Charles Poliquin was one of the most iconic strength and conditioning coaches of all time. He was the master behind every known Olympic athlete and coach. Unfortunately, he passed away on 27th September, 2018 because of a sudden heart attack. If you are into strength and conditioning or even weight training in general, here is a little about him that you must know.

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Charles Poliquin was born on March 5, 1961 in Ontario Canada. He earned a master's degree in Exercise Physiology. His training theories were introduced to the bodybuilding community in 1993 through his articles for Muscle Media magazine. He coined the phrase "the myth of discipline" to suggest that fitness results depend on how motivated a gym-goer is. As a columnist, he has written over 600 articles in numerous publications. Additionally, he is the author of eight books, many of which have been translated into 12 different languages.

His major contributions to the strength and conditioning community are-  

Books 

• The Poliquin Principles 

• Arm Size And Strength

• Ask Coach Poliquin (Volumes I and II), and others

Coaches and athletes who've trained under him: 

1. Ben Pakulski

He's a part of the MI40 muscle intelligence gym, he himself is a pro bodybuilder and IFBB PRO CARD holder

2. Milos Sarcev

IFBB pro champion, Contest Preparation and Physique Transformation Specialist

3. John Meadows

Mountain Dog Diet Founder/Creator

4. Paul Carter

Founder of Lift-Run-Bang, IFBB Pro trainer, strength coach

5. Keith Tkachuk

Three time member of the U.S. Olympic Ice Hockey Team, 2 time 50 goal scorer. Olympic Silver medalist.

6. Al MacInnis

Olympic Gold medalist 2002, winner of the Norris and Conn Smythe Trophies

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Here are his top 5 approaches to building strength:

Dumbbells Are A Better Choice

The more you stick to what we were designed for as animals – lifting rocks, carrying carcasses, and generally just fighting against gravity – then the better off you are. What that means is using free weights over machines. One problem with machines is the fixed pattern of movement. For that same reason, he thinks dumbbells are a better choice for most exercises than barbells, particularly if you're dealing with an athletic population. Using free weight will force the body to recruit more muscle fibers, assist more supporting muscles to perform the task and also train the CNS.

Want Great Abs? Then Do Your Squats!

Isolating abdominal muscles  as a strength workout has very little potential when compared to other muscle groups .Some of these guys can claim all these poundage used in ab training, but it's actually the PSOAs doing the work. If you truly isolate the abs, after six to eight weeks an athlete will plateau the rest of his life. The most coordinated athletes master the most difficult abdominal exercises in six to eight weeks. The only things that increase abdominal improvement for the longest period of time are squatting and dead lifting.

Wear Weightlifting Shoes

To lift maximal weights in the squat or any other exercise performed from a standing position, you need a have a solid base of support. Weightlifting shoes with their rigid design helps align the bones of the ankle and foot so that it's easier to keep the knees in proper alignment and thus apply force with the legs and stabilize the body.

Perform The Most Effective Exercises First

Perform the most-effective exercises early in the workout. Those that recruit the maximum amount of muscle fibers. A practical way to determine which exercises activate the most muscle fibers is by how much weight can be used in those exercises, obviously assuming proper form is respected. This means dips on V-bars will do far more for your triceps development that kick-backs or pull-downs.

Protein

Eat high-quality protein and fat at every meal. Favor foods that provide at least 10 grams of essential amino acids every time you eat.

Apart from the above achievements, he also brought up the German volume training method. He is the one who stressed upon the importance of rest recovery and sleep. He also owns an institute for certifying trainers in the world on his name. But as they say legends never die. What he left behind as contribution to the modern fitness industry will always be remembered.

Helius is one of Mumbai's most promising fitness professionals and part time kettle bell lecturer. His knowledge on nutrition and trainer soft skills management is well recognized. To know more about him CLICK HERE, and mail your queries about fitness to heliusd@hotmail.com.