Am I Wasting My Time?
Social media has made it commonplace for some strength and conditioning coaches to post and "invent" new ways of training for specific sports with various unconventional movements.
And you might be thinking to yourself that it makes sense, or most likely, who cares…
Well, I do. So I'm going to talk about it.
A couple nuances first. Yes, programming shifts by sport and season; some lean heavier into strength, others into conditioning. But honestly, everyone's basically working the same important movement patterns: squat, hinge, rotation, and power output. No single exercise is essential, but those patterns are. Which is why so much of what gets passed off as "sport-specific" training seems to miss the point.
Take the Bosu ball example…
Now, you've probably seen it, might even do it, or have been given advice to do it… that's standing on an unstable surface like a Bosu ball, and while trying not to fall, performing some sort of "strength" exercise like bicep curls.
On the outside looking in, it makes sense. You're training your stabilizing muscles while also getting some work in on those arms. Win-win! Right?
That's a no.
When you're on an unstable surface, it is almost impossible to overload anything, especially through a movement. Essentially, you're not able to go heavy enough with those bicep curls to elicit any meaningful adaptations. Standing on a Bosu ball could be low-level rehab, but it's not giving you any real-world or sport adaptations; at least nothing that would benefit you more than doing, say, a loaded unilateral exercise like single-leg RDLs.
The point I'm trying to make is that doing weird, mixed, and outlandish stuff looks cool for the 'gram, and might even seem like it makes sense at first glance.
But how much is the athlete really getting out of it? Is it worth wasting time that you could be running through a power complex, movement prep, or doing some plyo work?
Probably not.
And that's okay. Because the specific training is done while they're practicing their sport… with their sport-specific coaches, not their strength coaches. I feel some of us in this field at times forget that part.
“That which is used develops, and that which is not used wastes away.”
Little Known RMD Strategy Allowed by the IRS
For investors with $1M+ in retirement accounts, the tax code allows specific strategies that can reduce your tax exposure once RMDs begin—but only if used before then.
The window is open for anyone within ten years of 73. A fiduciary advisor can review which may apply, at no cost.
Focus
Do your main lifts, Olympics, rotations/anti-rotations, plyos, and conditioning.
Throw in mobility, stretching, and some of the fun hypertrophy stuff.
There ya go.
Train smart, but never forget to train hard.