The performative exercise trap, navigating Instagram and Tik Tok.

We live in the age of “performative training.”

Scroll any platform and you’ll see it instantly: half-rep lifts with cinematic lighting, flashy pad combos that would never land in a real fight, impossible mobility drills, and workouts designed more for views than results. Sexualized content, gimmicks, and algorithm-friendly nonsense dominate feeds — not because it works, but because it performs well.

And the danger? New trainees mistake popularity for credibility.

With AI now capable of generating fake physiques, fake workouts, edited training clips, and outright misinformation, there has never been a more important time to understand what real training actually looks like — and where it happens.

Spoiler: it’s not in a 30-second reel.

The Algorithm Doesn’t Care About Your Progress

Social platforms reward spectacle, not substance.

They reward:

Novelty over consistency
Shock value over fundamentals
Aesthetic movements over effective ones
Entertainment over education

That’s why you see circus-style exercises with no measurable transfer to sport or performance. That’s why coaches feel pressure to “dance for the algorithm” instead of teaching well. And that’s why many trainees bounce from trend to trend without building any real base.

If it looks impressive but can’t be explained simply, progressed logically, or reproduced consistently — it’s probably content, not coaching.

What Has Worked Since the Dawn of Training

Strip away the filters, trends, and marketing.

The methods that build fighters, athletes, and resilient bodies have not changed much in decades — and in many cases, centuries.

They are simple. They are boring. They work.

Across strength & conditioning, boxing, MMA, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, and kickboxing, the foundations remain:

Progressive overload
Repetition of core skills
Technical refinement
Structured conditioning
Recovery and consistency
Coaching feedback
Time under tension and time on task

No shortcut replaces these.

There is no viral substitute for thousands of quality reps. No AI-generated drill can replace pressure-tested sparring. No flashy routine outperforms showing up week after week and doing the basics well.

The Missing Ingredient: A Coach’s Eye

One of the biggest losses in online-only training is nuance.

A coach doesn’t just give you exercises. They see things you can’t:

Subtle posture breakdowns
Breathing inefficiencies
Balance and weight distribution
Timing errors
Technical shortcuts
Injury-risk patterns
When to push and when to pull back

Self-training is limited by your own blind spots. Even advanced athletes rely on outside eyes because perception lies. Cameras lie. Ego lies.

Real improvement often happens in small corrections — not dramatic changes.

That’s impossible to get from a comment section.

Oversaturation Has Created Noise, Not Knowledge

More content has not made better athletes.

It has created:

Confusion
Contradictory advice
Paralysis by analysis
Shallow understanding
Program hopping
False expectations

People now know about training without understanding training.

Watching highlights does not equal practice. Saving workouts does not equal discipline. Knowing terminology does not equal skill.

Depth beats volume. Always.

In-Person Training Matters More Than Ever

Ironically, as digital tools get better, real-world coaching becomes more valuable.

Why?

Because reality can’t be filtered.

In the gym:

The weight is real
The opponent resists
Fatigue is honest
Mistakes are exposed
Progress is measurable
Accountability exists

You can’t fake effort under a barbell. You can’t edit a bad round of sparring. You can’t algorithm your way through hard rounds, hard conditioning, and hard lessons.

That friction is what builds competence.

When You’re Unsure: Return to the Malden Jovanovic Rule

If you ever feel lost in training trends, go back to the Malden Jovanovic meme/infographic principle:

Do the basics. Do them well. Do them consistently. Under good coaching. Over time.

It’s not sexy. It’s not viral. It works.

Ask yourself:

Does this improve fundamentals?
Can I progress it long-term?
Does it transfer to real performance?
Would this hold up under fatigue and resistance?

If the answer is no — it’s probably content, not training.

How To Spot Real Coaches vs Content Creators

Not all online coaches are bad. But here’s what separates real ones:

Real coaches prioritize:

Clear progression
Repeatable systems
Simple explanations
Athlete development over views
Results from real students
Consistency over novelty

Performative creators prioritize:

Shock value
Constant reinvention
Trend chasing
Visual appeal over function
Personal branding over athlete outcomes

Follow education, not entertainment

Final Thought: Craft Over Clout

Right now, the industry is louder than ever — and more diluted than ever.

This is actually good news for serious trainees.

Because while others chase trends, you can quietly build real skill. While others perform for cameras, you can sharpen fundamentals. While others consume, you can practice.

Whether you train strength & conditioning, boxing, MMA, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, or kickboxing — the path hasn’t changed.

Show up.

Train with intent.

Listen to your coach.

Master the basics.

Repeat.

The algorithm forgets you in 24 hours.

Skill stays with you forever.

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