29) Why So Extreme?

Test. Tweak. Push. Learn. Repeat.

A long time ago, I realized something: people that expected the norm got a normal result. If I do what everyone else does, I'm going to get the result that everyone else gets. I am my own science project and testing things out—why not always think of the extreme version?

One of Louie Simmons’ ideas particularly stuck with me: "Regular people get me regular results with regular output. Extreme people or crazy motherfuckers give me crazy results." To be clear, he’s talking about strength.

What is your baseline expectation of fitness or business and the way that you operate? That's what I started to push the limits on. The limits with how I looked, my strength numbers, my business operations, and the way I operated overall. As I started to push in a more extreme fashion, I started to get more extreme results.

Take squatting for example. I was unhappy with my results from a back squatting standpoint. Through my research, Squat Every Day emerged. Two years later, I hit all my goals. It was extreme, and guess what? It made a huge difference in my career, because it separated me!

This is my thought process: "No one else is doing this. Let me try a lap. Let me try two laps. Let me try three laps. Let me try a mile." I did a mile four days in a row one time. I did a mile with a 40-pound vest. I did three quarters of a mile with an 80-pound vest. I was testing the limits to find a baseline. Why am I so extreme? I pushed it to the point where I was having a hard time recovering. But what was the baseline? 400 meters each day. Then the baseline became 800 meters each day. Streaks of 100, 200, and 300 days.

Ask yourself: what's the baseline of the norm? What can I attempt? What is pushing the limit? How can I consistently operate at a level that’s above the norm in order to get exceptional results?

Have I tried extreme things that haven’t worked? Yes, but did I learn a ton and then try a second version that maybe worked a little better? Of course. Then, maybe on the third try, I found out what worked really well.

I'm simply suggesting you demand more out of yourself. Stretch the limits of your personal expectations. Whatever you do, whatever your craft is, or whatever you're pushing yourself towards, ask yourself, "What happens if I do this?" Try it for a few days. Test yourself. You are your best science project.