The dreaded echo chamber. Sounds like the title of a Harry Potter movie, right? Harry Potter and the Dreaded Echo Chamber. But echo chambers aren’t fictional; you may be trapped in one right now. I’m reminded of a previous workplace (a place I will not name, thank you very much), the owner of which didn’t tolerate dissenting opinions among his ranks. This person surrounded himself only with employees who were likely to share his opinions (due either to their inclinations or the fear of being fired). It’s not uncommon for people who travel the same circles, social or otherwise, to exhibit a pattern of “groupthink,” but in this case, the situation was severe.
And that’s what I want to discuss. Any place, physical or virtual (think online communities), where people congregate can become an echo chamber by virtue of the human tendency towards groupthink. For instance, if you and your cycling buddies get together and talk shop on a regular basis, and you keep hearing them rave about how this brand of bike or biking gear is the “best thing since sliced bread,” then you might actually start believing that, too. Or, say a few times a week, you get together with your workout buddies, several of whom are following the same diet, and they’re always talking about what great results they’ve been getting from it, you might start thinking, “Hey, this diet might not be such a bad idea after all…” If you belong to a group like that, chances are you read the same magazines, take the same or similar dietary supplements, and visit the same internet discussion forums as one another. Those aren’t necessarily terrible things in and of themselves, but you could be missing out on important input simply because you’re not making an effort to step outside of your comfort zone, whether it be intellectual, physical, or both. At the same time, don’t “throw the baby out with the bath water” either because of something you read on a forum or heard while visiting the gym (for example, you choose to stop lifting and take up nothing but jogging and yoga, just because you read somewhere that everyone who lifts gets some kind of serious injury, eventually).
In the digital world of strength and conditioning, discussions and preoccupations are typically cyclic. Depending on when and where you happen in on the discussion, your current obsession as a newbie could be with the Westside Barbell approach, or any of the various 5 X 5 methods, the Starting Strength program/some form of linear progression, the CrossFit methodology, or H.I.T. training, etc. I don’t really have a problem with any of those approaches, as I’ve used some of them or have trained alongside folks who have, and they all work extremely well in the hands of the right coach and when used in the appropriate measure. I think the important thing to remember is that there is no end-all, be-all program or method and nothing works forever. Anyone who says otherwise is probably trying to sell you something. In fact, as a rule of thumb, I try to avoid the advice of people who use superlatives a lot when discussing strength and conditioning, or who get all of their information from one source. You might hear, “CrossFit is the greatest strength and conditioning program in the WORLD!” An exercise “guru” might say, “You should NEVER do round-back lifting, EVER!” Or a guy at your gym might proclaim, “The Starting Strength forums are the last forums that you’ll ever need to visit.” Anyone who is this preoccupied with one methodology or who is so thoroughly and blindly immersed in one training culture has ceased to grow mentally and, most probably, physically as well. Don’t listen to such people. Don’t surround yourself with such people.
The following is a quote from Glenn Pendlay. It contains good advice for anyone wanting to learn more about training, whether your concern is to train yourself or others. Following this advice will take you far away from your strength and conditioning echo chamber:
“ If you really want to know how to get people stronger, train yourself like a madman, learn all you can from that, seek out people who know more than you do and learn from them. Learn all you can about track and field training and Olympic lifting and powerlifting. Learn from the people in those sports that are actually producing athletes, and not the ones who are simply famous. Compete in those sports yourself even if you suck. Bookmark Medline and read all the research you can. Develop an affinity for the local university library where you can photocopy the full articles you saw on Medline. Call foreign coaches and talk to them. Read all the books available on training. Never assume that any one person has all the answers or get so carried away on one thing that you never learn or adapt your ideas again. Train or assist in the training of any athlete you can lay hands on, and then repeat each of the above steps consistently for somewhere between 10 and 20 years and you’ll probably be there. I’m currently involved in this very program that I am recommending, I figure I have about 5 more years to go and ill actually know something useful.”
-Stacey
