An Occam’s Razor Approach to Progress

I’m a big Occam’s Razor guy. All things being equal, I really believe the simplest solution is the right one. Do you want to improve your push-ups? 9 times of out 10, you need to practice push-ups. You want to get stronger? You probably need to deadlift.

So how did I end up in the fitness industry – known for being ambiguous, confusing, and full of snake oil salesmen? I’m not exactly sure, but I think it’s why our straightforward approach at The Movement Lab works so well.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the simplest solution is the easiest. It’s often the most difficult. And a great example of our approach occurred five years ago, when one of our first clients really wanted to increase his number of pull-ups (his current number was 1).

“What do I need to do in order to increase my pull-ups?”

My answer: “Pull-ups.”

He responded, “But all of these other trainers have told me I need to do bicep curls, sit-ups, lat pulldowns, and bench press.”

“You could. Or you could just get better at pull-ups.”

He would later tell me that the only thing more shocking than the simplicity of my explanation were his results. In the span of one month, he increased his total from 1 to 5. And months later, that number increased to 10 – a personal record that doubled the amount he could perform when he was in the military.

Did we do anything special on programming? No. We used one of the simplest programs I’ve ever come across. But we focused our training and cleaned up a few technique and mobility issues that were getting in his way.

Now, simplicity works well with less advanced trainees. But does it work when you get to the opposite end of the spectrum? Also yes.

When I was training for the Beast Tamer Challenge, the press was my kryptonite. If you’re unfamiliar with the challenge, it’s a pistol squat (single leg squat), a dead hang pull-up, and strict overhead press, all with the Beast – the 106 lb kettlebell. Both the chin-up and the pistol were not too much of a challenge for me, but the press was a different story.

In the 18 months between my first and second attempts at passing the challenge, I used three different pressing programs to get there. I kept thinking the answer was the “next” program. If I continued to ratchet up the intensity and trained harder, I would get there, right?

Fast forward to my second failed attempt in May 2018 and I was frustrated. Once again, the press became the beast I couldn’t slay (pun intended). After gathering my thoughts, I walked over to an assistant at the certification – a gentleman who could press the Beast for reps. I asked, “Do you have any tips to help my press?”

Without pausing he said, “Your feet are way too close together. Spread your stance and you’ll have much more leverage.”

Was the answer really that simple? It was.

I decided to try this new stance with one of my favorite pressing programs. What happened on my first wide stance attempt with the Beast? It went up. And the next time. And the next time. My problem wasn’t a lack of training or intensity – it was poor technique.

With this new stance, I finally completed the challenge in February 2019, becoming the 71st Beast Tamer around the world.

So maybe, just maybe, you don’t need the Smolov Squat routine or conjugate periodization if you’re trying to build a bigger deadlift, press, squat, etc. Maybe, in fact, you just need to get better at the basics.

In strength,

Alex