Variety - the super hot indian chili powder of life (and training!)

Why you aren't making gains:

You do the same shit day in and day out. To progress your body/mind/soul (herein 'organism') you have to experience variety. Routines can be good but only as a change from chaos. Once you've adapted to the new stimulus of routine you must revert back to chaos.

It seems like every time I write something it ends up being about super-complexity, chaos and non linear dynamics. This is for a very good reason: virtually all systems are supercomplex and thus have a certain set of principles accosiated with them. If you ignore the principles then you will literally be ignore-ant of how to make the desired change to to said system.

Something Sexy

"Now I'm a jerk and everybody loves me"

 Giant arms. Most men want them, few achieve ANY results. Pathetic? Yes. Avoidable? Certainly! I have sported arms just a tad under seventeen inches, nothing to write home about but probably more meat than many of you sport on your thighs. Why does this matter beyond my self aggrandizing macho posturing? It doesn't really, all I'm saying is that I "know" a thing or two about "weapons manufacture" ; ). The funny part is that I didn't really set out to get shirt splitting arms, it kind of happened by accident.

Let's talk about how you can cash in on the principles that make any routine work and I should mention here that I will be talking about gaining size predominantly. Use a variety of rep ranges, 1s, 3s, 5s, 7s, 10s, 12s, 15s, 20s. Stick with each range or pair two similar ranges together per session and then switch the range every week. A Brazilian study concluded that the best way to plan for hypertrophy and strength gains is to start with a high volume of reps and segue into a lower volume/higher intensity as your training cycle goes on. So start with high reps and over a few weeks build up the weight being used and decrease the reps per set and total reps. In you last workout or two you'll ideally be hitting about five really heavy singles.

After you've run the gauntlet from twenty rep sets all the way down to singles it's time to change the exercise you are using and start over again. So for example if you were using Straight Bar Curls and Dips (a hard combination to beat) switch to Alternating Dumbbell Curls and French Presses for your next assault. If you are a minimalist then you could try something as simple as starting the cycle over again with a different grip spacing, Charlie Francis used this technique with Ben Johnson, who steroids or not (they're all on steroids), absolutely dominated the 100m at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

Benny p*wns the world.

This concept of variety in training carries over to all aspects of life. Doing stuff that is different or outside your comfort zone is critical to growth and if you aren't growing you're rotting. Willy Loman, the main character from Death of a Salesman said: "A rut is just a grave with the ends kicked out". Don't be Willy, living in a fantasy world of your own made up success, be your own real person and learn to expend superhuman effort in obtaining things you want in your life; and remember that variety will ensure consistent growth.

Now get out there and be somebody!