Why I Hate "Experts"

Do you ever get the urge to throw a brick at your TV screen? I must confess that it happens to me quite often these days. All these reality shows, talent contests and shows about celebrity chefs and so on have brought me pretty close many times. In fact, it's become so bad recently that my wife has started checking my bags for bricks before she lets me in the house after work.

There's one thing, however, which brings out this urge in me more than everything else put together, and it's when I hear the word "expert" being used on TV. Particularly in the area of health or fitness. Whenever some documentary or news report introduces someone as "Health expert, Dr. so-and-so," I just know that I'm about to see some pasty, dishevelled academic who looks like the last person on earth I'd want to model myself on.

Now, call me fussy, call me old-fashioned, but I can't see how anyone without an impressive body – or at the very least who doesn't look at all healthy – can dare offer advice to others. And yet for some reason these people are held up as experts, and society swallows all their so-called wisdom.

Mind you, it's not just in the health and fitness world where this happens. It always makes me laugh to see people flocking to "How to Make Money in Real Estate" and "Secrets of the Stock Market" seminars instead of asking the self-made millionaire who's actually done it for real. No-one has ever been able to explain to my satisfaction why the "gurus" doing the teaching aren't actually out there themselves getting rich in property and shares instead of teaching seminars. If you believe it's because they've already made all their money and now genuinely want to "give something back," please give me a call – I have a bridge I'd like to sell you.

But anyway, getting back to the topic at hand, my recommendation is always to judge someone based upon what results they have achieved themselves. Not opinions; not theories; not explanations – just results. It doesn't matter if it's a personal trainer, a sports scientist, a nutritionist – whatever. I don't care how many books the person's written or how many times they've appeared on Oprah – if they aren't in impressive shape themselves, you should be suspicious. Always look beyond the fluff, and ask yourself if this person's ever actually done what he or she is claiming to be teaching others to do.

Just recently, someone came up to me in the gym and asked me how I'd managed to lose so much fat and build so much muscle in such a short time. I told him a few of the things which I share with my clients and a sceptical look came over his face. "I can't train like that," he said to me. "It goes against everything my personal trainer told me." I had him point out the personal trainer and it was a pale, skinny, 18-year-old guy who'd recently got some "Diploma in Exercise and Nutrition." The guy looked like he'd been living in his mother's basement for a year with no food. But, hey, he had a diploma and was even wearing a t-shirt with the gym logo on it, so he must know better right? Anyone who wants this guy's advice over mine is welcome to it. Yes, there are some excellent instructors and personal trainers out there, but there are unfortunately a lot of "experts" too.

Something else that happens quite often is that someone will ask me for some advice on how I got into the shape I'm in, but then immediately interrupt my reply with, "But all the books say that you should..." I've learned long ago not to waste my time with the "all-the-books-say" crowd. As soon as I hear those words coming out of someone's mouth, that's pretty much the end of any discussion.

I do wish, however, that people took the trouble to check out what shape the authors of "all the books" are in; they might find it amusing. For example, there always seem to be several popular diet books on the market. What do their authors look like in real life though? Just type the person's name into Google and search under images. Do they look a lot younger than most people their age?

I don't mind if you don't start The Apollo Program. There are lots of good programs out there and plenty of excellent trainers you can hook up with. And there are some good books too. My way isn't the only way and that's perfectly okay. What isn't okay, however, is for you to waste your time, energy and money with someone who can't show you results.

Don't get me wrong – I certainly hope you do start The Apollo Program. I know that it can give you phenomenal results and that it can turn your whole life around. When that happens, I hope you'll tell your friends about it and let me know too. But whatever you do, please don't ever call me an expert!