This afternoon I received the news that one of the most renowned figures in the field of strength and conditioning, Charles Poliquin, had passed away unexpectedly.
If you have read up on any material related to the process of getting bigger, stronger, or faster, then odds are you’ve probably come across something written by Poliquin or at least something with his influential fingerprints all over it. For me, I will always hold his articles in high regard as they were some of the first content on training that I ever started reading.
Although I’ve never agreed entirely with absolutely everything the Poliquin ever put out there (mostly just the holistic stuff and some nutrition), I certainly agree with the overwhelming majority of his ideas, and I would be lying if I claimed that his ideas haven’t had a large influence on my training philosophy. Besides, the results the guy’s gotten with his trainees, athletes, and olympians speak for themselves. The amount of success he’s had as a coach is arguably unparalleled.
Aside from the massive legacy that Poliquin leaves behind from a knowledge and experience standpoint, I think it’s also imperative to learn something from the attitude he displayed toward others in the field and the unconditional generosity he had in terms of passing on everything he learned so that the field could continue to advance.
If you are unfamiliar with Poliquin’s work, I encourage you to do some research. You can find many of his articles, books, videos, and podcasts online.
As the industry continues to reel from his sudden departure, I know that Charles Poliquin will continue to live on through his expansive body of work. He has given us more than we could repay him for, and may very well be a reason why many of us became interested in training in the first place, and for that we will be forever thankful.
Strength Scrolls 