The basis of what made Ronnie Coleman one of the best bodybuilders of all time is that he trained harder than everyone else, ate good sources of protein, carbohydrates, and fat, and did so consistently over many years. Everything else he did was built on top of that foundation. Sound simple? That's because it can be.
This is the topic of this week's Q&A with Justin Harris and Dave Tate. The question this time is short and simple: do most people overcomplicate training?
To answer this question, Justin Harris uses a money-making analogy: if you take a day off work to walk around picking up pennies, you're never going to become rich, even if you go home at the end of the day with more money than you started with. The same holds true in training and nutrition; if you don't put in effort in the gym and eat full meals consistently, the most perfectly-designed training program and supplement plan won't take you to the top.
What really matters for progress is short and simple: work hard in the gym, stay committed to eating good meals, and sleep enough to recover. Without these three things in place, nothing else you do matters.
Dave shares a similar perspective, saying that "majoring in the minors" sets many lifters on the wrong path. The basics done over a long period of time will take someone much further than they think they will. Minor adjustments can help you overcome a speed bump here or there, but if you pound away at the major things, it will bring you success in the long-term.
Justin also talks about retired IFBB Pro Paul Dillett, who had a reputation for allegedly not training very hard, but being incredibility diligent about his diet. Even though his reputation was for not being the hardest worker in the gym, his dedication to nutrition was second to none.
This also applies to powerlifters obsessing over special exercises and unique movements while forgetting to work on the lifts that actually matter: the squat, bench press, and deadlift. If you're a 200-pound male with a 185-pound bench press, you most likely just need to bench press more.
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