the most challenging problem the world has seen in a century.  You know solving a global pandemic in less than 20 words.  GTFOH. 

As I often tell the members of Alpha one of things I love about training is the black and white, binary nature of it.  Can you squat 400#?  Yes or no? The simplicity is beautiful, BUT (and there’s always a but) there remains an astounding amount of grey area as well with regards to training.  Ask somebody what’s the best way to get a 400# squat and I’m willing to bet it’s not a black or white answer.  It’s not this OR that. It depends. 

It depends, now that phrase catches my attention every time.  When somebody says it depends I’m in, I want to hear what you got.  It’s code for context or having the ability to hold competing arguments at the same time.  It’s understanding multiple viewpoints, being empathetic to another person’s unique situation, it’s the grey area. 

So here’s my “dataâ€: the smartest people I know say it depends A LOT.  They recognize nothing of substance can be summed up in a sentence and link.  Be wary of those who have simple answers, they’re most likely simple themselves and when you hear it depends you better listen

WOD:
“R2-DT”
If you have a BB or matching DB set
5 Rounds 12 Deadlifts (155/105)
9 Hang Cleans
6 Push Jerks
If you have one moderate DB
10 Rounds
12 SA DB Deadlifts
9 SA DB Hang Clean
6 SA Push Jerk
*Alt Arms Each Round