I saw an old friend yesterday and asked him what he thought a gym should be. He linked me to some CrossFit, my words, guy from Israel. Ido Portal is a CrossFit "coach" who says he is a movement specialist. He is an aesthetically based "coach" though. Listen carefully to his description of the gymnastic rings. He uses the word physique. The physique is an aesthetic term (bodybuilding) not a term used in kinesiology. He has some good ideas.
We should be able to go into all parts of our range of motion (ROM). Health depends on this maintainance of ROM. Working in extreme ranges is dangerous. Ido may be relatively strong. He will not be able to produce a maximal force worthy of discussion. Further evidence that CrossFitters are not strong. Just stronger than the average person. I want to be stronger than the average athlete. A lot stronger than the average athlete. I am.
Strength and conditioning are used to create abilities and regain optimal alignment. Strength is the ability to produce a maximal force. Ido is speaking of relative strength. Gymnasts have relative strength which is quite different from strength proper. Strength, as I have stated many times, is the most useful component of training our bodies. It has a more direct on all other components of fitness than any other component of fitness and even personal trainers seem to misuse the work as a practice. STOP MISUSING THE WORD STRENGTH. It makes everyone's job in training others much more difficult.
Functional strength is strength. All strength is functional. If I need more elbow stability I will practice curls. It is functional. If I am a gymnast and need to stand on my hands I will practice handstands and overhead presses. If I am out of alignment with a maximal weight overhead the weight does not remain overhead. If I do not need to stand on my hands standing on my hands is not functional. We are designed to stand on our feet. Do not do things just because they are difficult. This is the furthest thing from functional.
Work hard and practice doing things in more difficult ways, more weight, and become better. If you do not need to hold a weight at arm length and stand up and lie down again do not do Turkish-get-ups because they are the furthest thing from functional. They are inefficient. They are the hardest way to accomplish the goal of getting up and finishing with a weight overhead. Burpees are practicing to get up after you have been knocked down. My advice is do not get knocked down. The meek have taken over fitness. That is alright with me. Someone needs to finish in second place or lower.
Bottom line: get stronger and practice your sport if you are an athlete. If you do not consider yourself an athlete, start. Training is based on the practices involved in getting ready for war. This is where athletics were born. Science started formalizing this in the 17th century. The Soviets made more useful discoveries than anyone to date.
Strength is the ability to produce a maximal force. Producing a maximal force is great. If we cannot disengage from the activation pattern required in this force production we are not fit for our sport. We will become stronger only gaining the ability to disengage the motor unit recruitment pattern and allow the muscles, tendons, skeleton, and nerves to relax. Have we ever heard of recovery? Relax is a great word for recovery,
docsgym@live.com
No comments:
Post a Comment