Who Are Your Favorite Fitness Gurus?

Training Powerlifting
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[quote]Shadowzz4 wrote:
I want people who train average people to train me[/quote]

You make it sound like training average people is hard. It’s actually really easy. The average person, to make average gains, needs to be told to lift 3-4 times a week, do cardio a couple of days a week, and to stop eating so many Twinkies.

You also seem to suggest that anyone who is at the top of his field is a “genetic” freak. I know guys like you. Anytime they see someone big, only two things pop into their pea-sized brains: “steroids” or “genetics.”

I imagine when you see someone driving in a nice guy, you probably also think: “Must be nice to inherit money.”

Good genetics or not, people at the top of their fields work for what they’ve got. They are working harder than you every day. It’s not genetics that makes them show up to the gym and train until they vomit. It’s an overpowering will to win.

Then again, you’d probably say the “will to win” is genetic, too.

62

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:

I imagine when you see someone driving in a nice guy, you probably also think: “Must be nice to inherit money.”
[/quote]

Driving in a nice guy? I’d say that’s more of a sexual preference than inheritance

63

[quote]Shadowzz4 wrote:
His kind of training works for cheating fucks. Period. [/quote]

I don’t get the hate. Were you a competitive athlete that got constantly beat and so you blamed your shortcomings on everyone juicing?

It’s good to know when you’re getting older and your test levels are declining you won’t stop to the cheating level of looking into TRT or HRT.

Back to topic-
My respect goes to:
Dan John
Cy Wilson
CT
Craig Smith

64

[quote]Bendo13 wrote:
CaliforniaLaw wrote:

I imagine when you see someone driving in a nice guy, you probably also think: “Must be nice to inherit money.”

Driving in a nice guy? I’d say that’s more of a sexual preference than inheritance

[/quote]

He is not talking about grocery shopping with another guy.

65

All of them post articles right here at T-Nation. I do not go anywhere else. No need.

66

[quote]celibrate2047 wrote:
Shadowzz4 wrote:
His kind of training works for cheating fucks. Period.

I don’t get the hate. Were you a competitive athlete that got constantly beat and so you blamed your shortcomings on everyone juicing?

It’s good to know when you’re getting older and your test levels are declining you won’t stop to the cheating level of looking into TRT or HRT.

[/quote]

Worse than the hatred is the belief that the training is so basically different. He sounds more pissed that no one would label him as “genetically gifted” at all.

It doesn’t take much at all to “train” someone who expects little and who won’t achieve much regardless.

It takes a whole lot of knowledge to train someone and have them make MAJOR changes in their physique over time, especially at the elite level.

Anabolic use aids in recovery and muscle growth. No one is in the dark about that. However, the basics of training do not change and if anyone is honestly in the dark about that, I have no doubt that your progress has been minimal up to this point.

Charles Glass has trained many of the top guys to ever win a bodybuilding contest. He was an impressive bodybuilder himself. I would rather listen to someone who has achieved much with their own body and with several others than some guy who trains genetic misfits who barely look like they lift weights on the street.

If you believe you have to use anabolics to understand that, you are either an idiot…or extremely lacking physically and are simply pissed about it.

67

[quote]Professor X wrote:
celibrate2047 wrote:
Shadowzz4 wrote:
His kind of training works for cheating fucks. Period.

I don’t get the hate. Were you a competitive athlete that got constantly beat and so you blamed your shortcomings on everyone juicing?

It’s good to know when you’re getting older and your test levels are declining you won’t stop to the cheating level of looking into TRT or HRT.

Worse than the hatred is the belief that the training is so basically different. He sounds more pissed that no one would label him as “genetically gifted” at all.

It doesn’t take much at all to “train” someone who expects little and who won’t achieve much regardless.

It takes a whole lot of knowledge to train someone and have them make MAJOR changes in their physique over time, especially at the elite level.

Anabolic use aids in recovery and muscle growth. No one is in the dark about that. However, the basics of training do not change and if anyone is honestly in the dark about that, I have no doubt that your progress has been minimal up to this point.

Charles Glass has trained many of the top guys to ever win a bodybuilding contest. He was an impressive bodybuilder himself. I would rather listen to someone who has achieved much with their own body and with several others than some guy who trains genetic misfits who barely look like they lift weights on the street.

If you believe you have to use anabolics to understand that, you are either an idiot…or extremely lacking physically and are simply pissed about it.[/quote]

I dont know where you are getting me wanting to train or be trained by average people and not get results, and that I want or need excuses to be weak. I have never said any of that.

I have a basic lack of respect for people who got where they are by cheating. Its not on the same level. If Charles Glass is really great and has put alot of quality mass on people who arent on steroids I would have a greater respect for him. Do I hate the guy? No I dont even know him.

And sure I would love to hear his thoughts on some things, Im sure he has alot of great information he has collected over the years. It is the fact that he got where he is, at least to a certain point by cheating.

And its not cheating in the sense of how it is considered in other competitions at all, because everyone is. But in the fitness field in general, he is a cheater plain and simple. So I shouldnt say that it is a lack of respect for Charles Glass’ knowledge as much as it as a lack of respect for that whole “sport”.

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Mel Siff

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Louie Simmons has trained dozens of “genetically blessed juicers” at Westside. Interestingly enough, his basic templates, principles and advice still seem to work for many others.

It’s like when people say that Charlie Francis’ advice isn’t valid because Ben Johnson was juicing. Makes me laugh.

70

[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
Louie Simmons has trained dozens of “genetically blessed juicers” at Westside. Interestingly enough, his basic templates, principles and advice still seem to work for many others.

It’s like when people say that Charlie Francis’ advice isn’t valid because Ben Johnson was juicing. Makes me laugh.[/quote]

Yes, of course, but people like having excuses for their lack of progress.

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[quote]W@LRUS!1 wrote:
jtrinsey wrote:
Louie Simmons has trained dozens of “genetically blessed juicers” at Westside. Interestingly enough, his basic templates, principles and advice still seem to work for many others.

It’s like when people say that Charlie Francis’ advice isn’t valid because Ben Johnson was juicing. Makes me laugh.

Yes, of course, but people like having excuses for their lack of progress.[/quote]

This is what I am talking about.
Now there is a different story. Charlie Francis and Louie Simmons have put alot of time and effort into developing and increasing the knowledge base of strength training principles.

Many people have reaped the benefits of their work. Sure they have trained people who juice, quite a large amount I would imagine. But you would not say their bread and butter was based on training people that juice.

72

[quote]Shadowzz4 wrote:
W@LRUS!1 wrote:
jtrinsey wrote:
Louie Simmons has trained dozens of “genetically blessed juicers” at Westside. Interestingly enough, his basic templates, principles and advice still seem to work for many others.

It’s like when people say that Charlie Francis’ advice isn’t valid because Ben Johnson was juicing. Makes me laugh.

Yes, of course, but people like having excuses for their lack of progress.

This is what I am talking about.
Now there is a different story. Charlie Francis and Louie Simmons have put alot of time and effort into developing and increasing the knowledge base of strength training principles.

Many people have reaped the benefits of their work. Sure they have trained people who juice, quite a large amount I would imagine. But you would not say their bread and butter was based on training people that juice.

[/quote]

Yes kids, that was “hypocrisy”. You all are catching on quickly this year! Can anyone point out the “inferiority complex”? Bobby? I see your hand raised.

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Tops on the list for me is Eric Cressey. He helped put me in the right direction when it comes to program design and proper form. Now I’m able to figure out for myself what I need to do and how to get there.

Other than Eric, I also check the blog of Bill Hartman to see what useful tidbits I can pick up.

74

[quote]Zap Branigan wrote:
Bendo13 wrote:
CaliforniaLaw wrote:

I imagine when you see someone driving in a nice guy, you probably also think: “Must be nice to inherit money.”

Driving in a nice guy? I’d say that’s more of a sexual preference than inheritance

He is not talking about grocery shopping with another guy.[/quote]

Haha I know… I was just messing with him… I think he meant “car”… I don’t know of anyone that bought a guy with their inheritance

75

At the EliteFTS Boston Seminar, somebody (forget who it was, think it was Dave Tate but not sure) said something that really resonated with me.

“If you want to be where somebody is at, do what they did to get there.”

You can get more info out of 2 hours talking to somebody who is “where you want to be” than you can out of 2 years of reading.

76

[quote]jtrinsey wrote:
At the EliteFTS Boston Seminar, somebody (forget who it was, think it was Dave Tate but not sure) said something that really resonated with me.

“If you want to be where somebody is at, do what they did to get there.”

You can get more info out of 2 hours talking to somebody who is “where you want to be” than you can out of 2 years of reading.[/quote]

Truth. I don’t think enough people get that though.

I would add, however, that paying attention to what they actually did to get there and not simply what they are doing right now is important.

77

[quote]Professor X wrote:
jtrinsey wrote:
At the EliteFTS Boston Seminar, somebody (forget who it was, think it was Dave Tate but not sure) said something that really resonated with me.

“If you want to be where somebody is at, do what they did to get there.”

You can get more info out of 2 hours talking to somebody who is “where you want to be” than you can out of 2 years of reading.

Truth. I don’t think enough people get that though.

I would add, however, that paying attention to what they actually did to get there and not simply what they are doing right now is important.[/quote]

Here’s DT’s recap of that seminar:

http://asp.elitefts.com/qa/default.asp?qid=54778&tid=124

78

[quote]Professor X wrote:
jtrinsey wrote:
At the EliteFTS Boston Seminar, somebody (forget who it was, think it was Dave Tate but not sure) said something that really resonated with me.

“If you want to be where somebody is at, do what they did to get there.”

You can get more info out of 2 hours talking to somebody who is “where you want to be” than you can out of 2 years of reading.

Truth. I don’t think enough people get that though.

I would add, however, that paying attention to what they actually did to get there and not simply what they are doing right now is important.[/quote]

I have honestly never understood why people do otherwise. I don’t buy books on real estate written by guys who have never done deals. I don’t buy books on money making by people who are broke.

Why would I listen to someone who hasn’t trained himself or others to achieve something I want? This question literally does not compute in my mind.

79

[quote]CaliforniaLaw wrote:

I have honestly never understood why people do otherwise. I don’t buy books on real estate written by guys who have never done deals. I don’t buy books on money making by people who are broke.

Why would I listen to someone who hasn’t trained himself or others to achieve something I want? This question literally does not compute in my mind.[/quote]

But I’ve seen the same thing advertised for real estate, and other gimmicks to “get rich quick”. They use the same backwards logic as those mimicking pro bodybuilders’ routines. They even advertise to do what the rich are doing, and not what they had done in the first place to get there.

I think it’s the pursuit of instant gratification that ruins people’s chances of being successful in anything.

80

[quote]Professor X wrote:
Truth. I don’t think enough people get that though.[/quote]

I will definitely admit that I didn’t “get it” for a while. I’ve always been very booksy and was very much a knowledge-snob for a while and bought into a lot of the guru-esque stuff. I would skip between different programs or philosophies too much. The seminar was a real eye-opener for me and really made me think and analyze.

The entire busride home I was just sitting there thinking about my training and really realized that every time I made progress, I was doing a few general things the same; it was when I went away from those principles that I stagnated.

It also hammered the point in my head that by far the most important thing about training is attitude; you have to have a vision of where you want to get, the belief that your training program is going to get you there and then have the courage to carry it out to your fullest in the gym. That’s 90% of the battle right there. The rest is just details.

The funny thing is that I almost didn’t go to the seminar. I couldn’t find anybody to go with me and I don’t have my own car to drive from Delaware to Boston. On that Thursday (the seminar was on a Saturday) I just said “fuck it”, paid for the seminar and bought a roundtrip Greyhound ticket from Philly to Boston. Had to endure a layover from midnight to 3:30 am in the NY terminal (which ain’t the safest place to be at that time), but it was well worth it. Best snap decision I ever made in my life.

I’ll say it again, to any other young (or otherwise beginner) strength training athlete or aspiring coach. Find somebody who you admire in your field and who “walks the walk” as well and figure out a way to physically meet them in person to learn from them.

Whether it’s a seminar or just driving a couple of hours to their gym to load plates for them while they train and ask them a few questions afterward, it’s worth way more than reading articles on the internet. In this age where a 315 squat inspires awe at most gyms, you gotta get out of that environment, even for a day, and learn from the best.