sary, be temporarily dropped in order to keep progress happening in the big
exercises. Some neck work is mandatory if you are involved in contact sport,
and still a good idea if you are not. And back extensions will help keep your
lower back in good order.. ere is a multitude of different interpretations of abbreviated and basics-
first training—enough variation to satisfy you for the duration of your
training life. Staleness with any single approach should not happen. But do
not flit from one interpretation to another. Stick to one for long enough to
be able to judge the worth of the interpretation as you have understood it,
and put into practice. en analyze the results, learn from what you did, and
do it better next time around.. Nutrition matters, but forget the notion that it is or even of train-
ing success. Sitting down and eating and drinking is the easy bit. Knuckling
down in the gym to very intensive work on the big exercises is the hard
bit. at is the over- bit. Rest takes up a percentage and then nutrition
comes out of the portion that is left. ere are hundreds of thousands of
gym members who slept well, had jobs that were not particularly stressful
physically, and had more than adequate diets. ey did not realize their phy-
sique and strength potentials because they did not train hard enough and
progressively enough on the exercises that matter.. Nutrition is about food, not supplements. Food supplements are not pana-
ceas for training woes. Only once you have a good working formula of train-
ing, food and rest should you consider topping up with supplements. Tons
of muscle have been built without using food supplements.. Many hard gainers—especially the very young—do not consume enough
calories and nutrients to pack on muscle. Regardless of your age, consume
as much nutritious and healthful food as you can without getting fat.Mistakes, lost time and bad judgements are part of the business of
getting bigger and stronger muscles. Learn from them, and do not
keep repeating them. But persist at all times. As Calvin Coolidge
noted, “Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence.”