Sport specific training is a myth

[farzamk]

Only such thing as functional training, so not doing leg extensions but doing squats instead.

By sport specific training Im not referring to drills done in practice, but more so doing exercises ONLY for your sport and movements.

Athletes need to develop their athletic abilities and all around strength and movement abilities, not do something for a single sport so lets say someone plays tennis. If all they work is muscles involved in hitting the ball (delts, chest, core) they arent going to have much sucess as a athlete.

Train your whole body and become a better athlete.

[Richoss]

i agree, why train a couple parts of the body when movement requires the entire body.

i dont like the idea of people in the weight room being specific, yes you can be specific out on the field (such as running drills), but you can very little copy your sport movements while holding a barbell or dumbbell.

just my thoughts

[kelmore]

I think you should be training the whole body and doing all the basic exercises, but there are sport specific exercises that you can do in addition to these. For swimming I do some lat/shoulder exercises that are sport specific, but I still do workouts for my entire body and they include squats, bench, deadlift, etc.

[crppleman51]

i personally consider squats deads and GHR etc... sport specific

[s4lnj]

i agree-- skills are specific. you can't mimic movements from your sport while in teh gym, it will only muttle your skills come competition time. you build the engine in the gym and tune it on the field

[farzamk]

i personally consider squats deads and GHR etc... sport specific

Those are functional exercises, compound and work a large amounts of the body.

Sport specific training done in conditioning or in the weight room is a myth and useless, you need to become a athlete when doing speed/weights/conditioning and get your skills up in practices.

[crppleman51]

yea...not really understanding ?

[farzamk]

yea...not really understanding ?

not understanding what?

[crppleman51]

not understanding what?

sorry re read the post :] didnt get enough sleep last night

[RAW87]

I agree with you farzamk, you should train your whole body, but for a soccer player, you really want to hit your legs a lot more than your biceps or forearms.

[Snowman723]

i agree, why train a couple parts of the body when movement requires the entire body.

i dont like the idea of people in the weight room being specific, yes you can be specific out on the field (such as running drills), but you can very little copy your sport movements while holding a barbell or dumbbell.

just my thoughts

The squat trains almost every movement pattern in rugby...

[farzamk]

I agree with you farzamk, you should train your whole body, but for a soccer player, you really want to hit your legs a lot more than your biceps or forearms.

You shouldnt be focusing on biceps or forearms if you're a athlete at all, compounds only. Some iso is alright, but main focus on compound lifts.

[Richoss]

You shouldnt be focusing on biceps or forearms if you're a athlete at all, compounds only. Some iso is alright, but main focus on compound lifts.

yeh compound lifts are crucial, but i believe isolation has the part in a program. i could be wrong ok, but lets say athlete A does only compounds, rows, bench, squat and dead. and athlete B does compounds as well as isolations, like curls, tricep extensions, shoulder pressing n calf raising, forearm work etc etc.

now i am thinking athlete A would be more prone to injury as he has lagging bodyparts, even though he is a compounder. but his biceps, triceps, calves etc would not be fully up to stratch as he hasnt specifically targeted them. whilst athlete B has.

i could be wrong, that is just a thought that popped into my head.

but the point is, compound lift, but dont neglect some isolation work, and dont just do isolation, make sure you compound.

[farzamk]

yeh compound lifts are crucial, but i believe isolation has the part in a program. i could be wrong ok, but lets say athlete A does only compounds, rows, bench, squat and dead. and athlete B does compounds as well as isolations, like curls, tricep extensions, shoulder pressing n calf raising, forearm work etc etc.

now i am thinking athlete A would be more prone to injury as he has lagging bodyparts, even though he is a compounder. but his biceps, triceps, calves etc would not be fully up to stratch as he hasnt specifically targeted them. whilst athlete B has.

i could be wrong, that is just a thought that popped into my head.

but the point is, compound lift, but dont neglect some isolation work, and dont just do isolation, make sure you compound.

Isolations DO have their place, but name a single muscle which is prone to injury if not worked very well.

Overtime, one`s hams could be lacking, however reverse hypers cover for that provided one does full squats sometimes.

Calf raises are fine.

Skull crushers/curls are more ideal for bodybuilders or guys looking to add to their bench or ego.

Forearms get worked all the time, doing some forearm work is fine, however some grip work is better as it also helps one`s deadlift.

[sillz100]

well focusing only on sports specific training is obviously wrong. but saying 'sports specific' training itself is a myth? thats just crazy

[QuicksandATL]

Good post, I think you could probably become a great all around athlete at an average persons level with just 3 exercises, bench press, squat, and the clean and jerk. The body is a machine in which all parts work together.

IMO, There is not a more explosive display of strength, coordination, and agility than the clean and jerk.

[labradarep]

Their are only 3 sports that you can train for that weight training is considered "sport specific" for them.
1) Powerlifting
2) weightlifting
3) Gymnastics

[farzamk]

Good post, I think you could probably become a great all around athlete at an average persons level with just 3 exercises, bench press, squat, and the clean and jerk. The body is a machine in which all parts work together.

IMO, There is not a more explosive display of strength, coordination, and agility than the clean and jerk.

Dont forget deadlifts.

[farzamk]

well focusing only on sports specific training is obviously wrong. but saying 'sports specific' training itself is a myth? thats just crazy

You need to do some research and see how many of the world's top coaches reject sport specific training.

[Mr.MAXX]

Only such thing as functional training, so not doing leg extensions but doing squats instead.

By sport specific training Im not referring to drills done in practice, but more so doing exercises ONLY for your sport and movements.

Athletes need to develop their athletic abilities and all around strength and movement abilities, not do something for a single sport so lets say someone plays tennis. If all they work is muscles involved in hitting the ball (delts, chest, core) they arent going to have much sucess as a athlete.

Train your whole body and become a better athlete.

I disagree. I believe there are 3 types of training: general, specialized, and specific. Let me give you an example using a baseball player who wants to increase his bat speed:

General training = exercises that will make those muscles used in the swing more powerful. These exercises do not mimc the movement of the swing. Focus would be in the hip and core area. Sample exercises would be power clean, squat, jerk press, deadlift, core stabilization, glute/hame extensions, etc.

Specialized training = same goal as general training, but now we are using exercises that mimic the swing movement. Sample exercises would be any type of rotational movement such as med ball throws, cable pulls, hitting a tire with a sledge hammer, etc.

Specific training = training that closely mimics the movements of the sport skill, but still using some type of training that will elicit the desired training response. Sample exercises would primarily be swinging the bat. For example, in our bat speed program, we take 10 swings with a bat that is 3 ounces heavier than our game bat, then 10 swings with a bat this is 3 ounces lighter than out game bat then 10 swings with our game bat. We repeat this for a total of 6 sets with each bat.

[s4lnj]

the only thing hitting a tire with a sledgehammer will do is make you a better sledgehammer swinger.

practice makes perfect, but only if practiced perfectlly. including equiptment. the slight difference willl confuse your skill set. whens the last time a concert pianist took a typing class to improve thier piano skills? they are similar movements right? i am not saying they will not make you stronger, but your skills will suffer in return for the minimal strength gains.

again, you build the engine in the gym, tune it on the field.

my strength routine consists of calf raises, squats, deads, bench, lat pull downs.

[farzamk]

I disagree. I believe there are 3 types of training: general, specialized, and specific. Let me give you an example using a baseball player who wants to increase his bat speed:

General training = exercises that will make those muscles used in the swing more powerful. These exercises do not mimc the movement of the swing. Focus would be in the hip and core area. Sample exercises would be power clean, squat, jerk press, deadlift, core stabilization, glute/hame extensions, etc.

Specialized training = same goal as general training, but now we are using exercises that mimic the swing movement. Sample exercises would be any type of rotational movement such as med ball throws, cable pulls, hitting a tire with a sledge hammer, etc.

Specific training = training that closely mimics the movements of the sport skill, but still using some type of training that will elicit the desired training response. Sample exercises would primarily be swinging the bat. For example, in our bat speed program, we take 10 swings with a bat that is 3 ounces heavier than our game bat, then 10 swings with a bat this is 3 ounces lighter than out game bat then 10 swings with our game bat. We repeat this for a total of 6 sets with each bat.

You took it literally and did not understand a single % of what I was saying.

[coach Hale]

The only true sport-specific training is the specific sport itself

The popular term has gotten way out of hand and yes to assume a particluar sport must follow a precise supplement training regimen is a fallacy

Succesful athletes use various training protocols

thanks
coach hale
www.maxcondition.com

[farzamk]

The only true sport-specific training is the specific sport itself

The popular term has gotten way out of hand and yes to assume a particluar sport must follow a precise supplement training regimen is a fallacy

Succesful athletes use various training protocols

thanks
coach hale
www.maxcondition.com

yup, well said.

[Mr.MAXX]

the only thing hitting a tire with a sledgehammer will do is make you a better sledgehammer swinger.

practice makes perfect, but only if practiced perfectlly. including equiptment. the slight difference willl confuse your skill set. whens the last time a concert pianist took a typing class to improve thier piano skills? they are similar movements right? i am not saying they will not make you stronger, but your skills will suffer in return for the minimal strength gains.

again, you build the engine in the gym, tune it on the field.

my strength routine consists of calf raises, squats, deads, bench, lat pull downs.

So if swinging a sledge hammer only makes you a better sledge hammer swinger, doesn't it follow that performing calf raises, squats, deadlifts, bench presses, and lat pulldowns makes you a better calf raiser, squatter, deadlifter, bench presser, and lat pulldowner????

i am not saying they will not make you stronger, but your skills will suffer in return for the minimal strength gains.

Your skills will not suffer if you continue to practice them, and the strength gains will not be minimal if the program is set up properly.

[Mr.MAXX]

You took it literally and did not understand a single % of what I was saying.

I agree with the main points in your post--that specific training must be supplemented with general and "functional" training. What I don't agree with is that sport-specific training is a myth!

As for functional, any exercise that serves a function is "functional" by nature. The use of this term is abused more frequently than the term "sport-specific."

[farzamk]

sport specific training being useful is a myth for developing a better athlete.

[Mr.MAXX]

sport specific training being useful is a myth for developing a better athlete.

By saying that, you mean if it is the ONLY method of training, correct?

[farzamk]

By saying that, you mean if it is the ONLY method of training, correct?

Yes, one goes in the gym, is a tennis players, only works core, shoulders mainly and neglects other type of work.

[farzamk]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...#post119419961