Knowledge vs Experience

[backknee]

Just wondering what you guys thought -

What makes someone an "expert" in building muscle?
Someone who has read and comprehended all the various training methods and practices and understands the pros and cons of each (but has an average build) OR someone with average genetics who has built an impressive physique by just working hard in the gym with no apparent rhyme or reason to his methods? I know the 2 choices, in reality, are probably not mutaully exclusive, but I hope you know what I mean (lab coat vs musclehead). And which one do you find yourself seeking advice from?

Bob

 

[Tcup]

I think experience is best when looking at solely on training. However a scientific approach is advisable when building up your diet with supplements. And by combining these two aspects you get the best results.

However one has to get his own experience. At first you can imitate more experienced trainers, but in some point you have to realize what is best for. I think the best momements what bodybuilding has offered me are those moments of "enlightment". And this has happened just during thes last months after 5 years of imitate training

 

[Jester]

It really comes down to a bit of both doesn't it...?

From experience, I've found that if calories are equal, I lose more fat if I eliminate high GI carbs from my diet and replace them with low GI carbs...I don't know why this works, but I don't seem to lose fat if I'm taking in lots of sugars or refined carbs.

But surely someone will tell me that calories are the bottom line, and cite somes studies to back this up...right?

With the actual gym work I'm not so sure. I've never looked at what someone is doing in the gym and thought "Wow, he must have huge pecs because he has a thumbless grip for his bench"... (for example)...


Besides, knowledge and experience are intertwined by definition aren't they..? Maybe that's a lil too philosophical

 

[Fausto]

Backknee

It is a phylosophycal question.

Experience counts a lot as you will know what not to do and will also know which exercises work best for you, maybe for others, you'll also know about building routines, a little bit of nutrition.

I.o.w. you would be well versed in many caharcters of the body building game.

As for knowledge, that depends on what you read and whether it is valuable information or a lot of crapola, unfortunately with exception of HST and a few others there are very few serious enough writers on the subject of muscle building that are not just intrested in making money and feeding crap to the rest of the world.

I am sorry to be crude but I feel that way as I have read quite a bit before I found HST and it truns out that quite a bit of it is or was crapola, so much for discerning

Being an expert and not having a well built body or not enough by other people's standards is very dependant on the method of training vs. nutrition being used specially after a certain age (youngsters grow well with most training programs until they start getting serious).

Having a well built body means you have done what is necessary to accomplish this and may not necessarily mean you know much about muscle building but know some basics and those known are fortunatelly well applied.

Well my two cents anyway!

 

[imported_goal220]

It`s subjective of course but I believe the term expert should be used for those who can convey the general concepts correctly and guide the majority of people, in this case lifters, to progress, whether that be in size or strength or both. Bryan is probably the best example of this. The person doesn`t have to be huge but more likely than not they will have attained either the results they wanted or have a good degree of control over their own progress. The person will invariably be a good leader and/or teacher, whether they realize it or not.

 

[Fausto]

Well put goal

Quote[/b] ]The person doesn`t have to be huge but more likely than not they will have attained either the results they wanted or have a good degree of control over their own progress. The person will invariably be a good leader and/or teacher, whether they realize it or not.

That is exactly the way I see it!

 

[Chthonian]

If I had to choose an arm-chair guru or someone with practical knowledge, I'd take the person with the practical applications in the gym who has made strides forward without the use of any gear. You can't argue with results. Cite all the studies you want, but if something works, it works. Theory is just that. If you don't actually apply it and test it out, who gives a dang what studies say?

Of course, there are things that started out as theory, more or less, and have become more and more popular as time passed. Science can work great if you want to be a guinea pig - but you may be wasting your time. HST is a great example of this. The program works phenomenally well (especially following a strength program, due to the strength carryover into the higher rep ranges, allowing for greater hypertrophy) and is fairly new still. The science was there, and then once it was tested, it was golden.

 

[imported_gripstrength]

What makes a person an expert in any field is a deep, thorough knowledge built on a foundation of education and years of hands-on experience.

With bodybuilding, there are plenty of genetically gifted guys out there who would get great results regardless of their training knowledge (or lack thereof). Would the average trainee be well served taking their advice? In most cases, no. You don't want to ask a mass monster how he got big because what worked for him isn't likely to work for the rest of us.

Similarly, there are lots of less well developed guys who have a solid handle on training and diet principles, but whose bodies don't reflect it as much as they might like because of their DNA. They had to apply themselves to learn what works because they had to.

I would look at a guy like Stuart McRobert and say "expert." Self-described hardgainer who had to learn what works the hard way, over years of education and trial and error.

 

[Jester]

Have you ever met a big person - fat or muscly, male or female - who underate...?

 

[BIZ]

I think you have to have an understanding of the physiology of muscle, biomechanics of the body, knowledge of nutrition and supplements, be aware of fitness trends and their value, have practical experience (not just on yourself, but with others), and know your niche. If you are well versed in power lifting and someone comes to you with questions about marathon training, be able to admit you aren't qualified. In my opinion, if you want to be able to call yourself an "expert" in the realm of strength and conditioning, bodybuilding, powerlifting, etc..., you better know quite a bit about all the different areas because you will no doubt run into people from each discippline seeking your "expert" advice and you better be able to help them if you want to make a name for yourself. In essence, I have met many a "meathead" (I may be considered a meathead by some) who were huge but had no clue why, and didn't care to know. That's fine, but if you are an expert, knowing why is key.

 

[Arhnold]

I'd say knowledge - you can train for years without achieving anything - but with the proper knowledge, the results can be achieved fast.. Experience counts a lot too though, no doubt about that. Especially if you used to be very fit but had a break somehow, and then start over, your "muscle-memory" will help you adapt much faster than a complete newbie

 

[robefc]

I think the key is whether someone can advise others in such a way that leads them to building muscle.

I was originally going to say that an expert has to understand all the physiology behind muscle building etc but then I guess if someone advises a lot of people on techniques that they have learnt from trial and error and maybe don't fully understand why they work...but all the people they advise gain muscle thanks to these techniques then who cares about the understanding?!

I don't think someone having experience in bodybuilding and having an amazing body counts if they cannot advise others on how to get big with positive results (i.e. they may know how they got big but this may be due to genetics etc). It's similar to sports players and coaches - my favourite sport is football (soccer to those on the other side of the pond) and many of the top managers were not very good players and many of the best players do not make good managers or coaches.

On the other hand the person with the amazing body may not care if they are counted as an expert or if they can help other people!