Stimulate Vs Annihilate

Make sure you are hitting your muscles—not your ego—in the gym.

- Vince Del Monte

Some of the biggest BS advice in fitness, the kind of stuff that I hate the most, is anything associated with the theme of “destroy it” or “beast mode” or “leave it all on the gym floor.” In my mind, all of these saying promote just one thing: exhaustion.

The entire industry is obsessed with seeking exhaustion! From 15 years of experience in the industry, I can tell you straight up that this “seeking exhaustion” mindset is killing your gains. Achieving a lean, strong, and muscular body is not about chasing exhaustion, it’s about managing exhaustion.

Your workouts are meant to leave you invigorated, not destroyed. You should always be leaving the gym with a few more reps left in the tank. You do not need to leave it all in a sweaty puddle on the gym floor.

Let’s talk about the iconic eight-time Mr. Olympia champion Lee Haney for a moment. Haney retired at 31 years old. He achieved a feat that puts him in the legendary class of bodybuilders, surpassing even Arnold himself. Most impressively, Lee is in his mid-50s now and has no injuries, not even any nagging aches. This may be common for average guys, but at the pro level this is very rare.