Training for sports has never been so popular and for good reason. By increasing the strength, power, speed, and efficiency with which our body moves we can effectively make ourselves better athletes.
That’s the good.
The bad is that people see this as an opportunity to make money and shamelessly push agendas that are not in the best interest of the athlete, but rather in the best interest of their bottom line. The fundamentals of strength and conditioning are not overly complicated. There is no magic program, magic exercises, short cuts or secret science. It is consistent, hard work every time; that’s it. If someone is trying to sell you a particular type of training that excludes other training modalities it is for their best interest, not yours. I remember taking a kettlebell certification course years ago. The whole weekend centered on trying to convince you that the only thing you needed in your whole gym was kettlebells and to basically throw everything else out. Can you imagine having a training facility where you train high-level and developmental athletes from a variety of sports and only give them one single type of training tool?
I get it; everyone has their own agenda and everyone is trying to make a living in the business. But as an athlete, these influences can get you in a training trap. They stifle learning and progress. In any sport, the best performers are the best athletes. To be a great athlete you need multiple techniques, disciplines and training stimuli. Tracking too many numbers can be another trap. Sets, reps, weight, distance, time are all very effective ways to track progress. Anything outside of this can be overkill. Make sure the data you use makes sense to you and is useable by you.
Remember the science doesn’t dictate how we perform; our effort and how we perform is what creates the science. Too much information can be a distraction. Focus on basic numbers for your feedback and you will be successful. Get in a good gym with a positive culture and atmosphere. Use a variety of simple, effective training techniques to help become the best athlete you can be. Keep it simple. Keep it consistent. Avoid traps and keep moving forward.
Until next time,
Strength, Courage, Hustle, Commitment
