EUGENIZATION.

The vast availablity of information on the Internet is a double-edged sword; while it is true that you’ve never before had so much information so readily available at your fingertips, you’re often missing the vital links that make that information usable, understandable, or even appropriate.

In no other subject is this is this more true than exercise training. There’s no shortage of self-styled training-gurus on the Net (present company included, *ahem) ready to dispense with their two cents on how, gosh darn it, everyone and their mothers should work out and eat. There are countless routines, exercises, and programs out there for fat burning, hypertrophy, endurance, etc.

What makes it perilous for the layperson is that you often don’t have the benefit of the guru’s years of experience and education to sort the wheat from the chaff. In other words, you get a gem of information, but without context.

A jewel without a ring.

One good example is the writings of Eric Cressey. Reading his articles, if you didn’t know any better, you might think that your inability to lift 350 lbs for multiple reps was a sign that your body is of a brittle nature, your willpower and work ethic are insufficient, and that you’re on the verge of falling apart. In fact, you might as well just give up on living right now, before you die of sarcopenia.

What you may not realize is that Mr. Cressey is a competitive powerlifter, and dispenses his particular brand of knowledge as such. His advice assumes that you’ve spent 10 years mastering the bench press, squat, and deadlift, and that you’re familiar with their particulars, that you eat 3-4000 calories a day, and that you have joints that can withstand the tons of pounds of work you must sustain during each workout.

That’s an awful lot to assume from an anonymous reader .

It’s not to say that his advice is wrong; it isn’t. In fact, it’s golden, if you’re like my pal Dr. Warden (who just celebrated the birth of his baby girl - congratulations) and you’re stuck at 275 lbs in the Sumo Deadlift and you need to add that little edge to your training regime (and you’ve had a decade or so practice on the three powerlifts).

It helps that Dr. Warden can squat more than 2x bodyweight as well.

The point here is that you can’t take information you get on the Internet at face value. Everything needs proper context. Are you a beginner? Never step foot in a gym before? A 58 year old osteoporotic marketing consultant? Then you’re better off not following Charles Staley’s 12 week EDT program, since it was designed for the likes of this guy:
Much of what is written on the web about exercise is geared towards two specific populations - These guys:
for whom drugs is the common denominator, and these guys:
for whom hundreths of a second and a 2578 calories per day (with 104 grams of carbs) approach vs. 2317 calories (with 96 grams of carbs) approach makes the difference between gold and the relative obscurity of second place (drugs ostensibly play a role in these athletes’ training as well - unfortunately).

When examining information on the web, think of context. Ask yourself:

1) Who is this info directed towards?
Athletes? Olympic lifters? Post-op heart attack survivors?

2) What is the author’s area of specialty?
If he’s into Israeli Special Forces training, chances are, his program probably won’t be the most appropriate one for your grandmother. I could be wrong, though.

3) Is the intent of this program/exercise/philosophy in line with my goals?
For example, if you’re looking to lose 40 lbs for your high school reunion, is Mike Mentzer’s Muscles in Minutes program going to help you towards that goal, or is there another program solely dedicated to fat loss?

4) Do I need a PhD in human movement and biomechanics to understand this information?
Chances are, if you find an article like this one, it’s not written with the layperson in mind (but do me a favor and forward it to me - I can’t get enough of this stuff).

5) Can I apply this info in my workouts (or implement this workout) immediately?
If the program doesn’t require you to take 16 hours a day off your feet for “rest and recovery”, if you don’t need to have a “minimum strength of 2.5 times bodyweight”, or if you don’t require “6 weeks of intensive GPP base prior to participation”, you may have found yourself a winner.