Originally Posted by hbgreek
Next time some chap comes in here saying he needs an extra 6” for his date on Friday, I’m going to tell him he can do it. What’s the harm in that? Nobody can disprove that and the guy would be much more motivated. Which would be great: lack of motivation is the biggest killer of gains. Even more than injury.
I think that the harm would be:
(a) when it doesn’t happen (and has anyone ever gained six inches in less than a week?), your credibility will be damaged, and
(b) he’s more likely to give up on PE altogether when he fails to meet those unreasonable expectations.
On the other hand, if someone asks that same question, and I tell him, “No, you’re not going to gain six inches by next Friday, but with patience and persistence, there’s a good chance that you’ll gain. A substantial number of men have gained an inch within a year.” At that point, he can decide that an inch and a year is not worth it, and not even start PE. He can also decide that he’s going to start PE, realizing that it’s going to take time. I think that someone starting PE with that more realistic mindset is more likely to stick with it, because he is not expecting six inches by Friday.
I’ve said more than once that PE is a marathon, not a sprint. I’m not going to tell someone that they can run a four minute marathon by next Friday and set them up for failure.