The biggest problem I come across with athletes is their current training regime. Everyone wants to train like a bodybuilder. I don't know if it’s the current trend in muscle magazines or misinformation, or maybe the athletes simply don't have the proper goals in mind. Nevertheless, changes need to be made.
As an athlete, you need to ask yourself: “What are my goals with this lifting program? Do I need to be stronger? Do I need to be faster? Why am I lifting?” Many times, the answers I get are, “I want to get bigger” or “I want to look better.”
If you’re trying to gain size for a sport, you should be lifting to get bigger. What else? You need to be explosive, fast, and coordinated. As far as lifting to look better, don't even step foot in the locker room if that’s your goal. Of course, everyone wants to look good, but every athlete’s goal should be to become better at their respective sport. Besides, if you train hard and train properly, your body will look great.
The most common mistake I see with lifting programs is the traditional split. With the traditional split, each muscle is trained separately once a week. This is very common among today’s top bodybuilders. It suits their needs and is very effective. However, for athletes, it isn’t.
Here’s why. A bodybuilder’s goal is to build muscle. Strength doesn’t matter. Lean muscle mass and symmetry are what they’re after because bodybuilders seek to achieve the perfect physique. Now, don't get me wrong. You will gain strength when you add muscle mass but not nearly as much as you would with a sports performance or power program.
A traditional athlete’s goal is to become better at a sport. For example, wrestlers need to be strong, powerful, explosive, and balanced on the mat. They need to use functional exercises in addition to standard lifts such as bench presses or shoulder presses. Athletes also need to train for injury prevention. You can't play if you’re injured. Exercises like one leg squats, woodchoppers, or one leg deadlifts are just a few that accomplish these goals. Athletes need to train differently for each sport. For example, baseball players rely on rotational core strength more than other athletes.
Recovery time and sport specificity are other reasons why the traditional split isn’t for athletes. If you spend an hour on arms, how are your arms going to feel at practice later on? They will probably be worn out, tired, and overworked while the rest of your muscles will be fresh. In addition, what if you miss a day? Do you skip that body part and continue on to the next day? Do you lift that body part and keep the same schedule, missing out on lifting the last body part for that week? It just doesn't make sense.
So how should you lift? Total body routines three times per week are the answer. You could add in a fourth optional day. Do lower body pushes and upper body pushes, lower body pulls and upper body pulls, and one or two specialized exercises for your sport. Why do it this way?
Well, what muscles do you use during a game or match? You use all of them. You never use just your arms or just your chest so why would you train that way? It’s called exercise specificity, and it means that you train specific to how you play. If you want to be fast, train to be fast. If you want to be strong, lift heavy weights. You use all of your muscles during your sport so train all of your muscles together in the gym. If you train this way, you won’t beat up your muscles or wear them down but rather stimulate them and make them respond. Work all of your muscles, rest them for a day, and then stimulate them again. If you miss a workout, it’s not a big deal because you’ve already worked your entire body. When you lift again, you will do the same. Nothing is left out.
Still not convinced? Think about this. If you train your biceps on Mondays, why don’t you train them on Tuesdays or Thursdays? According to the traditional split, the reason is recovery time. You hammer that muscle and give it a week to recover. So if that muscle needs a week to recover, what happens when you practice or compete during that week? According to what we just discussed, the muscle will be tired, worn out, and useless. At the very least, your play will be less effective because of tired muscles.
There are much better ways for athletes to train. Bodybuilding programs are meant for bodybuilders. Every athlete needs to train specific to his/her sport to become better at that sport. Simply building muscle or gaining strength isn’t all that is required to become better at your sport. All athletes should use some type of full body program with functional exercises as well as traditional lifts. If you are a wrestler, train for wrestling. If you play tennis, train for tennis. Follow this advice and I guarantee you’ll see a difference in your sports performance.
One more thing...how many professional bodybuilders have you seen on a football or baseball field or wrestling mat? Zero. Do you think there’s a reason for that? Train smart and succeed!
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