I truly did not feel that way. Does Matt have great genetics? 400 bench in high school says undeniably yes. But I think he's very smart. Well educated on strength and conditioning, successful track record, and successful clients. When he puts something out, I give it a crack. For the most part his suggestions stay in my program. He also has a decent track record of lifters he has coached doing well in powerlifting, not to mention his contracts with tactical populations.
I'll watch the video again with more mind to your perspective. I really think many of the big lifters are locked into their way, and I think a lot of the guys coming up in the sport are locked into the ways of their favorite resource. Now, being locked in will get better results than jumping around, but we can learn from anyone, We just have to keep an open mind and discard what doesn't jive with our philosophy. Swede mentioned it in his book and at the seminar, chew on the meat and spit out the bone.
Its no secret I'm a Wenning fanboy, but I'll try to see it on my second go round from your perspective.
Edit: I 100% agree with your point that over time, the finer points of training can be worked around and don't matter that much. Training hard and staying healthy over that period of time it takes to become great is the finest point of all.
He actually stresses that a lot in the DVD, the person who can train the hardest for a decade without getting injured is the strongest.
And he believes a conjugate system is the best way to make progress while addressing the Law of Adaptation and the Law of Specificity.
It is funny though, how different people can see the same thing but view it different ways.
I didn't believe for a second that Matt was an idiot (or something like that), while watching the video. In fact, that video is what made me decide to purchase the DVD.
It did however, seem like CWS didn't really believe or agree with anything coming out of Matt's mouth. Which is expected, really, because he is a notorious Westside hater. It's hard to imagine anyone who believes in the conjugate system being able to change the mind of someone who already does not (and vice versa).
No problem with that, really, because there are a whole lot of really strong people out there who use conjugate, and a whole lot who don't. The important part is clearly just hard work over a long period of time, everything else is just about finding something you believe will work and putting 100% effort into it.
I don't care for CWS' training methods, personally. I've used Juggernaut before (and paid for both books lol), and I got heavier (mostly fat), weaker, slower, and ultimately injured while running my first and only cycle of vitamin T.
Went back to conjugate training again, after the rehab process, and started setting PRs and getting stronger at a lighter weight.
But that's just my experience with it. (And before someone asks, I ran the program for Strongman as written, with 5/3/1 as assistance, all straight from the book)
