Do you ever wonder why we keep teaching and following certain things, never questioning them? This tyranny of dead ideas stifles innovation and holds us back in training and performance. It seems generation after generation fall prey to this and keep repeating the mistakes of the previous generation. Imitation is not innovation. We have to be willing to let go off of cherished beliefs that do not work and in many cases are counter productive. Here are a few dead ideas that I see day to day in my work:
- Necessity of an aerobic base for anaerobic, start stop intermittent sprint and transition game sports
- Icing a healthy limb after exercise
- The traditional model of Periodization- volume to intensity, with a long period of general preparation to build a base
- In the 400 meter relay the use of the down sweep pass
- Using heart rate zones to dictate training intensity
- Lactate as the cause for fatigue and soreness
- Jogging to warm-up
- Static stretching to warm-up
- Training to failure
There are many more. I would love to hear from you on the dead ideas you encounter in your work.