Tip: How to Read T Nation

We get questions like this a lot:

"I hate it when T Nation publishes an article about something, then a few weeks later publishes an article that says the opposite! You give me a headache. What gives?"

It's a fair question.

First, our sarcastic answer:

You mean to tell us that articles written by two different coaches sometimes offer two different opinions on the very same topic? We'll look into this right away, because everyone knows there's only one way to get strong and build muscle. Same with nutrition – there's only one way to eat!

We'll send out a note to our 350-plus contributors and tell them they're no longer allowed to disagree with one another or offer different perspectives. That really confuses some readers and may force those readers to think rationally, weigh the variables, try both ideas, and see what works best for their bodies and goals.

If a contributor insists on not providing the pre-approved One Correct Answer then we'll send him to the T Nation Camp for Re-Education where he'll be educated so hard he'll lose the ability to think for himself.

Okay, now our nice answer:

T Nation has always welcomed different opinions and points of view, and so do our coaches and experts. As that smart-ass guy above said, we've had hundreds of contributors since 1998. They may not all agree with one another, naturally.

Even we editors don't always agree with each other on every topic, and that's okay. For example, TC likes baseball. I do not like baseball and therefore TC is Hitler.

See, we're all reasonable here.

Seriously, this may blow your mind but sometimes the very same expert will (wait for it) change his mind based on new science or his or her new experiences. We respect that, and we'd actually question the expertise of any strength coach or diet professional who didn't at least modify and update his methods over time.

Our experts themselves welcome disagreement. Do you think that when the coach who wrote the "Squats Are the Best Exercise" article meets the guy who wrote the "Squats Are Overrated" article he'll punch him in the pancreas? Doesn't happen. Usually they buy each other beers, have a discussion, and both leave the table better coaches. And a little drunk.

Also, keep context in mind. The powerlifting coach is going to offer you different squatting advice than the bodybuilding guru. One is helping you hoist the most plates for one rep in a competition. The other is helping you build big quads. They really don't even disagree with one another.

Now, some reading comprehension skills may be required on your part there. Use context clues before having a poo-flinging tantrum on Facebook.

In short, the fields of diet and nutrition are always evolving and advancing, due in large part to sites like T Nation that welcome new ideas, invite challenges to old ideas, and even encourage well thought-out disagreement.

That's how we all get better, even if it gives you a headache.