Here is some food for thought to spur you thinking:It is relatively easy to get strongIt is very easy to make someone slowerI am interested in your comments, before I post mine. This is how I began my presentation to the Throws group at USA Track & Field Podium Education program
Really good post to consider….reminds me of your older post with the picture of the LSU (i believe? correct me if I’m wrong) shotputter squatting idk like 800lbs plus and how he was on the front page of their website and so on. The more and more I learn about athletic development the more I begin to realize that strength is merely a tool in the toolbox in the workshop that produces the individuals who wish to excel at a particular SPORT. I love weightlifting and crushing huge weights but reading your materials and others such as carl valle, frank dick etc has only increased my knowledge of athletic development and prompted to remind myself to not become emotionally attached to a particular tool. Keep up the great posts!
Will be interesting to see the throwing communities’ reaction to that. You’re definitely right, it is easy to make people slower!! This feels a little like “bear droppings” v2.0 !
I still veer toward the belief that the stronger you can get, without sacrificing elasticity, overtaxing your CNS to the extent that you can’t train for your event - technically or physically - the better.
The very important part of what you said Matt in my opinion is the elastic development aspect. If this can be trained to optimum then the max strength training will also be optimized and most efficiently used by speed/power athletes.
If not, then all that strength and time spent developing it, would be a waste.
It is easy to get someone stronger. While not as easy, it is possible to get someone faster. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always imply improved sports performance.
If one sprints adequate volumes each week, how much more “elastic” can training get than that?
I believe big squat numbers can be a problem when other qualities (like elasticity) aren’t developed. I believe this is a major problem in American football.
I believe big squat numbers can be a problem when other qualities (like elasticity) aren’t developed. I believe this is a major problem in American football.
Why is that a problem in American Football? Those guys are extremely fast, strong, and agile.
Nick is right - Just sprinting isn’t the only/best way to develop elasticity for sprinting and jumping performance. Plyos are great (especially various types of depth and CM jumps and bounds). Olympic lifts are great, as long as you are not doing a high catch. You can even do Powerlifting (Squat/Bench/DL) moves in a manner that promotes elastic strength.
I wasn’t speaking of the pros. Besides at very high level of sport many athletes excell in spite of questionable training. In football (at the college level) strength at all positions appears to be the greatest priority…..Just my observation.
Not to disagree with anthing said so far…but I often hear this “its easy to get strong” stuff, but the fact is I don’t run across very many strong athletes. There are plenty of strong guys out there, but I don’t buy into the “its as easy as falling out of a boat” school. I’ve seen more than my share of high school, college, and even professional athletes who have been lifting for years but aren’t that strong. Certainly, its easier to get someone strong that it is to make someone fast, but if your strength traiing is without attention to intensity and volume, your progress will be slower and limited.
Is that a joke? Most people, assuming they are putting forth adequate effort and in a non-inept training plan (doesn’t need to be anything special), are going to max out most of the strength gains possible outside of specialization and be strong for their sport (which isn’t powerlifting or weightlifting). Even then, specialization isn’t going to be increasing general strength levels, but more-so enhancing technique, rate coding, etc. Getting a bigger arch and a shorter and more efficient stroke on bench press isn’t exactly increasing your strength, just letting you express it differently.
It goes without saying, I think most of the people here are defining strong as strong enough to do what they need to do for their sport. You don’t need to be that strong in the weight room to be fast or jump high or be explosive on the field or court. Plenty of guys can’t squat 2x BW and are plenty strong for their sport and they have reached adequate strength levels. Mind you, these lifts are also being done often after their sport training and done submaximally, on top of not being done with the same technique as powerlifters, skewing the numbers to the lower side of what would be otherwise easy to achieve.
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