[GqArtguy]

Its one thing to write that youre the bomb or have your circle of friends keep saying that for you, but its quite another to behave as if you are. One thing that I find fascinating about the gurus is the huge ego and total lack of humility in conducting themselves when caught back pedaling, misrepresented themselves, or just flat out being questioned and/or proved wrong.

We've seen this superiority complex from the great Dos, and recently Jimmy Smythe. The latest drivel is coming from Chad Waterbury. In his latest article he says the following:

3) My Real Strength Guidelines Sometimes I feel like I've been misquoted more than a hooker with a speech impediment. At the top of the list of hyperbolic bullshit is what I've read and heard about my own purported strength requirements for a fighter. It's time to set this nonsense straight. (And since I prefer clean air, I'll do my best to refrain from burning any bridges.)
First off, it's been said that I require fighters to squat and deadlift 2.5 x their bodyweight. I didn't. I said squat or deadlift. If you're tall with long femurs, you're not built for squats. You'll probably break down your joints before achieving a 2.5 x body weight squat. That, of course, is counter-productive to building a strong, healthy body.

Second, a 2.5 x bodyweight squat or deadlift is not a requirement! It's simply a benchmark. What I'm saying is this: if you're built for the deadlift, it's a good idea to include maximal strength training with the deadlift until you can lift 2.5 x bodyweight.

Lets see if we can find the misquote from the article hes referring to:

Maximal Strength: For those who are new to training for MMA, or for those with low levels of maximal strength, I'll first build up the three powerlifts. The most important powerlift for a MMA fighter is the deadlift. The first priority will be to develop a 2.5x bodyweight deadlift.
So, if you weigh 180 lbs, you'll need to achieve a 450 lbs raw deadlift (no belt, suit, or straps). Eventually, the ultimate goal will be a 3.0x bodyweight deadlift. But this is by no means written in stone. Depending on the lifter's height and skeletal structure, a 2.5x bodyweight deadlift might be sufficient.


The second priority is a 2.5x bodyweight squat. Again, this must be a raw effort. For taller trainees (over 6'), a 2.5x bodyweight squat is ideal. For shorter lifters, or for those who have the skeletal structure conducive to squatting big numbers, I might kick the number up to 3.0x bodyweight (but this is rare). Keep in mind, I'm referring to a powerlifting squat where you're only required to drop your femur just below parallel to the floor.
The third priority is a 2.0x bodyweight bench press. This is the least important of all the powerlifts, but a bigger bench can help your fighting efforts. Nevertheless, whatever you can bench press must be perfectly matched by a seated row (even though a seated row is not a powerlift). I only allow my clients to increase their bench press if their rowing strength matches their current pressing strength. And if their bench press increases 20 lbs, so does their rowing strength.

Sorry but I see no 'or' there. Nor is there any misquoting given what hes written. What amuses, me about these gurus is how they attribute their missteps to the audience misinterpreting them or attack the audience as being negative or assume that they are so important that there are people 'out to get them' when the source of reaction is coming from the guru themselves.

One thing that these gurus need to learn is that if they are going to parade about being the next great thing in fitness, or the leading authority, or whatever is that they also have to live on the pedastool that they are creating to market themselves.