Mistakes Skinny Guys Make: Flipflopitis
Note: This is the fourth installment of an on-going “series” (rants would be appropriate) designed to give skinny guys the a little dose of tough love, or what I like to call “the dealo.” In case you missed the first few posts, you can click HERE, HERE, and HERE.
The great Dan John came up with a phrase not too long ago that really resonated with me, and it’s something I feel every person who’s remotely interested in this thing called “fitness” should make their mantra.
Tape it to your bathroom mirror.
Write it on a sticky note and slap it on your fridge.
Make it your ringtone for all I care. But no matter what, remember this:
Your goal is to keep the goal, the goal.
And really, while I’m going to expound on this as it relates to skinny guys below, this “rule” pretty much applies to anyone whether your goal is to lose 15 lbs of fat by the end of the year, increase your squat by “x” amount, or, I don’t know, make it so that when you flex your pecs, they turn into diamonds (cool party trick by the way). It doesn’t matter: your goal is to keep the goal, the goal.
And that’s where people (especially skinny guys) miss the boat oftentimes, and end up falling prey to this thing called flipflopitis.
One week “skinny guy” decides, once and for all (again), that he’s going to make a concerted effort to put on some weight. Except this time, it’s going to be different. This time, he’s printed out his workout schedule (cool); he’s recruited a buddy of his to train with to hold him more accountable (great); and he even went to his local GNC and bought some MassGainerPro 3000, to you know, get his massgainernification on (okay, I’ll let that one slide.)
Week One: Amazing. He and his buddy hit every training session hard, pounded some protein shakes afterwards, and they even said hi to a girl. Win-win-and-wiiiiiiiiiin.
Week Two: Still getting after it. It’s been a chore trying to get all those extra calories in, but he’s already noticed a 4 lb weight gain, and the workouts are still going really well.
Week Three: And then it happens. The conversation that invariably goes down at the same point each and every time:
Skinny Guy: “Dude, I know I’m getting stronger and stuff, but I think I’m losing my abs.”
Skinny Guy’s Buddy: “Dude, uou weigh 155 lbs, dude. Shut up.”
Skinny Guy: “Naw man, I’m serious. I got out of the shower today and noticed I’m looking a little fatter.”
Skinny Guy’s Buddy: “First off, those ‘abs’ you proclaim you have? Yeah, that’s actually your spleen. Secondly, DUDE YOU WEIGH 155 LBS!!!!!! Just shut up and lets go lift some heavy things.”
Skinny Guy: “Can’t do it today, dude. I decided I was going to train for a marathon last night. Got run a fiver today. See ya.”
Now tell me that that doesn’t sound vaguely familiar!?!?! I see it all the time: trainees flip flopping their goals every few weeks and then they wonder why they NEVER make any progress in the long-term. Like, ever.
Personally speaking, I used to be that skinny guy. I’d peruse the world wide web (which is what it was called back then) and search for workout routines to follow. I’d pick one, follow it for a week or two, only to dismiss it altogether once I found a different program to follow the next week.
It wasn’t until I said “enough is enough,” and I legitimately picked a goal (in this case, put on some freaking weight. I would have gone with become a fighter pilot, but I had to be realistic) laid out an extensive plan, and ACTUALLY FOLLOWED IT ALL THE WAY THROUGH that I started making the progress I had always hoped for.
Essentially, I cured my case of flipflopitis and good things started to happen.
I mean, it’s kind of hard to gauge progress – let alone make progress – when you’re consistently confusing the body as to what you actually want it to do!
If you want to put on weight – and subsequently, size – you need to make sure that your training reflects that goal. It seems like an obvious point when someone else says it, but it’s amazing just how many people fail to grasp that simple concept.
SPOILER ALERT: stop running. No, really. Stop.
So, with regards to skinny guys, while I could make this into a more thorough post, I’m sure the bulk of people reading are picking up what I’m putting down. Stop it with the flip-flopping!
And, put down the shake-weight. That’s not going to get you huge, either.
Comments for This Entry
Michael Gray
Good stuff Tony. Speaking of the shake weight, did you see this on Jimmy Kimmel? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R2ewsEKVJVA Funniest thing I've seen in a while.October 21, 2011 at 8:56 am |
Anonymous
HA! Yeah, I saw that not too long because someone sent me the link (maybe it was you). Freaking hilarious!October 21, 2011 at 9:49 am |
R Smith
@Michael Gray: That video is wild. @Tony: Talk about a simple but effective blog post. I remember hearing Dan John utter that quote, in a video, and it stuck with me. Having a goal and sticking with it is a life-simplifier.October 21, 2011 at 10:04 am |
Tony Gentilcore Author
Ronell: Yeah, Dan John kinda know what he's talking about. I'm reading his Mass Made Simple book right now, and I feel like my neck is going to get sore for nodding in agreement so much!October 22, 2011 at 5:22 am |
Anonymous
Ronell - Yeah, Dan John kinda know what he's talking about. I'm reading his Mass Made Simple book right now, and I can't help but nod in agreement the entire time I'm reading. My neck is sore!October 22, 2011 at 5:24 am |
Nock
Well said Tony.........October 21, 2011 at 11:43 am |
Anonymous
Thanks Nock.... I knew this post wasn't anything special or revolutionary, but I felt it sent a good message.October 22, 2011 at 5:25 am |
Pennypohlmann
Aaahhh, I have not been able to access your blog all week (part of the WordPress transfer I'm guessing). I was running out of things to do while I was pretending to work.October 21, 2011 at 5:43 pm |
Anonymous
Shoot, I'm sorry Penny. I hope all the glitches are fixed. I wonder how many other people have had issues trying to access it?October 22, 2011 at 5:26 am |
The Home of BSP Training & Nutrition » Blog Archive » Stuff You Should Read
[...] Mistakes Skinny Guys Make: Flipflopitis – by Tony Gentilcore. This is a fantastic ongoing series over on Tony’s site that you should check out. In this installment Tony expounds on a great Dan John quote “The goal is to keep the goal, the goal.” He applies it to skinny guys always bouncing from program to program and always trying the next best thing rather than actually following a plan through to completion. In reality this applies to the ENTIRE population, so definitely give this one a read. [...]October 22, 2011 at 9:10 am |
Juliet Gotthardt
I love this series. I think this part in particular applies to everyone on everything, not just skinny guys. The art of keeping the goal the goal could and should be applied to anything from diet & exercise to finally going back to school for that higher degree or going after a job in a field you are more passionate about.October 23, 2011 at 9:25 am |
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