Hi, Friend
I want to begin your weekly newsletter by telling you a story...
For those that don't know, Gary Halbert was one of the best-selling copywriters of his generation. Handsomely rewarded for his peerless penmanship, this "Prince of Print" earned millions during the roller-coaster ride that was his life.
These riches saw Gary enjoy a lavish lifestyle...wild women, booze and insanely fast boats - nothing was off limits for this maverick marketer. And then there were those times Gary witnessed the soul-destroying hardships of bankruptcy and prison. During these painful moments, the luxuries of wealth seemed a world away.
Like I said, a roller-coaster ride.
While in prison, the copywriter penned letters to his son and later turned them into a bestselling book, The Boron Letters. Amongst these pages, Gary revealed those lessons learned in business and in life.
In one of his letters, the marketer talked about the concepts of effectiveness and efficiency. To illustrate the difference between these two ideas, Gary told the tale of two guys who want to get to Marietta, Ohio.
The two guys are in a canoe paddling very efficiently, except...they are in the Mississippi River (not the Ohio River). Using a perfect J-stroke, the men slice through the water with maximum movement and minimal physical effort.
Now there are two other guys paddling their canoe north on the Ohio River leaving Parkersburg. They also want to get to Marietta. Only these guys are terrible canoeists. In fact, they don't even have paddles. Instead, one guy paddles with his shoes while his friend doggy paddles with his hands.
Yet despite this, can you guess who is going to reach their goal, the city of Marietta?
The answer:
It is NOT the super-efficient guys with the perfect J-strokes. Why? Because they are in the WRONG river!
You see, it doesn't matter how perfectly and effortlessly they slice through the water, because you can't get to Marietta on the Mississippi River.
Yet by contrast, the two guys paddling up the Ohio River with their shoes and hands will eventually arrive at their intended destination. How? Because they are on the right river and going in the right direction.
Gary Halbert's story clearly illustrates the difference between effectiveness and efficiency. This story also shows how effectiveness beats efficiency every single time.
But what does this have to do with lifting weights? Well, more than you might imagine.
The thing is, it doesn’t matter if your exercise technique is perfect. It doesn’t even matter if you are careful with your diet and hit all of your macronutrients. Why? Because none of these things alter your performance in the gym if you are clearly paddling in the wrong direction.
For many folks who lift weights, paddling in the wrong direction can often mean training too much. This is why, getting enough protein in your diet won’t help you, just as fine-tuning your exercise technique won’t make much difference either.
These things only become useful to you “when you are rowing on the right river”.
Gary Halbert knew the importance of rowing on the right river. He also knew the difference between effectiveness and efficiency, which was how the “Prince of Print” lost a fortune and then won it back again.
So the next time you come to train, ask yourself: "Is this working for me?" If your answer is no, then it might be time you changed direction.
. . .
In your next issue, titled "Exercise Snacking" I'll tell you about the latest high-intensity research to get the scientists swooning, and how it helps your weight training.
Watch out for that next Monday.
Until then,
Squat On!
Lee
P.S. Did you miss last week's giveaways? No problem. You can claim your reports by simply clicking the links below...
http://bit.ly/1pgfYRW
http://bit.ly/RmHYaw |
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