Image by quickster This is the third and final installment of the “Shah Training is Not Bodybuilding” series. The first post talked about focusing on a long-term approach to fitness. In the second post we took that idea further and I asked you to take another look at your current goals. Are they really something that will bring you satisfaction in the long term?

This final post I want to dabble in the definition of fitness. The princeton.edu definition for fitness is – the quality of being suitable.

Suitable for what? For life? For bodybuilding? For powerlifting? For a particular job? For what?Princeton.edu provides a sample sentence: “They had to prove their fitness for the position.”

Interesting. I actually like this definition of fitness. I once made a short video where I stated something like, “Fitness has nothing to do with losing weight or gaining muscle. It has to do with being healthy.”

A Practical Example

A bodybuilder friend of mine responded by saying, “You’re contradicting yourself.” Lets do a little experiment in word replacement:

What I’m saying is, “Being fit means that you are healthy.”

Apparently, according to my bodybuilder friend means the same as:

“Having a six pack means you are healthy.”

or

“Having big biceps means you are healthy.”

or

“Being able to run 24 miles in a few hours means you are healthy.”

Here are my thoughts:

• A six pack does not necessarily mean that you are healthy, because you could have gone through some extreme form of dieting that could be potentially harmful to your body. In this case you look healthy, but may not be much healthy once you get your blood work done.

• Same goes for the guy with big biceps. How many guys are walking around with huge arms and inflated chest, along with a belly hanging down to the ground? They’re just strong, but don’t look very fit. They wouldn’t be able to run very fast, nor would they be able to lift their own bodyweight for high reps.

• Finally, lets take the last example. Most distance runners are extremely skinny. They lack fundamental levels of strength and some even look sick- borderline anorexic. I would not call them healthy.

So then, what exactly is the definition of fitness? I would love to hear your thoughts.

Well, obvious, isn’t it?

I’ve written a lot of article about my training philosophy and why exactly I am not a bodybuilder.

I’m not these guys! (No Offense) – Image by daioni1976 But I think more clarification is in order. Because I really do not like being called a bodybuilder. Hence, I will be starting a sort of min-series which seeks to pinpoint exactly what this website is all about, and what my philosophy is based upon. I will call it “Shah Training is Not Bodybuilding.”However, I have written about this topic before. So, to get started, I want to point you guys to a few article. I suggest you read them in the order listed.

• What Are the Core Principles Shah Training is Based on?
• How to Choose the Best Exercise For Your Goals
• A Simple Primer on the Shah Training Methodology
• What’s Wrong with the Shah Training Philosophy?

Please post your questions to comments, and I will respond as this series takes off.

Cover image by Malament

The Shah Training Methodology revolves around Work Capacity. Work Capacity is defined as the general ability of the body to produce work of varying intensities within a given time frame. Work Capacity is an integral aspect of being an athlete. Basketball players need to be able to move fast from one end of the court to the other and make quick and agile plays. They need to repeat this task over and over again. A basketball player with poor Work Capacity will tire out quickly and will not be able to recover properly between intense plays.

Bodybuilding seems to be the primary choice of training methods for even the layman lifter. Someone just looking to put on a few pounds of muscle mass without ever desiring to be a full-fledged bodybuilder should not be training with the bodybuilding method. Training a particular muscle group, then resting it for three to four days due to muscle soreness does not fit into the rules of Work Capacity. A basketball player cannot train his jump shot one day, then work on his running another day, and finally his defense the last day. No, he needs each aspect of his training all at once in a game. If he says to the coach, “Coach I can’t run in the game today. I did that yesterday and I need to take 3 days off before I run again.”

Work should not be an end itself, but instead a means to an end. One of the reasons I despise the traditional 9 to 5 hours is that it forces you to be in one location all day long. During those 9 to 5 hours, you may have enough work, or you may not have enough work. Often times, work that can be performed in 3 hours, takes 5 hours, 8 hours, one week, or even months. Things are delayed, simply because the 9-5 paradigm gives us a skewed perception of time. There is a huge difference in productivity between one worker completing a task in eight hours and another worker completing the same task in two hours. Naturally, the work needs to be both effective and efficient.

Bodybuilders often train for two hours at a time in the gym. Total time and work are not taken into consideration. A bodybuilder will always say, “Oh, I spent 2 hours in the gym, or I performed 46 sets today.” Time and work should not be mutually exclusive. Instead, a bodybuilder should say, “I performed 46 sets in 2 hours.” How impressive is that? Well, this person is performing 1 set for every 2.6 minutes. Is this work effective? Perhaps, if you goal is to put on two inches on your arms curling a barbell for two hours seems practical. But is it efficient? No way. You can achieve the same results by performing pullups and dips at a high intensity for a few sets.

My concept of fitness really hasn’t changed much over the years. If anything, it has been refined. I have never wanted to be this large, bulky bodybuilder walking around flailing his arms and chest. Yes, I want to be in good shape and want to be recognized for being in good shape, but I do not want to judged by my fitness.

This may seem like an odd choice of words coming from a fitness guy, but the truth is that I enjoy training because it gives me mental and spiritual clarity, gives me the security and satisfaction that I am healthier than 90% of the people around me, and that I am fighting my childhood weight problems. I am in this business to help people, not to flaunt my stuff.

Well then, what is a “normal” physique? Well, I think we can kind of pinpoint what isn’t normal. Here are some pics to help you:

So yeah, this is basically extreme obesity. If you look like this, then…uhm…you need a trainer.

There was a time that I used to idol Sylvestor Stallon’s physique. But he’s let himself become too big and too ripped. Those veins all over his shoulders and veins are just disgusting. That has to be difficult to maintain year round.

Ok. In this picture, Brad Pit DOES NOT look like he works out. First of all, he has no chest. Looks like a pair of big arms are popping out of toothpick!

Ok, so I think you guys get the idea. So now, what in my opinion, is normal. Here are some more pics:

This was back when Sylvestor Stallone had a decent physique. Notice that he had less muscle, and less definition before, but he didn’t look like some scary freak of nature.

I think Mario Lopez has one of the best athletic physiques around. I have not read his book, but from what I’ve heard he tries to stay active on a daily basis and eats relatively healthy. Once again, he doesn’t look like some big bodybuilder, or some 300 physique wannabe. Mario Lopez has a physiqe that guys would actually like to have, and one that girls are naturally attracted to.

I believe that CrossFit girls have the best physiques around. It’s a perfect blend of femininity and athleticism, and one that I am extremely attracted to.

So there you go. These were just some examples of what I consider to be good and bad physiques. You make your own judgements. I apologize to any bodybuilders out there who are looking to improve their arms size. I just don’t think it’s aesthetically pleasing to see that.

What do you guys think?

In my opinion, an important meal is one that feeds your immediate need and your long-term need. You only have one immediate need: replenish used nutrients. Read more.

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When I first began training, it’s safe to say that I had no clue what I was doing. Like most trainees, I picked up a bodybuilding magazine and copied the routines as best as I could. But a lack of knowledge is what made me knowledgeable. I spent hours on various websites, taking notes as if I were in school, and implementing said techniques into my daily routine. My first chance at real advice giving was when I began posting on a forum known as Jubei’s Martial Arts Zone, which is now defunct.

Jubei’s helped me realize that I can write and share my thoughts with people. Some would agree, others would not, but it did not matter. I could teach those that were willing to keep an open mind. The mainstream thought back then, which is still the mainstream thought, was that you trained like a bodybuilder despite the sport you played. There was some sport-specific training out there, but it wasn’t really that much different than what a bodybuilder would do.

Let me first define what I believe to be a bodybuilder routine. For a routine to be a bodybuilder routine it must have the following attributes:

1. Split-training schedule
2. Majority isolation movements

Let me clear up the fact that I have nothing against bodybuilders. Bodybuilding is
what inspired many athletes to pick up the weights in an attempt to get stronger and faster. Hence, in the beginning, people just picked up a magazine and copied the routines.

As I stated earlier, I did the exact same thing. At that time I was around fourteen or fifteen years old and had been practicing martial arts for a good two to three years. The mainstream advice was all the same, however when I really looked at what I was doing in the dojo compared to what I was doing in the gym, I realized what worked and what did not.

What worked:

1. Lots of bodyweight squats
2. Circuit Training
3. Punching the heavy bag
4. Dead lift

What did not work:

1. Bicep Curls
2. Triceps Extensions
3. Lateral Raises
4. Distance running

Enter the Dragon

I believe it was after I read a book on Bruce Lee by John Little called “The Art of Expressing the Human Body,” that I really began to change my routine. Bruce lee used predominantly full-body workouts to build up his body. His exceptional strength and feats of power really made me realize a few things:

1. In order to be the best, you need to train at a high frequency
2. In order to be the best, you need to train smart and practical
3. In order to continue being the best, you need to keep reinventing yourself
4. There are only a few simple rules you need to follow, and your goal is to find those simple rules
5. Constantly try new things, but only use those things that are useful
6. Eat healthy

The Nutritional Aspect

My journey took a swing when I decided I wanted to get ripped. I had always been very athletic, but I never looked like I was athletic. I wanted to change that, and so junior year of High School I began getting up early to run, cutting down on my caloric intake, and went to the weight room after school. The journey was intense and at my lowest weight ever of 143lbs, I was anything but ripped. What I learned was that I did not have enough muscle mass to be ripped. In order to be really ripped I needed to start lifting heavy and eating more.

By the time I graduated High School, I was 157lbs, however a good amount of that was fat. I was around 20% body fat but much stronger and muscular. That entire summer went by without much weight training or dieting. College began and the campus, the girls, and the lack of work mesmerized me.

A short 3-minute drive away stood a Taco Bell. At that Taco Bell was delicious food for you to enjoy. It soon became a ritual. Go to the rec center, workout for a half hour, then go to Taco Bell and grab some quick lunch before class started. I was doing a 5×5 routine with the Push Press and Dead lift. The extra protein helped me put on some size, however along with that size came fat.

To make a long story short, by the end of my junior year of college I was 170lbs and depressed as a bug. I won’t get into the depression, but I want to say that in January 2007 I was 163 lbs, and by May 2007, I was 170lbs. How did I gain 7 lbs so fast? I went on a bodybuilder diet. I was eating up to 7 times a day trying to get in enough protein. However, my workouts were probably not as intense as they should be.

That summer I decided to lose all the weight I’d gained, and some more. Three months later, I was 15lbs lighter with about 17% body fat. The purpose behind this story is to shed some light on a sport made for and developed by those that compete in bodybuilding shows. The techniques that they use may or may not be specific to a regular Joe. Looking back, I did not need to eat as much as I did because I was not putting in the effort in the gym. But now, since my workouts are more intense, I need to eat more, and so now a bodybuilder type 6-time a day schedule would make sense.

What’s your goal?

My entire goal of starting this website was to get regular, recreational athletes and fitness enthusiasts together and get them to take a good look at their goals. Are they similar to that of a bodybuilder? Are they similar to that of a powerlifter? Are you just someone who wants to stay healthy? Do you have time to get to the gym 4 days a week, an hour at a time? Base your training around your goals, not around what some world-class bodybuilder does.

My goals don’t match bodybuilders. I don’t compete, and never plan to. I care about practical fitness, not how much I can bench. That’s why I’m not a bodybuilder.

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• My Take on the Warrior Diet
• Differences in Training
• Crossfit and Bodybuilder
• Vegetarianism and Bodybuilding

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