Sun Tzu Didn’t Encourage Coddling or Cuddling

A colleague recently forwarded me a somewhat dated article from The Atlantic entitled, “The Coddling of the American Mind,” which explains a new breed of political correctness is gaining momentum on American college and university campuses.  The student-led movement is driven by an avert desire to avoid the “triggering” of negative emotional responses, whether in lecture or during student-life.  Though conceived surely with the best of intentions, the movement is devolving into a monster that would repulse even Victor Frankenstein (“Accursed creator!  Why did you form a monster so hideous that even you turned from me in disgust?”).

Indeed, as the article explains, during the 2014-2015 school year, the deans and department chairs at the ten University of California schools were presented with examples of “microaggressions,” defined as “small actions or word choices that seem on their face to have no malicious intent but that are thought as a kind of violence nonetheless.”  Such inflammatory rhetoric included, “America is the land of opportunity” and “I believe the most qualified person should get the job,” two pillars of the U.S. identity.

Maybe former Indiana basketball coach Bobby Knight should have yelled "trigger warning" before turning his chair into a projectile. 

Sun Tzu, the Chinese military strategist and philosopher stresses the importance of “know[ing] yourself” in the “Art of War,” while cautioning “if you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”  As evident from The Atlantic article, a certain portion of college students are sadly unaware of the qualities that made – and make – the United States an economic and political superpower.

Capitalism, for all its faults, is the superior modality for producing economic and political growth, yet its success demands persons challenge convention and embrace competition.  American icons like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie, J.P. Morgan, Thomas Edison, Martin Luther King, Jr., Walt Disney and Steve Jobs recognized this – they pushed limits, suffered setbacks and pressed onward.   The idea that college campuses must become “safe spaces” “where young adults are shielded from words and ideas that make some uncomfortable” is a direct affront to American capitalism.  General George S. Patton said it best when addressing the Third Army, “Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser.  Americans play to win all the time.  I wouldn’t give a hoot in hell for a man who lose and laughed.  That’s why Americans have never lost and will never lose a war, because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans.”

Are there times when sensitivity is required?  Absolutely.  “Zero tolerance” policies are needed to clamp down on bullying, both in the school yard and on social media.  Triggering warnings are necessary on forums where victims of traumatic events, like sexual assault, gather.  But to apply these practices perpetually serves only to promote a culture of emotional, intellectual and likely physical weakness.  “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  Proverb 27:17.

If future generations of Americans desire to compete in the ever-expanding global workplace, this movement must be abandoned, and replaced with Sun Tzu’s teachings.  The strength of the United States and American capitalism rests not in its political correctness, but in its immigrant past, where men and women strove to create better lives for themselves and their families.  And to their credit this they achieved, but the younger generation owes it to the “tired . . . poor . . . [and] huddle masses,” who worked in the coal mines, steel mills and textile factories to build this nation, to advance their legacy.  The United States is the greatest country on earth, but “uneasy lies that head that wears a crown.”

“Sometimes You Gotta Say, 'What the Fuck?'”

A few years ago I stumbled across an article Dan John wrote entitled, “The ‘One Lift a Day’ Program.”  The unconventional philosophy John advocated therein, specifically the uber simplicity and greater emphasis on recovery, captured my attention.  Explaining the program’s roots lie “in the dim past of Olympic lifting,” John warned the program is void of excuses, “relief” and diversity.  “If you choose to do squats, it’s a squat day,” he writes.

Having experimented with John’s philosophy for almost six months now, I guarantee I will never train differently.  But as the author eluded, this program is rugged.  Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays are particularly brutal in my schedule, as those are my “squat day[s].”  Tuesdays and Saturdays are reserved for Olympic lifting and heavier pulling, while Thursdays and Sundays are focused on upper body strength.  My basic template is outlined below.  I concede a few days include multiple lifts, but there is a reason for this approach.

Monday – Back Squat

Tuesday – Snatch

Wednesday – Front Squat and Back Squat

Thursday – Press, Weighted Pull-up

Friday – Back Squat

Saturday – Clean, Deadlift

Sunday “Funday” – Overhead Squat or Bench

Coming from an Olympic weightlifting background, I believe the squat – particularly the back squat – is the basis for all strength, hence its title the “King of All Exercises.”  To paraphrase John Broz, squatting makes your entire organism strong.  Thus, my program reflects this wisdom.  On Monday, for example, I may program pause back squats for sets of five, either working up to the heaviest five-rep maximum (“5rm”) achievable that day or preforming multiple sets at between 85-90% of my current 5rm.  Assuming I work up in progressively heavier sets to chase the heaviest possible load, I will then drop down to 80% and perform several “down sets” or “back-offs.”  The purpose of these lighter sets is to groove better positions and accumulate additional training volume.  By the end of an average session, I have usually compiled 10-12 total sets, with at least six over 80% of my daily maximum or all-time 5rm.  After squats are complete, I will perform 3-5 sets of glute ham raises or reverse hypers, typical “assistance lifts.”

Other training days tend to follow a similar pattern, albeit lower volume for pressing exercises – my upper body simply cannot handle the same training volume as my legs.  I have also experimented with super-setting vertical pressing with vertical pulling, i.e. “standing military” presses and weighted pull-ups.  Coupling exercises in this fashion was a favorite of Arnold’s, and “the Governor” knows a thing or two about getting yacked.  Alternating back and forth between pulling and pressing movements provides excellent “density” to my training and increases my work capacity, especially when rest periods are capped at two minutes.

Repetitions on the Olympic lifts are usually limited to three or less, but I have experimented with fives in both the power clean and power snatch.  I paired deadlifts with cleans, because I find the latter optimally primes my nervous system for heavier pulls.  The “pump” I feel in my spinal erectors following thirty minutes of power cleans gives me greater confidence to attempt heavier deadlifts, and it eliminates the need to “warm up” a second exercise.  Again, this approach optimizes my time spent in the gym.

If I work at a reasonable pace, keeping rest times under three minutes – until the heaviest sets – I can complete a high volume of strength work in 45 minutes.  This leaves me 15 minutes to condition, more than enough time to punish myself on the airdyne, rowing machine or ski erg.

Since adopting this training philosophy, my strength has increased significantly – 50# on my back squat and 45# on my front squat, for example – but more importantly, I look forward to lifting each day.  Gone are the days of “snatch, clean and jerk, back squat, push press, etc.”  True to his word, John’s approach allows more time for mobility and recovery, which are becoming ever more important for me now that I’m in my 30’s.  If you find your lifting has plateaued and your enthusiasm has waned, you must consider experimenting with the “One Lift a Day” Program.