“Don’t be afraid of being different, be afraid of being the same as
everyone else.”
– Emily Prost, The #308 Rule of
Lady
Legend has it that in 333 B.C. Alexander the Great attempted the seemingly impossible – untying the Gordian Knot. His decision to attempt this challenge was one of ambition, for priests had prophesized that whoever bested the knot was destined to rule all of Asia. But unlike those before him, Alexander did not struggle to find the ends of the cornel bark. No, he unsheathed his sword and sliced the knot in a single stroke, thereby producing the required ends and giving rise to the so-called “Alexandrian Solution.” Unconventional thinking at its finest.
The impetus for writing this post came after watching a dryland training video posted on the USA Swimming website, entitled “Old School vs. New Rules” (available here: http://usaswimming.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?TabId=1890&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en). As the video buffered, I held hope swim coaches would unsheathe the sword of strength training, and slice the Gordian Knot of improving athletic performance. Alas this was not the case, as it seems some in the sport remain mired in the “Dark Ages” of athletic development.
Some may argue the exercises advocated for in this video are
a form of strength training – yes and no.
Bodyweight exercises, such as the push-ups, pull-ups, rows and
single-leg work, are good assistance exercises, but under no circumstances
should they comprise the bulk of an athlete’s strength training, provided he or
she is past the developmental phase and is injury-free. The kettlebell swing is a good “hinging”
movement indeed – one with value as both an assistance exercise and a
conditioning tool – but once again its place is secondary. Substituting these types of exercises for
barbell movements like the squat, press and power clean is a mistake. Why? Because
barbell lifts train the athlete as “one piece,” meaning they force him or her
to brace their midline and move their body through a full range of motion, much
like their chosen sport(s) require.
Looks like a squat rather a single-leg lunge-RDL to me.
Moreover,
the ability of a coach to subject their athlete to progressively heavier loads elevates
further the value of these movements. If
an athlete demonstrates an ability to move heavier loads through a full range
of motion, a coach can take solace in knowing their athlete is becoming
stronger, developing greater work capacity and improving their athletic
performance. The science linking these
attributes is settled, as the select quotes below illustrate:
“Muscular strength is perhaps the most important of all factors in
athletic performance.”
– Drs. Rasch and Burke, “Kinesiology and Applied Anatomy
“Strength undergirds all other factors when one considers the total
functioning of the body movements.
Without sufficient strength, factors such as endurance, flexibility, and
skill cannot be used effectively.”
– Professor Gene Logan of Southwestern Missouri State, “Adaptations of
Muscular Activity”
Given this body of evidence, why are some coaches still shunning barbell movements in favor of less productive bodyweight exercises? The answer is simple – fear and insufficient exposure. People fear what they do not understand. And too many coaches, particularly in the sport of swimming, do not come from a background where barbell movements are taught properly and practiced for years; hence, they do not understand their benefits firsthand. Additionally, it takes far less time (and expertise) to teach an athlete how to do TRX push-ups then to squat, press or power clean. Yet the latter three movements will likely yield far greater improvements in athletic performance than bodyweight exercises alone, assuming they are taught correctly.
Introducing barbell movements to athletes sooner rather than
later – around the age of twelve – is optimal because it allows months, or upwards
of a year, of training with a pvc pipe or empty barbell, preferably one
designed for a child’s hands. This
learning of the squat, press or power clean can be supplemented with bodyweight
exercises or gymnastics, but teaching the lifts at this early age will pay
dividends years later. Indeed, a
multi-year ramp-up period offers more time to teach the basics and load the
barbell with small increases, all while allowing the joints, ligaments and
tendons to adapt to the imposed demands (thus
reducing the chance of future injury).
As my grandfather would say, “You can’t rush the harvest.” Designing a multi-year program takes foresight
and advance planning, but that is a coach’s job – to determine what is best for
their athletes today, tomorrow, next year and five years down the road.
Towards the end of the video, the presenter makes the
following claim:
“Either
way I think what you are going to find is that if you start supplementing these
for things like bench presses, Olympic lifts, squats and what have you, that
you are going to get a nice bump in terms of performance and you are actually
going to like how your body feels in terms of making it stronger and reducing
injury potential.”
To say I disagree strongly with his conclusion is putting it
mildly.
