Mark – another awesome post man. I LOVE when you talk about research implications, as i’d like to think i am one who draws alot of his information from research. Not only that but i’ll be doing my thesis soon so this information really put me ahead of the game. Thirdly, its so easy to just read the abstract and conclusions so i think it’s great that big timers like you are here to keep us all in check! Keep up the good work man!

@ Ray – I’ll definitely write a blog post on this soon. Great topic!

@ Jeff – Amen. Methods and Stats. Without them conclusions mean nothing.

@ Robert – Glad I could be of help. Link away my friend!

@ Neal – Generally speaking if your study fails to show an effect it is sometimes harder to get it published. Despite the fact that you’ve learned something, scientific careers are often built on the number and quality of publications you’ve had. And Lora (who is actually a very bright PhD) makes a good point about not resting too much on the conclusions of acute trials.

Thank you for talking about this. I work in research and I have had to explain exactly what you said here countless times. Now I can just link to this page!

Thanks!

There is way too much continuing education from illegitimate or “un”credentialed sources these days…especially with the newer forms of social media.

I just wish more professionals would understand what it really takes to READ research. Its not about abstracts and conclusions folks.

READ THE METHODS!!!

Since you don’t pull any punches, I wanted to throw out an idea for a future post, since this seemed like one of the easiest places to reach you.

These days a lot of trainers attempt to put out products, and some (even some who are supposedly regarded as very reputable by various people in the industry)are known primarily as internet marketers, even if they have or still do work with folks in the real world at times.

On the one hand, it seems like a blatant money grab (see guys who seems to release a new fat-loss program every time you blink. But on the other hand, it’s hard to knock anybody for trying to get ahead financially, so long as they’re not entirely fleecing the unsuspecting masses.

I’m left feeling torn, because it doesn’t do much financial good to want to put out such a high-quality product that you either get held up entirely or take an exceedingly long time to complete a project, but on the other hand, I have to wonder when people, even when niche-specific marketing is touted as where it’s at, are always releasing products and programs that are all about the same basic thing (I mean if your last fat-loss product was such dynamite stuff to warrant big sales, why, other than to pad the bottom line, would another one be needed so soon after? Yes, we refine our methods over time, but that rarely warrants entirely different products, at least not in my book, and the major refining usually happens over years, not a few short months)

Of course to the guy who can rake in a big financial haul in a few shorts days with a big release, it seems elementary to want to do this, since no one is being overtly scammed. In fact, he’d probably call any trainer who has mixed feelings about this stuff a sucker.

So for this question I am basically asking your thoughts on the “gray” area where you have guys who aren’t inherently unethical and have some decent information to share but are often the beneficiary of having built a list (more power to them for making the effort on that front) that will buy almost anything they release, regardless of how truly innovative it is relative to any previous releases. There are probably quite a few well-known guys in this industry who have the knowledge and ability to release one excellent product, build a solid list, and then flip on cruise control while regularly churning out decent stuff in minimal time. While it would represent far less than their absolute best, their dedicated list would still willingly scoop up whatever they offered. And yet many of these guys who could do this don’t do so.

But I suppose the question becomes if you could sell it and add to your financial security, is it truly worthwhile to be hyperconcerned about “selling out?” At the end of the day, I suppose there’s nothing noble about passing up potential revenue streams simply out of a case of being a perfectionist. And while people often talk about being great at what you do first and having a passion for it, this doesn’t automatically equate to financial success, and exception don’t prove the rule. For every guy who is excellent at his craft, busts his hump, and does quite well, there are likely a handful of similar guys who can barely make ends meet.