HAVE YOU EVER BEEN EXPERIENCED?

I hope you appreciate the Jimi Hendrix reference, because this is going to be pretty caustic otherwise.  I am getting sick of seeing the same thing across forums, facebook groups, and, of course, in person: people giving advice on subjects that have ZERO experience in.  In the world of lifting and fitness, this is just getting absurd, because it stands blatantly obvious when someone is talking out of their ass due to the fact that they look and perform like crap.  Yet someone, these people have the audacity and outright lack of shame to offer their 2 cents to any poor misguided stranger that is willing to sacrifice their time (and their progress) by listening to them.

We need to establish something here and now: until you have actually experienced success with a method, you do not know if it works.  You might have an inkling, an idea, a thought, an opinion, a verifiable source, etc etc, but without the actual process of making it work firsthand, there is no “knowing” on the matter. All we are doing is speculating, and it is destructive.  We are diluting the pool of those who know with noise from those who don’t, and it is because of this that it’s impossible to get decent information on training in any medium.  Everyone feels that they are equally entitled to an opinion on the matter, and it’s up to the person seeking information to sort out the worthless from the worthwhile.

"So...I've never actually PERFORMED surgery before, but I watch a LOT of House...I think I got this."

What is the purpose of those who “contribute” without experience?  Do these people honestly hope to make people better with their random guesses and theories on training that they gleamed from years of reading and not lifting?  Or, more likely, is it that these people offer advice due to satisfying their own personal desire of being seen as an “authority” on a topic?  In the power/relationship dynamic, they are able to assert their superiority over those who need advice by offering it, even if they honestly have no actual experience or knowledge on the issue.

These people are always quick to jump to the same defense: “The best coaches aren’t the best athletes”.  Factually correct, HOWEVER, the best coaches have a track record of creating the best athletes. Your fat co-worker who tells you that diet coke makes you fat does NOT have this claim to fame, nor does the skinny kid talking about how to “train for hypertrophy” on the internet, nor does the guy who squats 225 talking about running smolov to really bring up the squat.  Parroting great coaches does not in turn give you their knowledge, credentials or reputation, ESPECIALLY when we consider that all we receive from these coaches is a soundbite in time, and that good coaches are constantly in flux with their methods.  Louie Simmons, love him or hate him, is constantly changing the Westside Method, and generally, by the time we get to read an interview from him it’s old news and he’s on to a new idea.  All we manage to do by regurgitating what smarter men think is to be behind the times.

By the time Moses came down with the 10 Commandments, God already came up with the 613 laws in Leviticus

I always ask the same question of these people when they offer advice “how do you know it works?”  The sheepishness of their responses are palpable, with anything from an apology as they realize the gig is up to anger at anyone having the audacity to require evidence for wild claims.  That said, no one should go unchallenged when it comes to this nonsense, and the more obvious their lack of experience, the more harsh the questioning should be.  Dave Tate had a hilarious interaction at a gas station when someone offered to sell him steroids, and when Dave asked if the seller used steroids and received a positive response, he told the guy to get a refund because they clearly aren’t working.  Look at the person offering you advice and weigh the value of it based on how effective it has been for them.