I often tell people that the effective use of Charles Poliquin’s BioSignature Modulation theories and protocols is one of the secrets of my success in achieving some of the incredible body transformations we achieve at Ultimate Performance. However, there is always a potential pitfall when making such sweeping comments and as Charles himself likes to say, the danger is in seeing the world through a straw.
BioSignature Modulation, the practice of interpreting a ratio of skinfold thicknesses in order to ascertain a hormonal profile, is easy to do one level in the hands of a skilled practicioner. I highlight these last few words simply because I am hearing more and more often from some of our newer personal training clients that not all of the relatively small number trained in BioSignature are particularly skilled, either at taking the data in the first place (Poliquin estimates that it takes several thousand attempts to become a consistently accurate assessor of skin folds) or at interpreting the data correctly and prescribing the correct protocols. Granted, some things are laid out quite easily, but the devil, as they say, is in the detail. The true beauty of BioSignature Modulation is that, like personal training in general, it is both a science and an art. To derive the maximum benefit from it you need to have both the basic knowledge – by studying and attending one of Charles’ utterly fascinating 5 day BioSignature seminars – and move yourself onto the more advanced level by continually staying up to date and refining each and every of the myriad of areas that BioSignature Modulation touches upon.
Charles has told me that he could easily put together five different week long seminars for BioSignature, each one dealing with the modulation and protocols of one specific hormone – ranging from testosterone, insulin, and estrogen, to growth hormone and thyroid. Other than to geeks like myself this wouldn’t sell, but I was fortunate enough for him to invite me to an upcoming advanced seminar in Scottsdale later this year (God bless…sunshine for once!) imaginatively entitled BioSignature 2 (it could also be called how to stay countless steps ahead of your competition and get results that makes others whisper “it must be drugs”..). Staying ahead of the curve in terms of academic / research knowledge should never be underestimated – I take note and often seek to emulate my staff such as Rich Phillipps, who is a font of knowledge on many of the matters around BioSignature and functional medicine in general. In keeping with the rest of the UP personal trainers thay have taken things to the next level (actually many levels upward) over the standard, admittedly shoddy, personal trainer and it’s easy to see why – they love their craft and always seem to have a head stuck in a book. Their interest in everything from endocrinology to digestive wellness bodes well for their continued success in the personal training industry.
On the flip side however, in order to get the most from BioSignature (and again from any personal trainer) with whom you deal, it is absolutely imperative that they have the “art” side of their craft covered. What I mean by this is that imperceptible “feel” for what they do. This is something that we see all the time in those people who have mastered a particular skill and it only comes from the relatively unusual combination of innate talent, hard graft, passion and experience. Take a moment to reread that last sentence – it’s hardly the most profound comment that I have ever written, but it’s certainly one of the most accurate. In fact those are the reasons why a man like Charles Poliquin has the reputation that he does – over 2 decades of excellence, long hours, and painstaking work both in and out of the gym have made him the most iconic strength coach in the world. This is an example, whatever our chosen goals, which we should all seek to emulate.
So I hope that this brief article has made it clear that BioSignature Modulation is a wonderfully powerful and precise tool (you can read more about the exact ins and outs of this by following the links to other BioSignature articles at the foot of this page) when in the right hands. And just take my careful warning and typically clichéd analogy that a Ferrari in the hands of Lewis Hamilton is an entirely different beast than a Ferrari in the hands of Mr Bean.
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