Myth #2) “I saw a pro athlete perform this drill/exercise, therefore it will help me get better if I do it”
This is a myth that I run into daily that is very frustrating. Young athletes are constantly talking about workouts they watched on a professional athletes Instagram and ask if we can incorporate them because they assume it will make them better. While some professional athletes have great training programs and can attribute a lot of their success to their regimen, it needs to be understood that majority of professional athletes are genetically superior than the rest of the world’s population. This genetic superiority allows them to make improvements and perform well in less than ideal situations. I say it all the time, but when it comes to training for sports, genetics are the best exercise there is. Most people don’t like hearing this, and will want to say you can train yourself into a professional, but ultimately your genetics determine your potential. Now, with that being said, whether you decide to train your ass off and reach your potential, or barely get by on your talent doing the bare minimum, is your choice. Im a huge believer in hard work leading to success and can’t stress enough the importance of work ethic, but I also know that some people are just born more gifted than others. Some people are born and they will be strong & fast regardless of their training, and the opposite is true as well; Some people can have the best training in the world and work harder than anyone, but they were born with a certain ability and no matter what they do, they won’t be able to produce certain forces. All humans are not created equal when it comes to the world of athletics. The importance behind understanding this is that just because you see a professional athlete perform a certain drill or exercise, doesn’t mean it is beneficial or that you should do that exercise. For example, just because you watched an NFL Running Back balance on a stability ball with 1 eye closed, handcuffed, while catching grapes in his mouth, doesn’t mean that exercise helped him make it to the NFL, nor does it mean it will aid you in making the NFL. Instances like this are more of an example of a gifted athlete being able to overcome a dumbass exercise because of his natural ability, than it is an example of smart training. His genetics, not his training, are what are getting him by, and ultimately if he were to have a better training program, he would actually become that much better of a football player. Lastly, professional athletes have reached the peak of athletics after years and years of training & competition, and what they need to be doing for training is far different from a youth, high school, or college athlete. Therefore it should be pretty logical as to why a youth, college, or high school athletes training program should not replicate a professional athletes, even if that program is designed perfectly.
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Myth #1) Weight Lifting is the top method to increase running speed
While weight lifting, when implemented correctly, can have a positive effect on sprinting speed, it is NOT the MOST effective method to do so. If you want to run faster, you must SPRINT. Many trainers overcomplicate training and do not take the most effective, efficient, and direct route towards achieving a certain training goal. If you want to get better at a specific activity, practicing that activity will always have the most carry over & transfer to increase performance of that activity. You want to get better at catching a baseball? Practice catching a baseball. You want to get better at math? Practice math questions. If you want to run faster, you need to sprint. Now, yes of course you can use other methods to help enhance it (such as strength training), but those methods will not be the most effective way to do so. Does that mean sprint endlessly with no rhyme or reason? Absolutely not. You will need a proper speed training progression (Which does not include 100 yard sprints with short rest) in order to achieve the speed enhancement goals you seek. To wrap up, strength training should have a place in your speed training program, but if strength training IS your speed training program, you will not achieve the results you have the potential for. |