My guess is that Vilters is referring to working from a low-poly raw mesh to make large scale overall changes, which is common modeling practice even if one intends to thereafter subdivide the modified mesh to smooth it out for the final model.

Second law of thermodynamics being what it is, it is easy to subdivide an efficient low-poly mesh into a higher-poly mesh, but terribly difficult (given only the higher-poly mesh) to extrapolate the efficient low-poly source mesh.

     So, I would guess that you simply have a different preferred work flow from that preferred by Vilters.  Doesn't make either of you "wrong".

Poser 12, in feet.  

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