T Nation - Dangerously Softcore

[DieselWeasel]

I agree with Kiefer and Lewis. T-Nation occasionally has quality content, but it's mostly stuff from mediocre "gurus" and "experts" who look unimpressive, aren't strong, and haven't done shit. A bachelors degree or even a masters in exercise science or kinesiology doth not a guru make.

[Tannhauser]

Originally Posted by DieselWeasel

but it's mostly stuff from mediocre "gurus" and "experts" who look unimpressive, aren't strong, and haven't done shit. A bachelors degree or even a masters in exercise science or kinesiology doth not a guru make.

Having great lifts or an impressive physique does not a guru make either.

I see this argument all the time - that if someone doesn't look the part then their advice can't be any good. It seems to be applied by bodybuilders and some powerlifters more than in any other field.

I wonder how many of the great boxing coaches had great fight records themselves? Being a good coach,or having an understanding of how something works, is a different skillset to being able to excel at something yourself - especially at a top level.

It's that suspicion of book learnin' that isn't shared by many other sports - runners, cyclists, track athletes embrace the qualifications, and they profit from it. A top cyclist wouldn't care how fast his strength coach could cycle.

Only in our field would someone look at an author with a stellar academic record, and a successful clientele, someone who has devoted years to systematically studying strength and muscle, and say 'yeah, but how much does he deadlift?'

It's a bit like saying, 'Yeah, just because Robert Ressler has a PhD in Criminology doesn't make him an expert on serial killers. I mean how many people has this dude actually killed?'

[MC]

I've never gone to T Nation for articles. I used to read a few of the logs there because some people have made some really significant progress over the years, SteelyD being the first that comes to mind.

I'm at a point where everything is (mis)information overload. I trust the opinions of a lot of people here over any "established" writer at this point.

[Shorts]

Originally Posted by Tannhauser

Only in our field would someone look at an author with a stellar academic record, and a successful clientele, someone who has devoted years to systematically studying strength and muscle, and say 'yeah, but how much does he deadlift?'

It's a bit like saying, 'Yeah, just because Robert Ressler has a PhD in Criminology doesn't make him an expert on serial killers. I mean how many people has this dude actually killed?'

I think that little point you put in the middle there outweighs a lot of other factors like having the knowledge or looking the part. I don't care about someone's education or their physique if they have past/current clientele that showed real progress and gains over a period of time.

Someone can be smart as hell, but still not be able to apply their principles to people. Someone can be big, but following someone else's advice won't make them any smarter to teach it to others. There has to be evidence of their skill set working to prove that they can be an expert, that's why when I read some of these articles that are posted on various fitness sites it is still hard to believe they work because there is no evidence of it, not because of their academic knowledge or physique/strength.

[Tannhauser]

Originally Posted by Shorts

I think that little point you put in the middle there outweighs a lot of other factors like having the knowledge or looking the part. I don't care about someone's education or their physique if they have past/current clientele that showed real progress and gains over a period of time.

Someone can be smart as hell, but still not be able to apply their principles to people. Someone can be big, but following someone else's advice won't make them any smarter to teach it to others. There has to be evidence of their skill set working to prove that they can be an expert, that's why when I read some of these articles that are posted on various fitness sites it is still hard to believe they work because there is no evidence of it, not because of their academic knowledge or physique/strength.

Yes, good point, and to slightly shoot myself in the foot, I'll add that it wouldn't be tremendously difficult to generate the impression of credibility - at least via a few articles on the internet. But I do think that there's a danger of discounting advice on a kind of ad hominem basis, and that's like listening to the guy with the biggest club, rather than the general.

[70sBB]

Originally Posted by *MC*

I'm at a point where everything is (mis)information overload. I trust the opinions of a lot of people here over any "established" writer at this point.

I'm still new at this but I am finding out fast that there is a lot of noise out there.

[bamazav]

Originally Posted by 70sBB

I'm still new at this but I am finding out fast that there is a lot of noise out there.

The trick is learning how to filter through the noise.

[BendtheBar]

Not sure who said it, and this is a paraphrase:

If you want to know how good a coach or trainer is, check out the success record of those that have worked with him/her.

A good coach/trainer doesn't have to be producing elite athletes to be good. He could simply be good at consistently helping beginners improve their squat form or numbers, etc., because that's his passion.

To be good at what you're doing means that you are consistently helping others reach the goal you are trying to help them reach. A junior high school athletics coach could be considered "great" because of a high success and improvement rate, yet he is not producing Olympians.

I don't think the authors at T-Nation (for the most part) are trying to help advanced athletes turn into legendary athletes. Correct me if I am wrong. I'm certainly not standing in anyone's corner saying they are 100%, without a shadow of a doubt great trainers and coaches. I don't know enough about them to comment.

That issue aside, I still don't like the articles. Tann said it best before, how many different ways can you continue to keep saying the same basic things? Very true. Hearing the same drum gets old. With that said, if you start to beat another drum instead, readers will start to think this new drum is most important - the coolest, bestest, super uber new drum, better than the old drum.

This new drum is 22 obscure exercise variations for every problem. It's not a drum I like. Is it creating results? That's the question, and I don't have the answer.

[MC]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

Tann said it best before, how many different ways can you continue to keep saying the same basic things? Very true. Hearing the same drum gets old. With that said, if you start to beat another drum instead, readers will start to think this new drum is most important - the coolest, bestest, super uber new drum, better than the old drum.

This new drum is 22 obscure exercise variations for every problem. It's not a drum I like. Is it creating results? That's the question, and I don't have the answer.

Against a backdrop of shilling specialized products. This is why I just stopped reading them. Here I can get the advice without the pushy sales tactics.

[Fazc]

Originally Posted by BendtheBar

With that said, if you start to beat another drum instead, readers will start to think this new drum is most important - the coolest, bestest, super uber new drum, better than the old drum.

If I can sell you the disease, I can sell you the cure.