So I’ve tried just about every style/method of training that you can imagine (not kidding - distance swimming, HIIT, powerlifting, general athletic training, spin classes, yoga.. you get the idea), when I entered the strength and conditioning world I thought it was really simple. You work really hard, and results will come. Then I started to learn a little bit and my train of thought went to it being super complex - “Well I need to make sure the femur slides back into the hip socket properly and that their glycolytic energy systems are functioning well and THEN we’ll be able to move onto the next thing.” All of this was fine and good, but at first I didn’t know enough to have a true comment on things, and then I learned so much I thought it was this massively complex maze to get to true fitness.
Fast forward to year 3 in my Strength and Conditioning/training career, and it’s gotten a whole lot simpler. The giant maze that was building up? All valid pieces of the puzzle, but to be used in the right time, place and scenario - I’m still building up my experience of scenarios, but having been blessed to be able to work with the number and variety of clients, movers, training experience and mental dispositions that I have has given me a bit broader view on things.
All of this being said, below I want to outline the 4 major training principles ‘Rocks’ that I have developed which guide my decision making process for all clients. Strength, building robust Energy Systems, Stability/Proprioceptive Awareness, and Resiliency.
While the route to the destination may change, each programming, nutrition, exercise selection decision that I make is with an aim at building competency/progressing in one of these principles. Find below some of my thoughts on the first principle, strength
The base of this entire tree is Strength - This may seem obvious but can sometimes get overlooked particularly by the big chain HIIT style classes etc. A muscle’s ability and capacity to produce force in a number of different directions/situations. Strength is the foundation for all performance whether it is aesthetic or trying to move boxes while you’re cleaning out your house. If you are not strong, nothing else matters, so this is the first thing I look to accomplish with my clients. Without it, we are essentially trying to build a house with no foundation. Mixtures of hypertrophy and higher threshold max strength work generally always does the trick.
The aim with any client is to create high amounts of RELATIVE strength. A former female cross country or lacrosse player will have vastly different strength capabilities than a male who used to wrestle. Finding strength exercises that the client is: A. Good at and can drive output and B. Enjoys are the first two things I look to accomplish in the strength realm.
Training in all planes of motion is MASSIVELY important for the health of the hips, rib cage and spine. Beginning with establishing Sagittal plane (forward/backward) competency, we then progress and move into Frontal (side to side) and transverse (rotational). Muscular strength, tendon strength, unilateral (one foot on ground) and bilateral (two feet) strength all fall under this umbrella.
The last piece of the puzzle when it comes to athletes/those training (I do work on this stuff with my General Population clients as well as there’s lots of benefit) for field sports in particular is creating high Rate of Force Development. High RFD simply means being able to generate large force in short time. The better the RFD, the more explosive, and powerful the athlete is. Think of someone like Ray Lewis as a great creator of RFD.
Strength serves as the bedrock of all training pursuits, but without having robust energy systems all that strength can go to waste very quickly. In my next post I’ll be discussing the importance of robust energy systems development in all three tiers of energy systems.