Fitness training for Athletes & the rest of us...
I would like to give you some food for thought as you embark on a new fitness program or look at the one you have.
Since the rage in fitness these days is some variation of cross-fitness training, we should probably look there to see if it's appropriate for you.
By cross-training, I mean the exercise philosophy that gives one a myriad of different activities to perform in either a given workout session or over the course of days, weeks or months. This would include lifting weights, cardio and stretching executed in a number of ways.
While this type of training may sound good in theory, it might be a good idea to dig a bit deeper knowing what you know about your personal situation including history of injury.
You might want to know if these different training programs actually improve performance, whether you are just looking to function better in your daily activities or are training to be a world-class athlete.
Remember, any new activity has a learning curve where you must coordinate oneself to actually do it. Once we learn something new, will it really improve our level of fitness and functionality?
A few years back, I was introduced to Jay Schroeder, who trains elite-level athletes. His philosophy was much different than anything I had come across in my first 25 years in the fitness field. Jay believed that position is of critical importance in training followed by velocity.
He challenged me to test his theory.
My youngest son was just finishing 10th grade and was always getting injured in sports. He became the subject of this new training experiment. Wrestling and baseball were his sports and although he had skills, he was really lacking in speed and strength.
In June, he was tested in the mile run. In September, after working with Schroder's system, he was re-tested. His mile time improved by a full 40 seconds and yet he had not run at all the entire summer - not even to the mailbox! He went from last to second overall in team sprints, and he recovered faster than anyone. His workouts were four exercises performed 4 days a week for 5 minutes per movement, never lifting a weight, doing any cardio and never stretching.
My son learned how to activate the right muscles at the right time and by doing so he turned off all opposing muscles. The same way you get faster and stronger is the same way you overcome and recover from injury.
Later on, he trained in Jay's gym in Arizona. The heaviest weight he trained with over 2 months was 8 pounds, and he never ran or stretched - yet he came back in the best shape ever in his 21 years on the planet. He was jacked!
Since his college coach insisted on heavy lifting, my son asked the guys out west how to improve his bench press. His best-ever lift had been three reps at 185 pounds. After a brief instruction on which muscles to activate, he executed 11 perfect form reps at 185 pounds. Then they immediately put 225 pounds on the bar and he did three more - never having lifted over 185 pounds in his life!
We are all incredibly strong as humans. If we can only learn to utilize the correct muscles at the proper time and always look to improve our position, we can live lives with less pain and more function than we might dare to believe.
In June, he was tested in the mile run. In September, after working with Schroder's system, he was re-tested. His mile time improved by a full 40 seconds and yet he had not run at all the entire summer - not even to the mailbox! He went from last to second overall in team sprints, and he recovered faster than anyone. His workouts were four exercises performed 4 days a week for 5 minutes per movement, never lifting a weight, doing any cardio and never stretching.
My son learned how to activate the right muscles at the right time and by doing so he turned off all opposing muscles. The same way you get faster and stronger is the same way you overcome and recover from injury.
Later on, he trained in Jay's gym in Arizona. The heaviest weight he trained with over 2 months was 8 pounds, and he never ran or stretched - yet he came back in the best shape ever in his 21 years on the planet. He was jacked!
Since his college coach insisted on heavy lifting, my son asked the guys out west how to improve his bench press. His best-ever lift had been three reps at 185 pounds. After a brief instruction on which muscles to activate, he executed 11 perfect form reps at 185 pounds. Then they immediately put 225 pounds on the bar and he did three more - never having lifted over 185 pounds in his life!
We are all incredibly strong as humans. If we can only learn to utilize the correct muscles at the proper time and always look to improve our position, we can live lives with less pain and more function than we might dare to believe.
