Some articles are just dumb

Recently my new best friend Dan Green (ok so I only met him at Nats ) wrote an article which some suggested disrespected the Westside Method. Now when I say 'some suggested' I am talking about those halfwits that would have difficulty finding their ass if there legs weren't attached to it.

The subtext of Dan's article was that blindly following the Westside principles may not be the best for all lifters, particularly if you are raw. He then went on to challenge some of the common precepts championed by Louie Simmons. Personally I loved the article as I always respect people who follow logic and analysis rather than subscribing to the herd mentality.

Now what annoys me is that some whinny little bitch will then see fit to post a 'rebuttal' article because the system they worship was questioned. Now I won't go into detail (Atlargenutrition) but the rebuttal was dumb and had some glaring inconsistent logic particularly around the box squat.

The writer took umbrage that Dan Green suggested the box squat isn't a great carry over for a raw squatter.  The blogger suggested the box squat is perfect as it teaches one to sit back more and not have knees come excessively forward. Well that's fine and dandy my friend but as always it comes down to your flexibility and individual anthropometry. For example I have tight adductors, a few odd hip imbalances, a set of relatively long  femurs and for good measure tight calves. Now that is not unusual for a 43 year old guy who had the bright idea to take up powerlifting after years of average training. Perhaps your list of issues is worse than mine. Clearly as a beginner my squat is a work in progress but what has worked for me and seen my basic lift progress has been to reduce the width of my stance a littlle and sit through my hips more: gives me a nice stretch reflex and has resulted in much better numbers and stability.

Now if I were to follow the box squat mantra I would be sitting back more (not suited to my anthropometry) and relaxing the hips on the box (counter intuitive to the tightness I am trying to learn in the hole). Now while I would get some posterior chain strength etc the trade off would be that I would groove a movement pattern that isn't right for my individual needs.

Bottom line every system/template has efficacy but it depends on your individual needs and structure. Dan Green's article should be lauded for questioning the Louie Simmons status quo. Ultimately it's upto each of us to evaluate the information and see what works for us.

Honestly how strong would some people be if they just shut the fuck up and trained!

Stay Strong
Thomo