Career Growth: 4 S&C Things I Know Longer Believe
The longevity of a coach hinges on the ability to evolve and grow. Yeah, it's not easy to challenge your bias.
Trust me, I know there is nothing better than that sweet dopamine rush from a good piece of confirmation bias. In the fitness industry and how social media algorithms work, you can confirm your bias easily. In fact, it will probably be spoon fed to you.
However, that dopamine rush won’t get you results for yourself OR your clients. You owe it to yourself and/or to your people to become a better critical thinker. This means you HAVE to measure and reflect on your current practices. This way you can ensure you will continue to get results, and do so with safety and efficiency.
Today I want to share with you some of the things I used to feel strongly about that I now have shifted away from over the years.
Snapdowns Teach Good Landing Mechanics.
‘Learn to land before you fly’ was a core principle I believed in for many years. The thought process was as follows:
If you can learn how to land with proper mechanics, you will distribute landing forces better. This in turn would reduce injuries and help with deceleration capabilities.
My athletes would then go into snap down and altitude landing purgatory, where they would wonder when the hell they would actually get to jump.
Take a look at the snap downs above. This drill teaches the ‘proper landing mechanics’. The problem is have you ever seen Lebron block a shot then land softly sweeping his hips back?
Nah. If he did he would not be Lebron James. In most team sports with a high component of jumping, you need to be ready immediately for the next play. Sweeping the hips back with a bent torso will not transfer to a game. Additionally, you’re going to look dumb if you do it.
This doesn’t solve the part about injury reduction though. What landing in this position does is lengthen the time you have to receive landing forces. This makes the spike in forces not as acute, usually feeling nicer on the knees and hips. Which gives the illusion that it's the safest way to land. In certain scenarios like rehab this might serve a purpose for reducing stressors. In my opinion though, most are better served building plyometric capacity through extensive plyometrics and intensifying over time.
Summary: There is no perfect landing mechanics. You need to build specific landing tolerance and capacity to handle the demands of your sport.
Perfect Exercise Technique is Everything
I used to post right and wrong exercise pictures. This creates the thought that exercise technique is black or white.
Perfect technique is crucial to avoiding training injuries and desired adaptations. Therefore every time my client's would do a bad rep I would stop them. Then yell some cues at them, and repeat the process over.
This lowered their rep counts….which then ruined their flow… lead them to frustration and confusion….ultimately leading to poor performance and results.
When it comes to individuals getting back into fitness or low training age athletes, they most likely do not have a lot of experience with strength training exercises. The right technique comes with learning. Learning requires reps and positive mental states.
This is why ‘good enough’ is all you need. If it looks safe enough and feels good, giver. It will get better with time, reps and if you are mindful and striving to get better.
Summary: Good is good enough. Trying to breed perfection actually breeds poor learning environments.
Flexibility Through Static Stretching Is Key To Injury Reduction.
Injuries happen when the competitive environment forces you into positions you do not have access to. You also can not produce force well if you are tight and out of alignment. This makes sense at first thought.
For the most part I agree, what if you can not get into a certain position and then a given play in competition forces you there? Stretching then makes sense intuitively. Until you ask this question.
“What happens if I can not produce force in those positions my sport demands?” The answer…bad things.
Passive stretching might (if executed a certain way) help you gain access to positions, but won't help you produce force in those positions to control and get out of said positions. This is arguably more dangerous. To be candid, most tight athletes I have open up enough through slow full range strength training and SOME corrective exercise. Stretching is overrated.
Summary: Mobility training should revolve around creating tension through slow, full ranges of motion. This is a big topic, and there is a lot more to it. If you want to go down the rabbit hole you might like this blog.
There Is No Value In Isolation Work.
Compound movements work a majority of muscle groups and have the most transferability to performance qualities. Isolation exercises, like bicep curls, are good for bodybuilders but not for athletic performance.
I used to see isolation exercises with purely aesthetic benefits. Unless I wanted nice biceps for the beach, why waste time if I can get more out of performance with compound lifts.
The truth is, yes, compound exercises will deliver the performance goodies, but it's going to leave certain regions under developed.
Squatting as an example, does not do a great job at developing the rectus femoris (one of your four quad muscles) and can be a problem spot for many athletes. Enter isolation exercise reverse nordic to save the day.
One more to drive the point home……If you're a basketball player, good chance you have rolled your ankle. This can result in weakness for plantar flexion of the ankle complex. Unless you would like to keep rolling it over and over, adding strength and function back into the region is a good idea. As much as I love squatting, some dedicated calf raises would be a much better option.
Summary: The RIGHT isolation exercises (on an individual basis) can bring up major weak links in the chain. Ultimately helping your stay available to play your sport and enhancing your compound lifts.
What's the Point?
At any point did you say
“no he’s wrong”
Or
“Yessir couldn’t agree more”
Neither is the point here. I am not looking to confirm nor change your bias with this blog.
The point I want to get across is the concept of thinking and challenging your own personal bias so you can continue to grow as a coach, athlete and person overall.
If you do there is a good chance 1 of 2 things will happen:
You will shift, pivot and grow.
OR
2. You will be able to explain BETTER the reasons you do and think about things a certain way.
I know, it's scary to challenge your own practices. It can leave you feeling lost and uncomfortable.
I heard though that the uncomfortable is where real growth happens? Food for thought.
All the best my friends, and happy new year!