Metrics Aren't Your Master- Beast Over Burden - #494

Metrics aren't your master. Don't sacrifice important pursuits to the altar of strength (unless you're specializing).

Metrics Aren't Your Master - What Matters to You?

Want to get strong, add some muscle, become more capable, and improve your quality of life and general health and fitness? This is where many of our clients live.

Want to get fat, give up all other physical pursuits, and become less healthy so you can squat more? If so, that's awesome - seriously, some people seek the single-minded pursuit of excellence, such as elite powerlifting.

For most of us, though, this makes no sense. You don't need to gain 50 pounds for the benefit of your squat 1RM. We recommend you don't give up all conditioning so your novice linear progression can last longer. Remember, metrics aren't your master.

For many of us at Barbell Logic, we have stood in the position of deciding not to go for the hike or the bike ride because we needed to go for a 5RM on Monday or do a hard 5x5. The weight must go up!

No, it doesn't have to go up. Seriously, who made this rule? What terrible consequence are we trying to avoid by sacrificing a social life and physical health so Monday's 5x5 goes up five pounds?

Metrics Aren't Your Master - Know the Rules, Break the Rules

Going for the hike or bike ride or Turkey Trot will likely take weight off the bar in your lifts - you do not have infinite recovery capacity. For most people, though, that's a sacrifice they're willing to make.

Will you some day be lying on your death bed thinking "oh no, I left 25 pounds on my squat because I biked." No, no you won't.

This is where having a coach to help guide your programming really comes in handy. You go for a long hike over the weekend, your Monday 5x5 cannot go up 5 pounds.

This is okay, but it also complicates how you approach programming over time. Many have run into the wall of not knowing what to do once simply adding weight to the bar stops.

We love metrics, but metrics aren't your master. Rather, they serve you and your goals.

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