Tip Stop It With The Obsessive Counting Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Stop It With The Obsessive Counting Here' s how over-quantification syndrome leads to poor results with training and diet by Scott Abel October 27, 2016August 18, 2019 Tags Tips, Training Over-Quantification Syndrome One of the worst fitness trends is the ridiculous over-quantification of everything. The key word here is "over" – rep tempos, macros, calories-crunching, rest times by the clock, FitPal, Fitbit etc. I keep having to remind people of Einstein's quote: "Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." The human body will always be far more than a bunch of pretentious outside-in mathematical equations. Things like recovery needs, maximum versus optimum work capacity, internal biochemical and hormonal environments, refeeds to replenish glycogen stores and to optimize metabolism – these qualitative elements can't be number-crunched. They can only be assessed and observed. Watch Pumping Iron On the training front, watch Pumping Iron from the 70's. Pay attention to the training sequences. What do you see? What don't you see? Back before the days of GH and insulin and bloated bellies, these world-class physiques were created with crappy equipment and keen attention to biofeedback. What you won't see in Pumping Iron is anyone practicing rep-tempo nonsense, or resting by the clock, or stopping between sets to write a bunch of numbers in a training log. No More Neurotic Calorie Counting As for diet, the National Weight Control Registry monitors people who've lost a substantial amount of weight and have kept it off long-term. They look for common denominators of success. They find that calorie-counting is NOT a major contributor to taking weight off and keeping it off. More general lifestyle habits like regular meal times and eating breakfast matter more. Recently, a study from the University of Pittsburgh showed that number-trackers like Fitbit did NOT help people lose weight compared to those who went on a diet and didn't use such technology. The fact is, wannabe gurus in the fitness industry love to dazzle consumers with fancy formulas and mathematic equations. They love to play doctor, and they take this way too far. The truth? Most of these quantifications don't offer true control – they give an illusion of control, often without any relevant context. The Wisdom of Your Own Body The problem here is that the more effort you put toward outside-in dictations, the more you lose the ability to listen to the wisdom of your own body. Over-quantification syndrome is the pretention of expertise. True expertise is far more sophisticated. You can never number-crunch your way to a satisfying relationship with your own body. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training 7 Mind Hacks for Gym Dominance Once your physical skills are well-developed, psychology may be the greatest weapon in your arsenal. Check out these tips. Powerlifting & Strength, Training Charles Staley June 26 Training 12 Weeks to a Better Deadlift To many in the iron world, how much you can deadlift is the ultimate status symbol. Here's a solid three-month plan to get you on the road to deadlifting respect. Deadlift, Most Popular Deadlift Articles, Training Tim Henriques December 29 Training Total-Body Training A simple but smart plan that blends old-school basics with new-school periodization. Bodybuilding, Training Chad Waterbury October 11 Training The Two Best Exercises You ve Never Tried These brand new exercises will hit your lats, strengthen your shoulder girdle, and give you a great set of abs. Abs, Back, Shoulders, Training Max Shank August 14