RJ24 has raised some good points and some interesting “alternative” studies that simply don’t get mentioned much around here - all this is good - but RJ dude you have to realise you came off a bit on the brash side at first (and since) which doesn’t bother me one bit but you must realise that on T-Nation that is gonna bug people especially if they disagree with you, rightly or wrongly, basically, them’s fightin’ words.
CW certainly does seem to have an extra large passionate fanbase. Don’t know why.
Thing is, when Dave Tate writes an article, you can’t drop in and start criticising what he says, or saying it is wrong, or bullshite, or theory unproven. At least none that come to mind.
There are authors who will present a theory and highlight its flaws right from the start.
When anyone starts talking in absolutes, especially suggesting that one method is superior to all others, or the ultimate, or the next best thing, or that all other methods that have proven so successful in the past are in fact, not that great - well that is bollocks.
Furthermore when one idea is presented as something new - and in fact, it is something that is damned old - that is just silly.
As far as I am concerned, if your focus is on speed of movement for max recruitment blah blah blah then you are waaay off on the whole picture.
Similarly plyometrics are not the answer. Nothing that recruits most MUs is the answer. Training effect is SPECIFIC. You adapt to how you train and you should design training to get the adpations required.
Take isometrics. Great thing to do if isometrics are part of your sport. Like climbing. Gymnastics. Is is great for other things? Maybe to a degree but it certainly isn�??t the be all end all. Nothing is. Methods should be incorporated into training to the degree that they specifically move you towards your goals.
For beginners, any crappy system works.
For intermediate, most systems, even crappy ones, work if they eat and sleep enough.
For advanced, same thing �?? it can all work with a crap system, tonnes of food, sleep, and drugs.
For the elite, this is where the system has to be cutting edge.
For a trainer (or a novice who knows a lot) your insights and discoveries cannot be considered on the new, cutting edge, changing all past knowledge, unless you are working with the elite athletes at the top of their field.
Who cares if you are getting great results in anyone from beginner all the way up to the advanced �?? and even the really advanced. If you are not making breakthroughs with the absolute elite in the field, then your new ideas are nothing new. Especially when they have been said a thousand times over a hundred years.
For the fanboys who have made good progress using X system, big deal that does not mean that X system is the new cutting edge.
Note I am NOT in any way diminishing Chads�?? work here, on the contrary, he may in fact be on the cutting edge of super efficient, time efficient, energy efficient, results producing systems for the average-intermediate even advanced people. I would not hesitate to recommend his work. If someone came up and said �??what should I do�?? I could say �??follow Chad and ignore anyone who criticises his stuff�?? and they would do great for the rest of their life. Unless they were wanting to go Elite. But who cares about that, nobody ever gets there with things handed to them on a platter from a single guru, it is a long process of blood sweat tears wrong paths and injuries.
As for all theories �?�… if you don�??t do maximal efforts, dynamic efforts, repeated efforts, and ballistic/plyo work, AND isometic/eccentric work - then you are shortchanging yourself. The % of each that you do depends on what your goals are. But neglecting any areas is limiting. Deliberately neglecting them because you think one approach is best, is just insane. Picking a method such as ME and assuming that because it is great for powerlifting it must also be the main focus for sprinting �?? well that is plain nuts.
Basically I am saying ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL �?? so stop trying to find one size and convince everyone that it fits. (that is not directed at anyone specifically).
