You know, almost everything gets sensationalized, exaggerated, and over-publicized these days. And unfortunately, very few things ever actually live up to the hype. We all know it’s true. How many times have we seen the latest song/movie/invention/doo-dad/workout/whatever get this amazing amount of build-up, only to find out that in real life, it actually sucks. (Or at best is just mediocre.)

Well, Netflix is NOT one of those things.

HOLY COW, I love Netflix. I’ve actually not been a subscriber for that long (yeah, sometimes I’m a little late on things, LOL), but DAMN I love having the ability to get as many DVDs sent to me as I can watch in a month, not to mention streaming them to my PS3.

I don’t watch a whole ton of TV, but aside from the few shows I do watch, most of the rest is generally Netflix.

Take the other day – I watched that Quentin Tarantino movie "Death Proof". Now usually, I’m a big Tarantino fan, but "Death Proof" just didn’t "do it" for me. It was an Ok movie, but just kinda…meh.

Of course, all that didn’t mean a damn thing b/c of all the bitchin’ cars in it. (Many of y’all prolly know by now I’m kind of a car guy…lol.)

Though, there was one scene in the movie that I thought was kinda cool – the one where Stuntman Mike (Kurt Russell) is showing off his Nova, talking about how it’s "better than safe…it’s death-proof".

Corny as it sounds, this is kinda the approach I like to take to when it comes to designing workouts – make somebody what I generally call "bulletproof".

(Public service announcement – Wiggy does not endorse nor condone the use of an intimidating physique, outstanding levels of strength, power, or conditioning, or a badass muscle car to kill, maim, or otherwise incapacitate innocent victims. However, wowing unaware citizens and impressing that cute hottie that just moved in down the street is not only advocated, it’s highly encouraged. Thank you.)

LOL

Anyway….

If you’ve done any reading of my articles or blog and/or done any of my workouts, you know that I really like to be efficient, not spend a whole ton of time training, yet accomplish as much as possible, over a widespread array of physical qualities.

Again, like I’ve said before, it’s not about being ‘great’ or ‘elite’ at any one particular thing (unless, of course, you’re required or get paid to), but instead, being very good at everything.

(Kinda like a decathlete – he might not be able to throw as far as a thrower, jump as high or far as a jumper, or sprint as fast as a sprinter, but you can be for damn sure that he throws a ton further than a jumper, jumps a ton further and higher than a distance runner, sprints faster than a thrower, etc.)

However, being "bulletproof" isn’t just about being able to do a ton of different things really well. It’s about being able to do them pretty much whenever you want.

Now, this doesn’t mean just doing a program that utilizes concepts like conjugate or concurrent periodization, or what those Bulgarian-wannabe guys called "micro-periodization". It’s about being able to go from "0 to performing like a badass mofo" in almost nothing flat.

I’ve seen some pretty gnarly workout programs, and also seen some guys do some pretty gnarly athletic feats (be it in the weight room, field of play, or whatever). But here’s the thing – if you have to massively build up to that feat or event…yeah, it’s cool…and surely impressive as all hell…but it’s just not usable.

Personally, while seeing what the limits of human potential are is fascinating, I’m a lot more interested in developing capabilities that can be called upon at a moment’s notice, regardless of the situation.

Now, I am NOT saying that elements of a workout such as pre-workout GPP, dynamic warmup, range of motion work, etc aren’t important, nor should they be a part of your overall program – b/c they should.

BUT, if you have to go through all these things in order to perform at your physical peak…then what good is it?

Strength & conditioning coach John Davies (known as "The Renegade") has spoken more times than I can count of the ability to "roll out of bed and be able to clean 300 lbs". This means that your body is in a constant state of readiness – that you’ve conditioned yourself to the point that you can handle almost anything at anytime.

Something else I see more and more of in the fitness industry are all these insane recovery methods, be it special kinds of massage, ice baths, specifically timed contrasting showers, intense supplementation rituals, etc. If you need all these things to be able to train and perform at a certain level…are you really at that level?

Now please people, do not lose the message I’m trying to convey in the details. I’m NOT saying that things like a proper warmup, flexibility work, good diet, getting enough sleep and recovery, etc aren’t important. THEY ARE IMPORTANT.

What I am trying to say, though, is that if you need all these things just in order to train or maintain your current level of (insert physical quality here), then unless you’re an ultra-elite level anything, then I just gotta question if what you’re doing is really that beneficial. Somebody in that situation is supposed to be the best, but in many ways, if you stop to think about, they’re a lot more fragile.

Personally, I like to think of my training as not being in such a fine balance that one slight thing can totally throw the whole system out of whack. I mean, what if you have to skip an ice bath for a day? Or you run out of one of your supplements? Or your masseuse goes out of town for a week on vacation during Thanksgiving or Christmas?

Then what do you do? Are you "bulletproof" enough to be able to keep on keeping on, or is your entire training and physical development and performance system about to be thrown off its delicate balance and be totally skewed?

Can you train hard all week, have a few beers on Friday night (like I generally like to do), take part – or all – of the weekend off, then hit it hard again on Monday without having lost a step? What if, for whatever reason, you get a lousy night’s sleep for a few days in a row. Can you still keep on training hard?

If the unthinkable actually happens, and you have to survive the dreaded Zombiepocalypse, will you be able to still be that physical badass, all while dodging the undead, eating stockpiled MREs, getting little sleep, keeping on the run?

(Ok, that last situation might be a tad melodramatic…LOL. But you get what I mean…

In the end, my question to you comes down to this – training, in my mind, should be designed to allow you to dramatically outperform the person you once were, and turn you into somebody you hope to be. When push comes to shove, it doesn’t matter the scenario or situation, you need to be able to perform and just flat out get the job done. No excuses. No ‘woulda, shoulda, coulda’. No failure. Just results.

Can you…could you…perform in an impressive fashion if you were forced to deal with and endure less than ideal circumstances?

If you can…IMO…that’s being "bulletproof".