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Questioning Training Methodologies

There Is Not Always An Easy Answer
When I was an assistant at VCU, Tim Kontos (Assistant Athletic Director at Virginia Commonwealth University) accused me of riding the f ence and not taking a stand on many issues. While I dont remember the specif ics of that conversation and I lef t VCU in 2007, that statement has managed to haunt me over the course of the past six years. Ive always respected Tims opinion, even on issues in which I didnt like what he had to say. In processing Tims statement over the last six years, Ive discovered that he was right and that I also f eel many coaches and lif ters would be better served if they would ride the f ence. T he problem isnt that I dont think standing f or and knowing what I believe in isnt important. T his is very important. But I also f eel that there are many sides to every issue we f ace and that we should objectively process and consider all options in order to solve the problem at hand. Many times when Im not taking a stand, Im at the same time trying to present a dif f erent viewpoint. Af ter all, how can we truly know what we believe in unless we thoroughly understand all sides of the issue? Below, I will discuss several issues that commonly arise and cause conf lict in the strength and conditioning community. For the purposes of this article, I will keep with true f orm and not take a stand but will show that the answer isnt always as simple as picking the side you believe in. Every situation is dif f erent, and sometimes a similar issue may have a dif f erent resolution considering the specif ics of the given situation.

Full, Olympic-st yle Squat s vs. Wide-St ance, Powerlif t ing-st yle Squat s
Many coaches argue that Olympic squats are superior f or athletes because that is the stance they use when playing their sport. Other coaches advocate a powerlif ting style because of the superior strength it builds in the posterior chain. First, why would stance width matter if all squatting is a general exercise to all sports other than powerlif ting, weightlif ting, and Strongman? I knew an of f ensive line coach who taught his linemen to take a very wide stance at the line of scrimmage. Would it make more sense f or those athletes to squat with a wide stance? Sprinters and jumpers never get into a wide position with their f eet but need to devote special attention to developing their posterior chain. Powerlif ting style squats are better at developing the inner thigh and outer hips, which are crucial f or lateral movement and change of direction.

Full Range-of -Mot ion vs. Part ial Range-of -Mot ion
To many strength coaches, it is almost sacrilegious to even mention squatting high, but there are track and f ield coaches who never allow their athletes to squat below a quarter squat position. Why is it important f or an athlete to develop strength in a position he will never be in when perf orming his sport?

When accentuating the range of motion of the sport technique, it is important to develop special strength in the exact range of motion of the activity being trained. Highly advanced athletes may benef it immensely f rom training through a partial range of motion. Training through a partial range of motion during certain periods of the year may allow f or a better carryover to the actual sport movements. A beginning powerlif ter may not benef it f rom board presses while an elite level powerlif ter may f ocus the majority of his bench training of f boards, f oam, or pins. To properly develop the joints and f lexibility, it is important to train through a f ull range of motion. If only quarter squats are trained, the athlete will be capable of lif ting loads that his spine and knees may not be prepared f or, predisposing him to injury. In order to maintain strength, it may be benef icial f or an

injured athlete to train through a partial range of motion while rehabbing an injury bef ore returning to a f ull range of motion.

Cleans vs. No Cleans

Are Olympic lif ts the best way to develop power? Should athletes (other than weightlif ters) do Olympic lif ts? Are Olympic lif ts saf e? If you didnt answer both yes and no to each of those questions, you probably have a narrow-minded viewpoint and need to rethink your position.

If youre coaching by yourself (no assistants or interns to help) and have f if ty collegiate f ootball players in the weight room at the same time, how do you ensure that theyre all using saf e technique? If youre working with prof essional baseball players who live and die by their wrists and shoulders, are cleans and snatches the best option? Should f ootball players who get their shoulders, wrists, and elbows consistently beat up on the f ootball f ield do cleans? Are there certain times of the year when cleans are more appropriate than others? If you have ten volleyball players who pay close attention to your coaching and work to utilize proper technique, could cleans be benef icial? If you have a f reshman girl who cant even squat close to her body weight, would cleans be ef f ective or would improving maximal strength through squatting be more benef icial f or developing power?

Linear Periodizat ion vs. Everyt hing Else

Linear periodization, block periodization, the conjugate method, undulating periodization, concurrent training, triphasic training, the tier system, the Westside method, sequential training, reverse periodizationIm sure that Ive f ailed to mention ten or more dif f erent methods or variations of organizing training. So which one is best? What level athletes are you working with? What type of training have they done in the past? What sport are you working with and which abilities are most important in that sport? What is their competition schedule? What is their school schedule? Does the sport coach pref er a certain type of planning? What type of planning are you the most comf ortable implementing? What types of planning do you have the most knowledge of ?

Sit -ups vs. Bridges (planks)

Over the last ten years or so, Stuart McGill has become one of the f oremost authorities on training f or the low back. He has devoted his career to studying the low back, low back disorders, and injury mechanisms of the low back. He has strongly discouraged the use of sit-ups, crunches, or other means of spinal f lexion, especially when loaded, to strengthen the abs because these movements, over time, predispose the back to injury. Instead, he advocates the use of isometric means such as bridges or anti-f lexion exercises to strengthen the abs and help stabilize the low back. However, I dont know many, if any, strength coaches who have eliminated the use of sit-ups or variations of sit-ups to strengthen the abs. Could the strengthening of the abs be weakening the low back? Javelin, baseball, and volleyball athletes all need to use a certain degree of spinal f lexion to perf orm their sport movements correctly. Should they utilize abdominal movements with spinal f lexion in their training?

Advanced At hlet es vs. Advanced Lif t ers

Most athletes at the Division 1 level should be considered advanced athletes and the prof essional level elite athletes. Does this make them advanced lif ters? Some coaches claim that most collegiate athletes are beginner or intermediate lif ters and that they shouldnt use advanced lif ting methods. Other coaches repeatedly use advanced exercises and loading methods. Does one group have more injuries than the other? Does one group make more progress than the other? Does one group plateau earlier than the other? Do we have any way of knowing the answer to any of the preceding questions other than speculation? Should we even take into consideration how advanced the lif ting is since these athletes arent and most likely never will be lif ters, meaning that the majority of work we do in the weight room should be considered general preparation? Do they need to be advanced in the weight room to incorporate special exercises, which, when applied correctly, will have a signif icant carryover to the actual sport being trained? If we choose not to use advanced loading, will there come a point in the athletes career when her strength levels will plateau? At that point, how will we continue to develop strength or will that level of strength be at a suf f icient level f or her sport, meaning she no longer needs to improve that particular ability?

Riding t he Fence or Comprehensive Analysis?

Again, bef ore I get a ton of criticism f or what Ive written in this article, my viewpoints arent present or are at least limited. Im merely trying to show that each specif ic situation may require a dif f erent perspective. Sometimes a coach may break f rom what is commonly accepted as being correct because, in that specif ic situation, the best option may be something f rom outside the box. From the outside, criticism may be drawn because those looking in dont stop to think about the reasoning behind the methods or take into consideration the entire situation the coach used to develop the methods being applied. It is imperative that we dont become narrow-minded and biased when choosing how we train our athletes. We must think through every situation f rom all viewpoints to understand what needs to be accomplished and how it should be accomplished.

Related Articles:
Periodization, Training, and MMA, Why All the Confusion? A Debate Between Powerlifting and Olympic Lifting as the Main Athletic Training Method

T here Is a Place for Everything