If you don’t like it when I get personal and negative, now is the time to stop reading.
I randomly ran across Taren’s MoTTIV Method (I really don’t like that name at all) and watched the Why I’m Gaining Weight and Not Training (The Real Reason). Taren seems like a nice enough guy and I really appreciate his candor here. He starts out by saying, “Good morning, trainiacs” which gives you an immediate insight into the broken culture of this channel and YouTube fitness in general. The falseness parading as authority in the “influencer” world is particular dangerous in the world of fitness and health. Taren then proceeds to perfectly outline the very personal, objective proof of that last statement.
I’m just going to say it. Taren has no real idea how to train, he’s yet another rich guy with a YouTube channel and tons of disposable time, and people who are influeced by him. He’s methods have been completely unscientific for the last few years and this is his video stating the result: severe overtraining to the point nearly needing hospitalization, the kind from which you never fully recover. His documented recovery effort in the video has all the supplements and man-made pills he’s taking to do what a solid diet of real food would do instead (with minor multi-vitamin and non-casein protein supplementation).
All you need to read to understand the problem are these words in the description of the video:
“training that didn’t incorporate any Zone 2 training or any recovery”
Taren’s not the first and probably doesn’t deserve the heated response this produces in me because I have seen it in friends and peers since the 80s, and that’s not hyperbole. This obession with beating your body, with going more, with pushing harder, the “no pain, no gain” shit has caused more permentant injuries and psychological consequences than I can possible list here. You can even hear it in Taren’s voice. He simply isn’t into training or doing any of this anymore because the worst casualty from overtraining is simply the desire to do anything. You start to get a subconscious aversion to all of it. If unchecked, looking at your favorite bike will start to trigger a fight or flight response just looking at it. That should never happen to even the richest, snobbiest athletes on the planet.
I once read about a guy that went to the doctor to talk about his performance problems and they told him and his parents that if he continued he would actually die within a year doing what he was doing. All the training in the world isn’t going to do anything if you don’t work with your body and give it time to recover and rebuild. That is why you train in the first place, to break your body down so it will build it back better. If all you are doing is breaking it down, you’ll eventually die, no joke.
What’s the cure to overtraining? Simple, listen to your body and SLOW THE FUCK DOWN! This is why I love that the leading cycling coaches in the world throw out heart rate, some even throw out wattage, and look simply at perceived exertion, which is why I did during my Triathlon days and posted PR after PR when I did. I started working with my body like a horse that will run until it literally dies without reigning it in a bit. Then I discovered yoga that focuses on balance. Nothing could have been better for my health, PRs, and life.
Also, why is everyone so intent on beating other people or getting faster? What is wrong with just being healthy and happy and training for those results and the pure endorphins of it all? I have to admit, although I was once an obsessed triathlon speed junky with an amazing tuck position I look at cyclists in time trials and triathlons and just shake my head and smile. It’s true. I do look down on them. It’s like they are still so clueless about what really matters in life. I mean, at least they are blimping out playing video games all day, but their obsession to constantly be faster and better is just, um, stupid. There is so much in life that matters more than being fast. You cannot enjoy the trees, forests, and animal life is you are shooting through it so fast you can’t even see it. Skiing and hitting a complicated MB trail are very fun, like in an amusement park, or like hitting a skate trick. Those things are fun, I get it, but triathletes and so many endurance athletes are doing it simply to fast for all the wrong reasons. They banter about who is faster, etc. I’m competitive too (which is why I love Zwift) but too often that becomes a huge liability down the line.
I’m not saying don’t push it, just push it in a controlled fashion.
I’m actually happy to run into this video because it has reminded me how FUCKING stupid I can get if I let the wrong motivations take hold of me. It’s a greater success to stay in zone 2 on a zone 2 day with people passing me than to break my committment to myself. The triumph (if there is one) is mental.