Sometimes all it takes is one simple question and you've lost Dave on a rant about all of the stupid, illogical, and crazy things that happen in the fitness industry. At the very end of filming a recent session of Table Talk, this is exactly what happened when elitefts Editorial Intern Robert Cox brought up the topic of online coaches and the qualifications necessary to provide adequate coaching and training guidance:
"How about online coaches who have never competed and never trained anyone in person?"
Just like that, the Dave rant was started. Dave refers to these people as Method Muppets: they all have their own method, and they're all bullshit. These people have been in the gym for two years and now they have their own method? What's the method? Tying their shoes and walking through the gym? These are people with absolutely no experience, no personal accomplishments to speak of, and no knowledge, but they're coaching people? A lot of them are even working with powerlifters, but they've never done a meet or trained a person face-to-face. How are they going to help anyone get stronger via email when they can't get themselves or anyone else stronger in person?
Even worse, who are the people paying for this? Who's hiring this kind of coach? It's buyer stupidity, and forces Dave to ask an important question: should he be more pissed off at the "coaches" who don't know what they're doing yet think they do, or should he be more pissed off at the stupid people who are hiring them in the first place?
There are people out there who know what they're doing, and you should go find them. People might say there's "information overload" and that it's confusing to know who or what to listen to, but it really isn't that hard. It's not that difficult to tell who is a good online powerlifting coach and who isn't — just look at the size of their neck! Look at the person and you'll know. Google their name and you'll find out very quickly if the person sucks or not.
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You're able to identify shitty products all the time, so why is it so hard to do it when hiring a coach? If you're going to buy gas, you don't have a hard time knowing which gas station is shady and which isn't. You can tell where you should go and where you shouldn't. How is it possible that people can do a better job of knowing where to buy gas than picking a coach?
The only explanation is that these "coaches" don't actually have any clients, and it's all some big joke.
