During my
seminar this past weekend one of the physical therapists asked me if I looked
the workout of the day posted by a popular workout group. I said I did not and
I went on to explain that it is more than a workout or an exercise. One workout
cannot make an athlete but one workout can break an athlete. Once again it is
about context. What is the goal of the workout? Whom is the workout intended
for? What is the phase of training? For example here is a workout:
KB Swing 3 x 8 Two Arm
Box SLS 3 x 6 (Seated)
High Pull 5 x 5 (go up in weight)
Leg Circuit Plus x 4 (With Sandbag)
SB Squat x 10
SB Lunge x 5
each leg
SB Step-up x 5
each leg
Jump Squat x 10
Hurdle Under x
1 each side
Giant Set x 3
Ring
Pull-up x 6
Vasa X 12
Pulldown X
8
Ring Core
Superman 2 x 10
Breaststroke
2 x 10
Is that good
workout or a bad workout? It really depends on the context in which it is
applied. In some respect this workout of the day idea reminds of George Carlins
comedy routine where he read the baseball scores. 4 -1, 3-2, 5-0, those are all
baseball scores but without the context of team names and location they are
random numbers. As far as I am concerned without context a workout of the day
is just stuff. Why are you doing what you are doing? When are you doing it? How
are you doing it?
Paul LaDuke
Vern,
I enjoyed the conference and recommend that everyone take your conference!
You have hit on a major problem with personal trainers. As a strength coach, I try to design a year round program with different emphasises throughout the cycle of the year. As you say, get strong, get fit, get fast. The problem with personal trainers is that most do not look at the big picture, they look at the individual workout. While nothing they do is bad, there is no context, there is no end goal. Most personal trainers look to kick the kids butt so that they parents think they are getting there money’s worth.
sul
Good article in the LA times looking at how the number of Tommy John surgery’s is on the rise for young baseball pitches. Compared to 10-15 yrs ago when [young] baseball players were multi-sport athletes.
As a personal trainer I will agree 100% that there is very little context in dealing with the general public or non- athletic minded. And those bad habits will transfer to the athlete/team setting.
People ask me all the time “how do I know if this (exercise routine) is going to work? There are markers and depending on the goals and needs of the individual will decide the outcome.
Jonathan Hewitt
A couple things come to mind. What speed should I do the exercise reps? Is the speed the same for al the exercises? What if any is the trecovery time between each set and/or exercise? Am I doing an active rest or not? Like Vern said, context should dictate the answer to these questions.
sul
Context; 30’s yr old male athlete, not a bodybuilder nor an olympic weight lifter. My past injuries in the lower back, neck and shoulder are aggravative by single plane motions and Im smart enough to realize injury is not a sign of weakness and I will not let injury dictate my age or the things I enjoy. I play pick up basketball 3 times a week at a local park, ice hockey once a week, golf and tennis for business, bowl for fun, boxing for fun and I enjoy pulling heavy weight in the winter seasons, sprinting and jumping in the summer seasons and I dislike slow/static prone or supine positions in the gym and distance running. I want to learn how to surf and play beach volleyball. I work 30+ standing hrs a week.
My eating habits are good, I sleep great at night. Currently I have some limiting shoulder pain and work with a soft tissue therapist. My goal is to continue to play well into my years. I need an exercise plan.
St patrick
I think that the leg routine is fairly intense, you would want to be at a high level of fitness to reach that.