Video summary
Sam Sulek offers a critical perspective on the current state of evidence-based and science-based lifting, characterizing it often as a gimmicky subculture driven by an elitist mentality rather than pure utility. He observes that while older lifters tend to stick to proven basics because they know what works for them, younger individuals are more susceptible to "clout" seeking trends where adopting new methods becomes a status symbol. Sulek argues that this approach often devolves into a rigid dogma similar to academic conditioning, where the demand to explain every action with studies creates an inflated sense of perfectionism. He contends that many proponents operate under the false belief that if they are not following the "perfect" protocol exactly as prescribed by science, their efforts are pointless, which he views as uncool and counterproductive compared to simply doing what works for one's body without needing external validation or a degree in exercise physiology. A central theme of his argument is the distinction between theoretical knowledge derived from reading books versus practical experience gained through actual training. Sulek uses the analogy of someone raised in captivity who reads every book on how to act normal; despite having all the information, they cannot translate that into being a regular person without real-world practice. Similarly, he asserts that lifting is an experiential skill that cannot be fully mastered or guaranteed by following a script found on paper alone. He criticizes the "snake oil" nature of some science-based marketing which promises guaranteed results if one follows specific instructions perfectly, arguing instead that true understanding comes from getting hands-on with the weights and learning through direct experience rather than relying solely on data to dictate every movement in the gym. Sulek also addresses the concept of uncertainty reduction within this subculture, suggesting that an obsession with finding the single "perfect" way to lift often stems from a desire to lower the perceived difficulty or intimidation factor of working out. He posits that for many people who dislike exercising, they seek routines like one-set workouts as a form of coddling themselves rather than embracing the challenge. While he acknowledges that some might argue these methods improve efficiency, Sulek maintains that chasing maximum enjoyment is equally important and perhaps more sustainable. He notes that if an evidence-based routine were somehow discovered to be genuinely fun for him personally, he would adopt it because combining both efficiency and enjoyment would be ideal; however, his current bias leans toward valuing the joy of being in the gym over rigid adherence to protocols designed solely for optimization. The conversation concludes with a focus on compliance as the primary point of failure for the vast majority of gym-goers, estimated at 99% of people who visit gyms but fail to see significant long-term results. Sulek emphasizes that motivation and enjoyment are the driving forces behind consistency, noting that before addressing complex nutritional needs or training variables like fruit and vegetable intake—where he promotes AG1 NextGen as a supplement for gut health—one must first enjoy the process of lifting itself. He reflects on his own journey from using high-volume routines to reducing sets based on accumulated evidence and personal efficiency gains, illustrating that lifters are not simple equations where one variable dictates success. Ultimately, he warns against letting an obsession with scientific perfectionism undermine the fundamental requirement: showing up consistently because you genuinely like what you do in the gym.
Read the full video transcript
What do you make of the world of
evidence-based lifting, science-based
stuff at the moment?
>> I think um I think there's people who
are gimmicky about it and make it a
thing cuz they know it's like um cuz an
older person or an older guy who works
out is going to stick to the basics that
he know works for him, which is, you
know, sweet. But, you know, he's it's
going to be harder for him to accept new
ideas. So for a younger guy, it's kind
of this like clout mentality of like,
oh, I'm on the new wave train, but some
of it's a little silly. I don't think
all of it is. So, I'm not I would never
the point isn't exactly what they're
doing, but a lot of the idea behind it
and it's kind of its own subculture is
it's very like it's a weird elitism
because it's not like it's Chris
Bumpstead saying like this is the or and
like their whole thing is this is right,
you are wrong. And like that sucks.
That's not cool. And that's not even
true because there's so many people that
get so many different results doing so
many different things. Like the idea
that their following is if I'm not
perfect, then there's there's no point.
And it's getting back to like the
conditioning of
preschool, middle school, high school,
college, you know, I want to get a
degree so I know I can get a job. I want
to know it's going to work. And that's
the the demand of being able to explain
it with studies because you know going
into the gym at all is kind of
uncomfortable for the non-bginner for
any of any age where it's you've never
worked out before. It's always like oh
are people going to watch me working
out. I've never done it. I'm
uncomfortable because I' i've never
actually gotten experience doing it.
Like do I need to get one of my buddies
who works out to bring me to kind of
coach me? Well then they're going to
know that he's coach like like it's it's
something where it does have an inflated
kind of situation. you don't get nervous
about going into a freaking uh
Starbucks, but the gym is a little
different cuz it has that physicality.
So, for them to um you know, just think
like, okay, this is actually the
solution because this is perfect and
this will work. It's a it's a snake oil
of an idea instead of a product.
>> Because what do you mean that? Cuz the
the convincing point is that if you do
it just like how we're saying to do it,
we can guarantee that it will work for
you. when really I think the best guys
who work out and lift just what you call
the best lifters would be uh the ones
who actually you know get their hands on
their own wheel and learn it for
themselves and then they get a deeper
understanding cuz I could read a book
about like
uh you know let's say for some reason I
was raised in captivity
and I I read a book that was like how to
act normal as much as I could read it
would never translate to actually being
a regular guy because you you have to
like do these things to learn them. Like
it's a different kind of experience
because the working out isn't something
you can just say on paper. You have to
actually become experienced from doing
it and then you'll be different in the
future.
>> So to say like and even just to to say
something so blatantly at least what I
would consider at least
ill advised of this is the perfect way
to do anything. That's not true, man.
Like you're just saying that.
>> How much of it do you think is um
like uncertainty reduction?
>> Yeah, exactly. It's a lot.
>> Mhm.
>> And it's and it's um I think in a way
it's a little bit
bringing it down like I talked about
either raising to the bar or like kind
of coddling yourself and making it seem
like less of a thing.
If you bring it and you get serious, you
say, "Okay, the gym is full of guys who
really get serious.
I'm going to do it and I'm going or
I'm going to do these things which
people said is the perfect way to do it
and it's not you don't have to go that
hard or you don't have to do that much
like things like that I feel is a
lowering of the difficulty but it's
argued as an improvement of the
efficiency
but for me I'm looking at that as though
like do you hate working out like if you
hate working out then you want a routine
where it's like one set a a like the
ideal well I guess the idea would be
zero sets like in in their world it's I
wish there was a pill like a real where
it's you never have to work out again
and this is where my bias could come in
cuz it's not an objective like I'm just
adding to a conversation like I can't
say anything completely objective but
from my perspective like I like it in
the gym if a workout took if I could do
20 sets and that was actually like
pretty efficient and it worked that's
what I would do but it's not because
that's like I'm not chasing uh maximum
efficiency in a way. I'm I'm half
chasing like maximum enjoyment cuz I
like I like to be in the gym.
>> Yeah, I think that's a good Well, you've
said yourself you went from 25 sets,
reduced that down because you were more
efficient that you some could say you're
updating your worldview. You have
accumulated some evidence that has now
changed and informed the way that you're
going to show up in the gym. But I think
there's definitely an argument to be
made that
we are not equations. And
>> the I guess the the
the slight addition to what you've said
there is the assumption there is a
science-based approach to lifting or an
evidence-based approach to lifting
causes a less enjoyable uh sort of
routine. Um, but some people may go in
and say like just imagine for a second
that the evidence-based routine happened
to be more fun. I don't know how or why
or whatever.
>> If if for me it clicked as more fun, I'd
have to do it.
>> Yes. Then you'd be like, "Oh, wow. I've
got both things. I've got both
efficiency and I've got enjoyment coming
through both." But yeah, if you're Look,
dude, I I say it again.
>> The era in which I sort of came up
learning about lifting, we didn't Is it
531? Is it 5x5? Is it German volume
training? Is it drop sets? Is it rest
pause? Is it Maya sets? Is it my like
you know there's so many?
>> And ultimately when you look across
>> what most people's points of failure are
>> for the normal lift for 99% of people
that are going to the gym which is still
only what like 3% of the population or
something. So it's a tiny amount of a
tiny amount.
>> The point of failure is compliance. And
the reason for the failure in compliance
is typically motivation and enjoyment.
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