Earn your Death: 30 July 2025

In all the years of training I have done, both as an athlete and a coach, I can confidently say that 99% of people will do fine keeping it as simple as possible. In fact, as a coach, that is what I reinforce to my clients. Simplicity.

You see some crazy shit being peddled as workouts, and I get it to some extent. People want to stand out, so they devise these exercises that look fun, but in reality, overcomplicate what doesn’t need to be overcomplicated.

I have seen these twisting Zercher squats, which honestly look like a knee injury waiting to happen. Nothing screams elevated injury potential like stepping backwards off an elevated platform, cradling weight in your elbows, and twisting your body with it.

It reminds me of the trend that lasted a minute, where people did dumbbell snatches combined with box jumps.

Not separately, as in snatches first, and box jumps after - but together.

Quite a bastardization of an exercise.

Sure, programs like that sell because there are always people who see that shit and think, “wow, that behemoth of a man does this, maybe I can do it and look like him.” The reality is that they won’t look anywhere near as that person does because that person built that body the way most people do when they want to be bigger, stronger, and faster.

I am not knocking creativity, I am knocking nonsensical shit, and in the age of the social media fitness influencer, nonsensical shit stands out, gets shared, generates comments, and makes money.

That is the name of the game, but it’s a game that ends one day because the truth is this:

The basics never lose.

I have a closet with about 10 plain black T-shirts. I buy from a wholesale shirt supplier. They are a good brand, and in fact, it’s a brand that many T-shirt companies use to make their own shirts to sell to you for 25-35 dollars. Each shirt costs me less than six dollars.

I am not one for wearing collars or button-down shirts unless absolutely necessary, but a plain black T-shirt goes with anything. Is it boring? Probably, but I know that, as a man, it’s not as crucial for me to be trendy as it is to be presentable. I don’t care about the latest style, because classic styles last.

Well-fitting plain shirts, well-fitting jeans, sensible shoes, and it just works - consistently.

That is what the basics do. If I ever wanted to dive into something a little more trendy, I can do that, but I know once that trend wears off, I can move on, and the reliable basic style will stay with me.

It’s like those ridiculous workouts you see. Trendy, eye-catching, but about as sustainable as a paper napkin in a tornado. Once you’ve had enough of that bullshit, you will come crawling back to the basics.

The question is, why did you ever want to leave?