1)  Research your own experience:  Don't take everything as the gospel truth, no matter the source.

2)  Absorb what is useful:  Simple enough, but determining WHAT is useful is the hard part.

3)  Reject what is useless:  See #2, substituting useful with useless :-)

4)  Add what is specifically your own:  No training routine, (or any or anything in life for that matter) is written in concrete. Lay a solid foundation, and then add whatever YOU feel is necessary to reach your goal.

The main idea is well known from the movie "DRAGON" where he describes "A sculptor working on a sculpture, chiseling away at the inessentials until nothing is left but the truth".  As you will see in the section on HardGainer's, this is a very simple yet potent concept!

Thoughts on Physical Training

This concept becomes important later when I discuss the differences between working out to gain muscle mass, working out to lose bodyfat, or working out to build up lagging bodyparts (Specialization Training).  I will write about these concepts in the future.

Think about what your goal is before deciding on what kind of routine you want to follow, not the other way around.

2)  Bruce Lee learned early that for a person to maximize his chances of attaining his maximum physical potential, one had approach his exercise endeavors passionately, and avoid the natural human tendency to take things easy or slack off. 

"You will only be selling yourself short, and underestimating your true capabilities." - Bruce Lee

3)  Do NOT put limits on yourself!  This can probably be best interpreted by the following true story:

Bruce Lee was jogging with a friend, and decided to increase the miles that they were going to run  from 3 to 5.   The friend who had been doing well on 3 miles complained  "I'm  older than you, I can't do 5."  After some cajoling the friend decided "What the hell, I'll go for it." and actually seemed to be doing pretty well until 3/4  of the way through mile 4.  His heart pounding, and gasping for air, he remarked "Bruce, if I run anymore I'm liable to have a heart attack and die!"  Bruce said "Then die."  This got the friend angry enough to finish the five miles.  Bruce's response later when questioned about such a "callous" thing to say to a friend:

"Because you may as well be dead.  Seriously, if you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it'll spread over into the rest of your life.   It'll spread into your work, you morality, into your entire being.  There are no limits, there are plateaus, but you must not stay there, you most go beyond them"

Strong words indeed, but something to think about...

Types of Training

1)  Development of Strength, which can be developed with both Isometric(Static resistance) and Weightlifting (Free weights, or machines)

2)  Cardiovascular Endurance, which was felt to be very important as it tended to be utilized more by everyday people than strength (unless you happen to lift heavy weights all day long).

3)  Flexibility, which was felt to improve health and fitness, reduce risk of layoff inducing injuries, allowed a  good warm up/cool down period  prior   and after the above two components, and finally, it improves athletic performance.

Now of course it would be foolish to adopt all of the above components into a newly started training program.  Base your starting routine on whichever component you wish to work on first, and add the other two in small doses (this is going to be a key philosophy later) as the weeks go by.

ENOUGH ALREADY!   LET'S SEE BRUCE LEE'S ROUTINES!