I’ve said this before as regards to training:
“You can only really evaluate a program by giving it an honest try, for an honest length of time in it’s original form.”
I’ll get emails from people who have bought, for example, the New Rules of Lifting book that say,
“I’m taking MMA twice a week and I run 5 miles on my off days instead of doing your interval protocol, and I can’t do squats, and I only have DB’s, and I don’t have a bench and I want to to do some extra arm work – maybe 2 exercises for biceps and 2 for triceps – maybe 3-4 sets each. Also I can’t do supersets as my gym is too busy. Can I still do the program?”
Sure. But it isn’t the program I wrote anymore – it’s your own program and I have no idea what will happen when you are on it. the original program has a track record in our gym of working. Your version of it is the first time anyone has been on that program. (BTW – these emails tend to be followed by a whining email telling me that my program doesn’t work….)
Now I’m not saying don’t tweak a program to your own needs or substitute exercises based on your available equipment or an existing injury- but be aware that every change you make is one that the original author didn’t tell you to do. If you change the rest periods in stage one of a four stage program, what resulting change will you make to the rest periods in stage four? Everything has a purpose in a good program.
Velocity Diet
Chris Shugart of t-nation.com came up with the “Velocity Diet” and outlined exactly how he followed it and intends for you to follow it.
Dan John followed that outline exactly as written and got great results. Most people who modified it did not get as great results. Not a coincidence.
Can you use a different protein powder than Chris recommended? Scrap the other supplements? Use olive oil instead of fish oil? Do MMA instead of the morning walk? Have a salad every day instead of once a week? Do a bodypart split instead of the recommended total body workouts? Add Greens + ?
Of course.
But it’s no longer Chris Shugart’s Velocity Diet. Now it’s your own creation. And no one knows if it will work at all, as you are the first person ever to try it.
So don’t ask Chris about it – it was your own invention.
Hopefully you guys see where I’m coming from.
–
AC
