I've listened to 2 1/2 episodes so far(both Doug ones and first half of Lefort one), and I've loved every minute of it.
I just got to the part about nutrition/exercise(~1:12:00 mark), and I feel compelled to defend the 2p2 H&F board. I disagree with quite a few things Lefort said...
Note before I begin: I am fully aware that its 100x tougher to talk for 3 hours on a podcast than it is to write a post on a message board. I'm not trying to be a dick by nitpicking here; I find the topic fascinating and think we can have a cool discussion about it.
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I use the analogy: If you want to learn poker are you going to go to a bodybuilding forum?
I think 2p2 is a useful source of information on a ton of topics, many of which one wouldn't expect online poker players to be well-educated on. The reason for this is that getting good at poker correlates with getting good at deductive reasoning, objectivity, and rational thinking. These skills are incredibly useful in discerning between conflicting information.
Conversely I'm not so sure that a forum of bodybuilders will have properly cultivated these skills. And I question whether their edge in experience is enough to offset this.
To demonstrate my point: Consider a topic that is equally unrelated to both poker and bodybuilding. If you wanted answers concerning that topic, would you be more likely to go to a poker forum or a bodybuilding forum? Why?
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So it doesn't make a lot of sense to be talking to a bunch of poker nerds about "How to get big, bro?"
Come on, this is silly. First off, you're a poker nerd too- you can't get to your level in poker without being one. Secondly, its a completely unfair mischaracterization. The 2p2 H&F community includes several people competing in amateur/semi-pro lifting competitions, a guy who competes in those "outdoors games" things where they cut down trees, several ex-college athletes, an amateur boxer, several BJJ guys, and a ton of success stories.
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So I always tell people: Make friends at your gym. If you see a guy with a body that you want...you might end up making a friend or a workout partner
Following this approach leads to the following 2 problems imo:
1. You will often times be getting advice from someone with significantly better genetics than you. What worked for them, may not work for you.
2. A lot of people use steroids, and due to their taboo nature they aren't going to immediately reveal their usage to a stranger. A non-user trying to keep up with a user is something that can lead to overtraining/injuries.
As such, I think a far better approach is to seek out people who have a body that you want, who started off at a similar place where you are now, who have similar genetics, and who you can trust to be upfront about their supplements/steroids. For me personally, I found a ton of people who fit this description in the 2p2 H&F community.
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Theres more to working out than Starting Strength...going into the gym to squat 225lbs five times a few times and then benching whatever and then leaving...I've never been a huge fan of that approach.
I agree that SS gets recommended a ton. However, I wouldn't say that SS is the overall philosophy of 2p2 H&F; Rather, I would say that there are 2 main philosophies and SS happens to adhere to both of them. These philosophies are:
1. For nearly all beginners and/or people on time constraints, full body exercises >>>>>> isolation exercises.
2. Linear progression.
I thought it was noteworthy that amidst Lefort's criticisms of 2p2 H&F, Joe kept asking for him to provide the listeners with:
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A newb workout that a poker player could do at home maybe in between a session
And Lefort's only response was to have a realization that he needs to reframe his blog to better address these types of people.
My hypothesis is that Lefort is someone with really good genetics both in terms of body type and in terms of being able to find motivation to workout, and so he doesn't relate to these concerns. Therefore, if there was a forum(such as 2p2 H&F) which attempted to address these concerns, then its possible Lefort would be unable to appreciate its value.
Here I will attempt to answer Joe's questions using the principles I learned in the 2p2 H&F forums. This is an exercise routine that I have done myself and have had a lot of success with, and its aimed specifically at online MTT grinders who have very little time.....
Start off with a list of full body exercises: Air squats and pushups should be absolutely mandatory imo. Planks and burpees can be done safely and without any equipment, so those would be the next 2 I'd include. Pullups and kettlebell swings can be done once you purchase the equipment, and finally I'd include pistols(one-legged air squats) for the more advanced athletes. I'm sure there are more than this, but these are the staples of my exercise routine.
First step is learning to do these with proper form and full range of motion. If theres interest, I can post an IPhone video or I'd be willing to have people send me their own videos for a form critique. Next step is to start out with something easy. Lets assume a total beginner, I'd advise something like:
Monday: While playing MTTs, on the first tourney break do 5 pushups and 5 air squats. 2 hours later do it again. 2 hours later do it again.
Wednesday: Increase your workouts by a tiny amount in any way you'd like(but make sure its quantifiable). So maybe do 4 sets instead of 3. Or maybe do 6 reps instead of 5. Or maybe add in planks.
Friday: Increase your workouts in a similar manner.
Following Monday: Continue increasing your workouts using linear progression. As you get more experienced this can include less days off per week. Progress slower than you think is necessary, as most people have a tendency to want to make too big of jumps.
On days off(and perhaps on workout days as well) I'd advise at least 15 minutes of stretching/yoga/foam rolling. I personally like doing this + meditation before starting my daily grind.
The point is to start out so easy that you don't mind it at all. With just 5 pushups and 5 air squats, you can still have 4 minutes left on your tourney break for other stuff. Don't worry, eventually it can get incredibly tough(I remember during one Sunday grind session I did 12 sets of 45 pushups + 45 air squats + 45 seconds planking, and that was as hard as anything I've done in the gym). Whenever you notice it starting to get tough, its totally your call on how to progress: You can keep up the linear progression and get in amazing shape or you can stop the linear progression and stay in the decent shape you've already achieved by doing the same workout every time.
Anyway, hopefully this can spur some good discussion. Gonna finish up the podcast now, its been terrific so far.