It’s impossible.
That’s what they say when they don’t understand or they don’t believe it’s possible.
But records are being broken, and beliefs are being proved wrong all the time.
Bannister did it in the 50’s when he broke the 4 minute mile barrier.
Fosbury did it in the 70’s when he broke the 7 feet high jump barrier.
And more recently, Kipchoge did it when he broke the 2 hour barrier for running a marathon.
They laugh when someone’s technique is “wrong” – until that “wrong” technique starts beating them.
They laughed at Paula Radcliffe, the marathon runner, when she nodded her head while she ran. They even tried to train it out of her, only to discover that she ran slower.
They laughed at Fosbury with his “ridiculous” flop technique, until he started winning.
They laughed at Usain Bolt when he wanted to become a sprinter, thinking that he was too tall, not powerful enough etc.
And it’s exactly the same when it comes to “the best” fitness training methods.
One minute this technique or approach is best, and then the next minute it’s something else.
But there’s one thing that NONE of these approaches take into consideration, and it’s that whatever training method you choose – the function of the human body MUST come first.
In most cases, training methods are focused on the outcome they want, so if the aim is to run faster, then there’s a focus on more speed work, plyometrics, strength training and the like…all designed (and practicing) moving in a forwards direction more quickly.
But they fail to address the underlying function of the athlete’s body first, and this is a BIG mistake.
Because in order to be able to perform ANY movement at ANY speed, the body needs to be able to move easily and without restriction.
If we’re trying to make a body that is struggling to move easily, move more quickly, we’ll only make a small amount of progress.
But if we help the body move easily FIRST, and THEN ask it to do that quickly, now we’re looking at serious improvements – and of course, less risk of injury.
So regardless of what results you’re trying to achieve for your clients, and regardless of what training methods you’re using, stop thinking about the outcome you’re looking for, and start thinking about how well your client’s body is moving – and make THIS the priority.
Everything else, comes second.
THAT’S how you’ll keep your clients imporving regardless of the changes in what the industry considers “correct” or “best”.
THAT’S how you’ll swim, not sink.
Not convinced? Just think about how well your clients perform when they’re injured.
Pain limits movement, limited movement destroys performance. Limited movement without pain is no different. Without movement, you have no performance.
Oh, and it’s not as difficult as you’d think either!
In fact, you don’t really have to change how you coach now. Just overlay a bit of knowledge and the skills to apply it and what you’ll end up with are a few simple tweaks that will achieve everything your client’s body needs AND the performance goals you’re aiming for!
Where can you get this knowledge? Great question!
And besides, what the industry considers “correct” technique, is often just what one person was doing when they beat everyone else. Their form got analysed and held up as the gold standard…but that’s a story for another day 🙂