Giving Unsolicited Advice

[dos]

Originally Posted by Hunter

Not sure what those last 4 posts mean. A little background please....

One of the other posters has this impulse to constantly chime in that somehow certifications etc. don't mean much. My post was in reaction to the statement that if someone were not able to bench press 400 lbs., we shouldn't listen to their training advice (regardless of his certifications....).

[BamaDave]

As someone who always works out alone in my basement (except for the cat and sometimes my younger daughter), I would love some unsolicited advice from expert(s). But none ever seem to show up.

[ninja]

I just tell them I'm big like can of pepsi, and they come begging for advice.

the size of my gunz help too.

[bullandbear]

Originally Posted by BamaDave

As someone who always works out alone in my basement (except for the cat and sometimes my younger daughter), I would love some unsolicited advice from expert(s). But none ever seem to show up.

Me too. I am still trying to locate an expert in fitness who is also a master lockpicker. Most other experts don't like to be breaking and entering someone elses' property to just provide advice.

[Hunter]

Originally Posted by dos

One of the other posters has this impulse to constantly chime in that somehow certifications etc. don't mean much. My post was in reaction to the statement that if someone were not able to bench press 400 lbs., we shouldn't listen to their training advice (regardless of his certifications....).

Youth is wasted on the young.

[Keith Scott]

Originally Posted by dos

One of the other posters has this impulse to constantly chime in that somehow certifications etc. don't mean much. My post was in reaction to the statement that if someone were not able to bench press 400 lbs., we shouldn't listen to their training advice (regardless of his certifications....).

You mean you can't learn everything you need to know about training from the internet alone??

[Matthew]

You guys missed the point, like usual. If the other guy is of average weight and lifting 400, chances are he's been in the game a while and knows his shit. If he's benching <200, you can bet on one of three things: 1)he hasn't been training very long and doesn't have much experience under the bar (I said training, not "working out"), 2)he has been training for a long time but doesn't have a)the drive or b)the knowledge base to increase his lifts, or 3)he suffered some kind of injury.

If his problem is #3, then it's your call to listen to him or not. Maybe he learned from his mistakes and can tell you something you never thought of, or maybe he didn't. If he didn't learn from his mistakes or if he has no idea what he did wrong I wouldn't want to take advice from him, because chances are I'd suffer the same fate. So that one can go either way.

Now let's look at #s 1 and 2. If this lifter hasn't been training very long I doubt he's learned more than you have. Dos, how long have you been doing what you're doing? Would you listen to me tell you how to do a proper clean? I doubt it.
If he has been training a long time then he can't be doing everything right or else he'd be lifting more. If he doesn't have the knowledge to progress his own lifts, what makes you think he can help you progress yours?

It's like having someone who can't add teach highschool math.

Think of it this way. You're training for some powerlifting comp and you need help so you hire a PT. This 5'10, 180lb guy tells you he lifts to "get stronger", but his max attempt squat is 1xbw. How stoked would you be to be working with this guy?


btw, I bench ~200. So I'm not just writing this to be an asshole.

[eastcoastsurfer]

Originally Posted by mAtThEw

You guys missed the point, like usual. If the other guy is of average weight and lifting 400, chances are he's been in the game a while and knows his shit. If he's benching <200, you can bet on one of three things: 1)he hasn't been training very long and doesn't have much experience under the bar (I said training, not "working out"), 2)he has been training for a long time but doesn't have a)the drive or b)the knowledge base to increase his lifts, or 3)he suffered some kind of injury.

If his problem is #3, then it's your call to listen to him or not. Maybe he learned from his mistakes and can tell you something you never thought of, or maybe he didn't. If he didn't learn from his mistakes or if he has no idea what he did wrong I wouldn't want to take advice from him, because chances are I'd suffer the same fate. So that one can go either way.

Now let's look at #s 1 and 2. If this lifter hasn't been training very long I doubt he's learned more than you have. Dos, how long have you been doing what you're doing? Would you listen to me tell you how to do a proper clean? I doubt it.
If he has been training a long time then he can't be doing everything right or else he'd be lifting more. If he doesn't have the knowledge to progress his own lifts, what makes you think he can help you progress yours?

It's like having someone who can't add teach highschool math.

Think of it this way. You're training for some powerlifting comp and you need help so you hire a PT. This 5'10, 180lb guy tells you he lifts to "get stronger", but his max attempt squat is 1xbw. How stoked would you be to be working with this guy?


btw, I bench ~200. So I'm not just writing this to be an asshole.

How much your coach benches doesn't matter other than a small external motivating factor. Look at some of the best coaches in any sport. Many of them played the sport when younger, but rarely were the best at the sport. Does this mean their current players shouldn't listen to them b/c they weren't as athletically gifted? Does coach K need to be able to dunk in order to coach his basketball players?

This whole thing about only listening to someone who has huge lifts is about the worst way you can judge potential advice. How about instead listen to what they have to say, their rationale behind it, and previous clients and then make a decision.

[Keith Scott]

Originally Posted by mAtThEw

You guys missed the point, like usual. If the other guy is of average weight and lifting 400, chances are he's been in the game a while and knows his shit. If he's benching <200, you can bet on one of three things: 1)he hasn't been training very long and doesn't have much experience under the bar (I said training, not "working out"), 2)he has been training for a long time but doesn't have a)the drive or b)the knowledge base to increase his lifts, or 3)he suffered some kind of injury.

If his problem is #3, then it's your call to listen to him or not. Maybe he learned from his mistakes and can tell you something you never thought of, or maybe he didn't. If he didn't learn from his mistakes or if he has no idea what he did wrong I wouldn't want to take advice from him, because chances are I'd suffer the same fate. So that one can go either way.

Now let's look at #s 1 and 2. If this lifter hasn't been training very long I doubt he's learned more than you have. Dos, how long have you been doing what you're doing? Would you listen to me tell you how to do a proper clean? I doubt it.
If he has been training a long time then he can't be doing everything right or else he'd be lifting more. If he doesn't have the knowledge to progress his own lifts, what makes you think he can help you progress yours?

It's like having someone who can't add teach highschool math.

Think of it this way. You're training for some powerlifting comp and you need help so you hire a PT. This 5'10, 180lb guy tells you he lifts to "get stronger", but his max attempt squat is 1xbw. How stoked would you be to be working with this guy?


btw, I bench ~200. So I'm not just writing this to be an asshole.

I know a lot of guys that can bench 400 that have no f-ing clue what they are doing. They read flex magazine, juice like crazy, and do what the magazine says to do. They get big and strong in spite of what they are doing. They bench the wrong way, just waiting for an injury to happen. Yet I see these same guys dispensing advice to anyone that will listen. Its scary really.

On the flip side, I know a lot of guys that dont bench anymore at all, so their bench would not be very high. Yet these guys know more about the game of getting bigger and stronger than anyone.

I get your point however. Its much easier to seek out info from someone that looks the part. You just have to be very careful who you are looking to.

I know of a lot of 20 some year old guys who think they are big and strong giving all kinds of advice, but have no experience other than what they have read. The truth is, they are not really big, rather they are fat...and their numbers dont show any real sign that they are strong.

So getting back to the question of the OP...You have to be careful who you get advice from and if you are giving it to people, whether they ask you or not, you need to make sure you actually really know what you are doing in the first place if you are going to give it out. I think there are way too many people out there that honestly think they understand what they are doing when they really have no clue.

[dos]

Dos, how long have you been doing what you're doing? Would you listen to me tell you how to do a proper clean? I doubt it.

I think my knowledge base was just compared to Frank's......

Better Question....would i Listen to Bob Takano (who is about 5'4 and 150lbs. and power cleans much less than me but is the former USA women's weightlifting asst. coach) teach me how to clean......uh, yeah.

[Cynic]

I couldn't give advice if I wanted to. I go horse midway through FL.

[Alcoholiday]

why does everything always have to turn into a shitstorm here?

comeon' guys, it's time to take out the rulers and measure our dicks!!

[dos]

Originally Posted by Alcoholiday

why does everything always have to turn into a shitstorm here?

comeon' guys, it's time to take out the rulers and measure our dicks!!

What are you talking about? What shitstorm? Someone makes a statement....I beg to differ with them.....someone else calls me out.....I reply....is that taboo around here now?

[Alcoholiday]

Originally Posted by dos

What are you talking about? What shitstorm? Someone makes a statement....I beg to differ with them.....someone else calls me out.....I reply....is that taboo around here now?

it seems like no matter what the topic, it comes down to you and frank arguing about credentials. Not picking sides, but it just gets tiring.

[Matthew]

Originally Posted by dos

I think my knowledge base was just compared to Frank's......

Better Question....would i Listen to Bob Takano (who is about 5'4 and 150lbs. and power cleans much less than me but is the former USA women's weightlifting asst. coach) teach me how to clean......uh, yeah.

I wasn't trying to compare your knowledge base to Frank's.

Bob Takano is a bit of an extreme example. I used myself because I'm what you'd expect to find in a commercial gym.


Alco - we're just having a conversation here :p

[Cynic]

Originally Posted by Big_D

I never give out unsolicited advice, usually their body will tell them they're doing it wrong soon enough. Now if someone asks me, that's another story. I had some guy come up to me the other day.

"Dude I've been benching with 35's for 4 weeks doing 2 sets of 10 why am I not getting stronger"

Well have you tried increasing the weight?
Increasing the sets?
Increasing the reps?
Doing more than 2 sets of 10?

This is exactly why I like NROL. It lays down rules to use to push yourself harder. New Rule #5 (I think it's #5): you should set a new PR with every workout.

Paraphrased, don't allow yourself to stagnate. If you aren't pushing yourself, how do you expect to get there?

[dos]

hmmmm, so lets see....any thread that Frank is in first is off limits to me then right. Also, any thread that I'm in first is off limits to him?

Bottom line, someone made a statement implying that credentials and experience are second to how jacked you are....I disagreed wholeheartedly and gave examples of some of the best conditioning specialists on the planet. I would have replied with the same post to you if you had said it. I can't help it if its the same guy who keeps implying that credentials and experience are worthless nor will I stop giving my viewpoint when this happens. If this is how things work around here (and you may be a mod for all I know), then I will gladly bail without looking back. With the exception of a couple of guys, i have had zero problems on this site (and I have a mailbox with about a thousand email follow-u