Evolutionary Athletics

A sad part of the human psyche, largely ingrained from public schooling, is failing to take initiative. Not to go all Seth Godin, but look at the newspaper clipping sitting to the left. There’s a good chance that someone noticed this misprint. But it wasn’t corrected. Printers print. Editors edit. It’s not a Printers job to be an Editor. So the problem remains a problem.

When it comes to the strength and conditioning industry, there are a lot of problems. Most of them are because of how underpaid and overworked coaches are, as Mike Guadango explained in Give Your Strength Coach a Break. But for the sake of conversation, I’m rolling with the idea of the institution being broken.

Take most combines, for example. Who thought of putting athletes through a battery of tests that have little bearing on in-game-performance? Yet combines remain because coaches aren’t paid to question the system. They are paid to prepare athletes for the system, no matter how deranged it may be.

I’m pretty active on my Facebook page and I enjoy discussions. So I posted a video of a college strength program, questioning what I saw. Of course, it took off. Now, I’m far from knowing everything. (In the grand scheme of things, I’m actually rather ignorant.) But I’m willing to stand up for what I believe in.

I questioned the power cleans, which led to a discussion on just how backwards the entire “strength and conditioning” system is. As a whole, it puts too much emphasis on training athletes like powerlifters and weightlifters, and not enough emphasis on training athletes like athletes. Strength, while not to be avoided, doesn’t make an athlete. So it needs to be developed in a way that allows athletes to remain healthy and continually get better at their sport.

Here’s the bench press class of 2007 from the NFL Combine:

42 (defensive lineman Tank Tyler of N.C. State), 40 (offensive lineman Manny Ramirez of Texas Tech, Justin Blalock of Texas), 34 (offensive lineman Cameron Stephenson of Rutgers, offensive lineman Enoka Lucas of Oregon, offensive lineman Ryan Kalil of USC, offensive lineman Brandon Frye of Virginia Tech, defensive lineman Joe Cohen of Florida, tight end Daniel Coats of BYU, offensive lineman Nathan Bennett of Clemson).  Another notable performance from the 2007 combine came from quarterback Brady Quinn, who did 24 reps.

Now, for you folks that watch the NFL, you know the Giants won the Super Bowl. Jason Pierre-Paul was an important part of the Giants’s defense and got mucho press as the season progressed because of his on-field performance. How many reps did he get on the bench press at the combine? 19. Yes, a bench warming quarterback — Brady Quinn — is stronger than Pierre-Paul, who is now considered one of the best defensive players in the league.

My point has always been this: strength, while important, doesn’t make an athlete. And power cleans, while potentially having benefit, shouldn’t be done in a way that compromises health. And when feet splay on the catch, health is compromised.

Before going on, I’m apologizing for past behavior. I’m sorry. Really, I am. There was a time when I had no hope for the strength and conditioning injury. I was coaching athletes myself and growing into a Grinch. Must have been the seclusion. But now that my career path has turned, I’m adopting a new mentality. If Eric Cressey sees the industry in a positive light, as written about 5 Reasons to Be Excited About the Future of the Fitness Industry, I sure as hell should too. So below are five things I think I think. Five things that, if implemented, would keep pushing things in the right direction.

Great, you can squat 600 pounds. But can you play? I get that they are fun and create a competitive environment, fostering motivation in a place where most athlete’s don’t care to be. But how useful is an athlete with no skill chasing an arbitrary strength level on a general exercise that has little bearing on their success as an athlete. Ask Pierre-Paul how much better he would be if he cranked out 21 repetitions. Not much, I would think.

Some strength is good. Benching 225 for 19 isn’t cupcakes. But more isn’t always better.

I had to squat 225 and bench 185 to be a running back on my high school football team. If I couldnt do it I didnt make the team, that simple.

Above is aquote from the aforementioned Facebook conversation. What if athletes had to get 20 reps on the bench press test at the combine to play in the NFL? Pierre-Paul would be a bench warmer.

Now, contact athlete need body armor. Hypertrophy and strength should never be exluded from the cards. But holding an athlete out based on strength standards is a little whack. I don’t care how much Kobe squats. I’m sorry, but I don’t. And if I made Kobe chase a 500 pound squat, I’d probably cut a few years off of his playing career, costing him millions of dollars.

That’s not to say I wouldn’t have Kobe squat. I would. Would it be maximal? No. Would I take him close to failure? No. Would I slow cook his strength work and do more to keep him healthy than to keep him strong? Absolutely.

Can power cleans be beneficial to an athlete? Sure. Would I use them in most situations? No. Do athlete’s need to back squat? No. Would I use them in most situations? Sure. Should aerobic work be vilified? No. Can it be overdone? Sure. Is HIIT overhyped? Yes. Can it be used with some athletes? Yes.

Overnight, eating frequent meals throughout the day became a garbage philosophy for obsessive bodybuilding faggots. But in ten years, I bet we’re eating frequent meals again. And doing aerobic work. And chastising coffee. And avoiding eggs.

Fitness fads are cyclical. And nothing is absolute. NOTHING. I was lucky enough to learn from smart coaches. These smart coaches didn’t force athletes into specific types of squats. In fact, one athlete didn’t back squat, front squat, or do any other “manly” squat. He did split squats with a moderate dumbbell, never coming remotely close to strain or failure. He’s in the NFL now, and was on Sports Center’s Top Ten Plays once or twice this past year.

Just this past weekend, I talked for hours with John Romaniello. We both share a hatred for dogma, which is something that I have a difficult time talking about as I used to be dogmatic. (Sorry, again.) But as Roman said, it’s amazing how two people can share similar ground on 99% of issues and yet still find a way to embrace and foster hatred in a relationship.

Unless you’re a powerlifter, what’s the point of doing Westside? The system includes special exercises and special methods specifically to increase the big three. The very nature of Westside rooted in being a powerlifter. The same can be said for Olympic Weightlifting methods and routine. Sure, Weightlifters are strong and explosive. But they train for a different sport.

You don’t see Olympic Weightlifters and Powerlifters playing other sports to get better at their sport. Borrow principles, by all means, but athletes of all sports need their own unique touch.

Everyone loves maximal effort, eye gouging intensity training. It’s hard work, it busts adrenal glands, and it’s hardcore. What doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger, right? But the sad truth is that you can get stronger using lower percentages and not undergoing so much strain.

The Max Effort method is vindicated by the success of Bulgaria, as stated on Westside’s website:

The majority of the Soviet training was centered around 75-85% of a one-rep max for about 50% of all lifts, and 20% are done at 90-100%. The Bulgarians trained mostly at 90-100% max. Circa-max weights are 90-97%. The Bulgarian system produced the highest results in weightlifting. Why? They handled the highest average weights most often. It’s that simple.

And I agree with this. To lift a maximal weight, you have to specifically train and “learn” how to strain under a maximal load. But an athlete’s goal isn’t to break a weightlifting world record. So what that quote says to me is this: the Soviets trained with less intensity and at a smaller percentage of their one rep max and were still able to get really really really strong. Certainly strong enough for most sports.

Like I said, I don’t know everything. But if I had ultimate reign those five ideas, at least, would be more known. Questions? Have changes you would want to make?

Shoot some comments below, reply to me on Facebook, or shoot me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you.