Originally Posted by
Mac Ward
Have you fully read Rip's books? Have you been to his seminar? This post and others lead me to believe you have not. Diminishing Rip's ideas, thoughts, years of study as "preconceived narrative" is myopic and well, ignorant. Ignorant of Rip's understanding, history, ideas, and ways.
You have stated a number of things that are true, however you seem to imply that Rip is oblivious to these ideas, doesn't understand them, or possibly too pig headed to grasp. More importantly, you seem to ignore what Rip's training is all about.
If you have spent any time on the site, read his material, studied his ideas, attended a seminar, then you might understand that Rip does in fact fully understand every single word of this study, your statements, and all the other studies that are introduced to this forum. But more importantly, if you have done these things, you will understand WHY Rip dismisses these studies, and WHY Rip's methods are distinctly better for efficiently building general strength. Should you have done your homework by doing these things, you will then better be able to argue a counter point, or perhaps have a discussion. I know this because I have done these things, and when I ask a question, Rip usually responds with another question. This drives the conversation until I finally make up my own mind and draw my own conclusion. Sometimes he just tells me, and I'm left to consider his information.
But here is the thing I find most interesting. To my knowledge, Rip does not run around the internet posting his reasoning as to why someone else's thoughts or papers or studies are wrong on their sites. Rip runs his board, promotes his ideas, and helps those that want help and are willing to do their homework, and put forth a modicum of effort. But for some reason, folks roll in here from time to time and reference some study as if it were the golden chalice of strength and conditioning, or body building, or sports preparation, or whatever, and then want to convince Rip and those that understand his ways WHY this NEW study with a very old idea is better than something else or SS methods. Or even better, they want Rip to ONCE AGAIN state what has ALREADY BEEN STATED because some new study on the same old thing came out in some exercise science thesis by some college kid somewhere in the world. But, these folks generally haven't spent their time giving the owner of this site the courtesy of reading even 10% of the work already published by Rip.
I know nothing of you, your background, or your understanding of any of this. I do find it somewhat hysterical that you are on a forum that is provided for free, attacking the thoughts and processes of a man that has published numerous books, papers, articles, and the like while accusing him of having not read a particular study - when it is apparent you have not read all that he has published. I do know that Rip has studied many of these other methods (he was one of the first people to hold the coveted CSCS certification from the NSCA - that he later relinquished of his own accord). Rip does in fact offer free advice daily, and is willing to discuss a point, his reasoning, or his ideas.
Roughly every month, Rip holds a seminar. For three days attendees are taught, in detail, Rip's ideas and methods. Rip demands that attendees ask questions, participate in discussions, and in fact concludes with a Q&A where he goes around the room and asks every single attendee to ask two questions. He invites outside ideas, and asks for the science to support the ideas. He refutes ideas he disagrees with using science and experience (mostly science). However, he listens, and often asks, "Is there a better way?" His ideas are typically backed up with anatomy, physical examples, and basic mathematics and physics concepts. I see none of this in your counter point or this article.
Rip is no saint, but he is displaying the patience of one by allowing your posts...or perhaps the joke is on me, and you - like many others - amuse him and thus he allows these posts to watch the rest of us respond.
Probably the latter...good one, Rip. (I smile as I type this last sentence.)