How We Use The Prowler
An EliteFTS.com Article Series
A few weeks ago, we decided to put together a roundtable-style article
about the use of the Prowler. The idea was to get some kind of dialogue going
with several members of the Q&A – along with selected other contributors – in
order to see how some of the best coaches, trainers and athletes in the world
are using this amazing piece of equipment.
Usually, when one of these roundtable articles starts coming together, we
end up with only a paragraph or two from each contributor. People apparently
have very strong opinions on the Prowler, however, and the long-ass responses we
received couldn’t be confined to just one article.
So, as a result, we’re starting a series of articles covering exactly what
can be done with the Prowler. Some will be pretty straightforward. Others, like
the following treatise from The Thinker, go a little “against the grain.”
Regardless, the goal of the operation here, as always, is to give you more ideas
you can put into action for yourself.
The Thinker:
In our program (American Football) here at the University, the
Prowler is
programmed in the training as a general specific training means for the down
linemen, during preparatory blocks, insofar as an external load is overcome via
the use of some or all of the active musculature used in the sport act in the
same generally specific directions as defensive penetration and offensive drive
blocking maneuvers.
With regard to the means by which the Prowler seems to be popularly used by
other coaches, it is clear that our use of it is quite different.
I am now compelled to provide a degree of explanation to the reader.
The bioenergetic demands of American Football are largely alactic and aerobic.
For this reason, the methodological approach via which our linemen use the
Prowler is one in which alactic power and capacity are developed via brief work
intervals separated by full or incomplete recovery intervals in series,
respectively.
While exercise that demands heavily from the glycolytic mechanism is very
challenging to the cardiac and muscular systems, it has little to no relevance
toward preparation for sport disciplines that do not demand much of the
glycolytic mechanism.
While certain components of fitness are developed via the popular use of the
Prowler (in which extensive cardio-respiratory, muscular fatigue, and occasional
vomiting are yielded) it must be clarified to the reader that these training
effects will not transfer anywhere near as positively, toward sport disciplines
that demand from other bioenergetic mechanisms, as other methodological
approaches that satisfy greater degrees of Dynamic Correspondence.
In fact, to the contrary, an excessive overload placed upon the glycolytic
mechanism will yield a negative impact upon the biological power development of
the alactic-only, aerobic-only, and alactic-aerobic athlete. (See Block
Training System in Middle Distance Running by Verkhoshansky for extensive
clarification on the subject matter).
It seems to be the novel characteristics of the conventional use of the Prowler,
on athletes of medium to low level physical preparation, that have misled many
coaches and athletes into its improper use for many athletes whose sport demands
little of the glycolytic mechanism -- specifically via the skeletal muscle
fibers of the legs and gluteals.
The reader is encouraged to understand that a particular training means that
presents a great challenge to the user does not necessarily ensure that the
yielded training effect will transfer positively toward the further improvement
of sport results, and certainly not for the higher qualified athlete.
The preparation level of the athlete must be closely scrutinized prior to the
formulation of any concrete summaries.
To borrow from my friend Dave Tate, if we consider the scale:
- shit
- suck
- good
- great
It should be no surprise that the means necessary to elevate one’s preparation
level from shit to suck to good will vary quite wildly, leaving the majority of
practitioners to draw many different conclusions that, not so surprisingly in
our western sport training industry, develop into a naďve religious devotion to
particular methodological approaches that are, for all intents and purposes,
meaningless due to the fact that the subjects are beneath the level of high
sport mastery.
Remember, if the means are not SPP they are replaceable and not worth debating.
The reality is that it is a fact that a great deal of methodological approaches
will assist athletes in evolving from shit to suck to good; however, the scope
becomes much more narrow for athletes of higher preparation.
More importantly, it is encouraged to the reader to consider the validity of a
particular methodological approach and to distinguish between one that works
versus another that is optimal -- and, most importantly...WHY!
The Prowler is a fine training apparatus with a multitude of effective and
directed uses ranging from general specific applications -- American football -
down line, Rugby - scrum, Bobsled – push -- to the highly specific applications
of the general fitness enthusiast, or masochist, who simply takes pleasure in
challenging the limits of the glycolytic capacity of the skeletal muscle fibers
of his or her legs and gluteals, to the bulimic who has no gag reflex and an
aversion to syrup of ipecac.
The Prowler, like any other training apparatus, is similar to a firearm insofar
as the device, in and of itself, cannot possibly be good or bad; but rather its
application by the informed or uninformed user, respectively.
I trust that I have inspired the critical thinking of the former and by all
means support EFS, purchase a gaggle of
Prowlers and use them wisely.
More from The Thinker:
VIP Seminar Lecture DVD
Accumulate, Concentrate and Intensify DVD
High/Low Manual
Speed Training Manual
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