Charles Poliquin: Worthless Columns?

[Thremp]

This seems to be trash.

http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1525300

No doubt he's a great. But how many bodybuilders or even recreational athletes know whether they are greater at the 100m or 800m or even the research that seems to suggest you can change fiber composition with time. Then he addresses 3-5 other inane question with inane or incomplete responses. (Yes, CP I actually believe for a second that you took a national caliber bodybuilder and had him gain 2.6 pounds per week for 4 months. And I believe you are natural.)

Is his signal to noise ratio that bad, the last couple columns he's written coupled with his 1-day arm cure routine (which is incessantly copied and ultra worthless except maybe... maybe for some people with weird levers and training) seem to be mostly trash.

[anklebreaker]

Eh, some lame stuff, but even if 25% of that page is true, I just learnt a LOT.

[jah7_fsu1]

Poliquin definitely has some interesting ideas. He has forgotten more about training than most strength coaches will ever know. I don't agree with a lot of things he does, and the scientific community hasn't researched a lot of the things he does, but I don't know a lot of people who would call him worthless. I learn something from everything he writes, even if it forces me to look at a bunch of journals for a long time to see if it has any basis.

[Packard]

I have always liked Poliquin's articles. I never understood the people who rip his one day arm and one day chest programs. I think those people never tried them. I remember putting a lasting 1/3 of an inch on my arms and some chest size by doing them.

[Thremp]

Here are my thoughts on each question.

Question 1: WTF? Who knows this? Why not just say both work, find out what works for your own body without giving a ridiculous recommendation on how to find this out.
Question 2: Solid.
Question 3: Question sucks. Response is ultra std. Mostly cause no one does pressing behind the neck.
Question 4: I'm not qualified to even try to figure out whats going on in this question about necks. Though the slow twitch part leaves me somewhat hesitant...
Question 5: Sweet way to pimp your own supplements.
Question 6: Stoopid question. Std answer.
Question 7: Lets all get back to planet Earth including Captain Crazy Charles.
Question 8: 50% std and the rest is just fluff.
Question 9: Outright lie in the way he phrases it. Like a guy who takes NO2 and says he gained 17 lbs in 8 weeks casually leaving out that he was taking deca at the same time.
Question 10: No clue about this thing either. The effects of salt elude me.

After the last one where he takes cheap shots at Paul Chek... C'mon. Lets see some sources too. You know how most people who make bold claims atleast look for something to validate them.

[jah7_fsu1]

Thremp: Keep in mind he doesn't write these questions...Also I think Chek has a feud or writers at T-nation have a feud with Chek. Personally I think Chek has some good stuff, but is mostly garbage (I.E. Functional training squats on ball garbage stuff).

1. I think more people know this than you give credit for. Do you naturally sprint better (are you faster than everyone else) or can you run hard for longer periods of time? I can't beat a lot of people in a sprint, but I can run hard longer than them. It's actually not a bad test to determine your fiber make-up.

3. I disagree with this somewhat. Bradford press is used more than you'd think...it's a more limited range of motion which is generally easier on the rotator cuff. I don't think it's a make or break exercise though.

4. No one agrees on how or how not to train your neck...

5. Where is the article at...T-nation is notorious for pimping their own products. Just trying to make a sale. You'll notice editors of T-nation sprinkle in their supps in other peoples articles on the site all the time. People miss out on a lot of good supps because of that forum.

6. Cables are fine.

7. Don't know much about toxicity, although methinks his plastic numbers are off.

8. I don't really agree with this, but I haven't trained the athletes he has. I'd have to research it some.

9. Well "shock" workouts work for muscles to an extent if you can avoid overtraining. Nothing new here.

10. Charles has some weird ideas....

[Thremp]

1) 800 is the shortest non-sprint. Seems kinda weird to compare the two. I really doubt anyone on this board barring a few few people know where to get solid numbers to establish your performance and to rank relative success at various distances of running, much less their best times for each distance.
3) Pressing behind the neck was the upright row of like 3-4 years ago. No real benefits and shoulder impingement issues. Much better exercise selection. Granted I do a Bradford press everytime I load/unload a bar for lunges etc.
5) That isn't a t-nation supp.
9) He's clearly lying, thats the point.

Chek is insane to a degree, but its like taking a shot a Berardi for his P+C P+F meal timing crap. Everyone knows its garbage, why address it?

[jah7_fsu1]

Pressing behind the neck has certain benefits, but for most people the risk is pretty high.

Doesn't matter, t-nation is a place you gotta get used to product shilling.

32 pounds in 4 months...maybe it was a typo. Doesn't matter the rest of the points in that question work.

CP has some weird ideas, but he is still one of the more respected guys out there.

[jah7_fsu1]

Why am I responding to a guy who thinks CP is worthless? Or who has a problem with what I reccommend, but can't say what it is. Sad that you put down doctors like Berardi or pioneers like CP. People like you are why I'm glad I switched my major.

[cbloom]

Ok, most of the stuff he writes I don't know the science to say whether it's true or not, but the bit about salt is 100% pure insane nonsense mystical magnets-on-your-wrist-make-you-happy babble, which makes me dismiss every thing else he says.

[jah7_fsu1]

CB: Charles could very well have science on some of his claims, he is just notorious for not using references of any sort in his articles. I wouldn't be quick to dismiss everything he says simply because you don't agree with everything. I can find tons of stuff people a lot smarter than me say about strength/nutrition that I disagree with....the key is just to pick out the best (and most useful) parts of everything.

The dude has trained medalists in many different sports and is definitely a person athletes go to when they want results.

He just has some....very unique thoughts. He always has...I'm not a huge fan of his discreetness , but I'd love to have his knowledge. It's unfortunate that he doesn't put more info on the internet, but that's why they pay him the big bucks.