Here’s my attempt at breaking out of amateur writing and into something worthwhile:
What T-Nation means to me
This is not the story of a scrawny punk that put on muscle and suddenly earned the attention from the gorgeous women in his life. Neither is this the story of the overweight couch monkey that managed to drop half his bodyweight and run a marathon. This is the story of an everyday working stiff that needed a resource to help him become a better person.
I tend to lurk on the website, myself, and just absorb as much as I can from the articles and forums. The wealth of information is truly astonishing, and I can not imagine ever having enough time to read everything on it. Nonetheless, I have learned a considerable amount from it, putting it to good use in many ways to improve my performance, physique, and level of education.
The personal successes I can attribute to T-Nation are considerable. I have learned improved ways to train, eat, and rest. As important, I have also learned not to be too hard on myself. An unspoken rule I have picked up is understanding the line between self-discipline / dedication and obsession.
On a physical front, the variety of programs and offerings from different coaches have helped me blast through numerous plateaus. As an example, I had a world of trouble breaking 300 on the bench until I thought to do a simple search and found an article on Benching 600 pounds by Dave Tate. His advice on form and technique was invaluable in getting me beyond my stalling point. 600 may not be my next stepping stone, but if anyone could get me there, I imagine he could.
Setting new personal records is not the limit though; I have also rehabbed a minor shoulder impingement with the advice found on T-Nation regarding stretching and mobility. Of course, even more importantly is the time spent preventing future injuries, which multiple coaches on T-Nation stress. Not only do they encourage it, they also provide routines and suggestions on just how to accomplish it.
Concerned with getting bigger and stronger, T-Nation is a great place to seek out advice. One can only grow so big, however, before the eyes are not as happy with what they see in the mirror. To that end, T-Nation also provides ample help with a variety of advice, suggestions, and plans to aid in the reduction of unwanted body fat. Taking these things into account has helped me shed enough bodyfat in only a few weeks, taking me to the doorstep of my dreamed about goal of single digits, and I have both T-Nation and Dr. John Berardi?s Get Shredded Diet to thank for it.
T-Nation is filled with more than experts and good advice; however, it also markets its own brand of supplements to assist everyday normal people in their goals of becoming more than normal. The other area that T-Nation excels beyond mere programs or highly effective products designed with cutting edge biotechnology is in the member base. The members are real people; people with jobs, families, mortgages, deadbeat relatives, successes, and failures just like me. These members support each other, offering encouragement, suggestions, appreciation, and empathy.
The next time I have trouble breaking through to a new bench press, I just have to reread one of Dave Tate?s articles. The next time my arms are flagging, Dr. Elliot Darden or Charles Poliquin will unwittingly come to my rescue in their writings. When my fat loss stalls and I feel rundown, Dr. John Berardi will be there to help me figure out why. When I have overcomplicated my life and need to re-inject some common sense, here comes Dan John to the rescue. And for the host of other problems that occur, the other skilled, talented, and experienced contributors to T-Nation are always available as well through their past, present, and future articles.
