Bodybuilding is a tricky topic…
I almost don’t even like writing about it because of one major fact.
We are all so different. What works for me might not work for you.
This doesn’t stop so many BS “gurus” from writing and acting like their methods are the absolute and only truth.
What’s worse is a lot of this bullshit information around the internet stems from scientific studies that people treat as fact.
When so much bodybuilding advice is based off of flawed studies, there is no surprise when you see the lack of results most people get in the gym.
People love to feel secure by reading the numbers, statistics, percentages, etc. but it is all bullshit.
In this post, I will teach you why these medical studies, articles you read on the internet (yes, even mine!), and other information are completely useless for you… unless you learn how to conduct your OWN study (which I’ll show you how to do).
Not EVERYONE In These Studies Gets Results…
When you look at a medical study – not that not everyone gets results.
The final conclusion might be that “protein powder adds muscle mass”, but not everyone saw results from the supplement.
What if YOU are different?
We are all different. What if your training methods are based off of something that works for someone else, but not for you? What a waste of time!
Hardly any studies are completely conclusive (meaning that all participants saw significant results). Instead the tricky math takes over.
Here’s an example…
10 people were studied taking my new MassGainerUltraMuscleFreak2000 supplement…
There was an average reported weight gain of 4.9lbs over 8 weeks.
Not bad, right? An additional 4.9lbs that I can expect to add every 2 months equates to almost 30lbs in a year of extra mass. I better get myself some of this stuff!
Let’s take a closer look at the participants…
6 people gained 0 lbs…
1 genetic freak gained 14lbs and stayed lean…
1 junk food fanatic gained 23lbs…
1 average joe made respectable newbie gains of 8 lbs…
1 random gymgoer gained 4 lbs…
Hmm… SIX people gained 0 lbs? That’s suddenly less impressive.
What if I am one of those people who simply don’t respond? That would suck.
But wait, the results are skewed even more…
That “genetic freak” who gained 14 lbs? Maybe he was severely malnourished making it easy to bounce back up. Maybe he took steroids. He definitely knew how to eat properly and train right.
Our junk food fanatic did the typical “dreamer bulk” and turned into a complete fatass. Read my post “The Big Lie Of Bulking” for more on that.
Obviously this is a fake study for an example, but do you see how ridiculous studies are?
There are so many factors to look at and we are all so very different.
Several Studies Can’t Even Be Replicated…
What makes these studies even worse is that they are very hard to replicate.
If these “facts” were, indeed, “fact” – wouldn’t it be easy to replicate?
Apparently not.
Here is a great article from the Wall Street Journal talking about how difficult it is to replicate study results.
Pharmaceutical giant Bayer tried to replicate 67 famously published studies. Only 20.9% were able to be completely replicated, and a whopping 64.2% unable to be replicated. The others either being deemed “partially” replicated, or not applicable.
Nice. Very scientific.
Give Me A Study Proving Your Point, I’ll Give You A Study Proving You Wrong…
Studies aren’t fact.
I know I’ve already said that, but look how ridiculous this is.
This is just one of thousands of contradictory studies out there.
Protein powder adds significant mass in 10 weeks:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16937979
Protein powder doesn’t add any significant mass in 10 weeks:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19478342
Great! How helpful! Thank you, medical science!
It’s a joke – for every study you find proving your point, I’ll go out and find someone who’s proven my point and it becomes a big circle jerk.
When major studies are being funded by companies to prove their points, push their agenda, and further their product sales there’s no surprise there is so much discrepancy in study results.
You do not need to waste your time with this, but instead find out what works for you.
Forget anybody else – you matter. Not the subjects of these horribly flawed scientific studies.
The Real Way To Get Guaranteed Bodybuilding Results…
To be a good bodybuilder you must be a good observer.” – Serge Nubret
The only way to get results is to find out what works for you.
You must try new things, observe what works, and apply only what works for you.
Conduct your own studies. High carb? Low carb? Heavy weight? Volume work? HIIT cardio? No cardio?
