TRAINING FOR SPECIFICITY

TRAINING FOR SPECIFICITY

Years ago I was an assistant baseball coach for a high school program with a pretty good head coach.  One pre season, he did something that was a bit controversial.  Knowing we'd be losing a key middle infielder after the upcoming season, he had his eye on a youngster that had potential take his spot.  This underclassmen was a solid ball player, hard worker.  The only problem was he was overweight and slow.  His weight did effect his performance.  The coach hypothesized that if he could get the player to lose weight, he would improve his speed and defensive range, and increase his value to the team.  He developed a station for this player at each pre season practice to run halls, stairs, and do extra conditioning and running.  When other players may be working on position skills or situational skills or other skills this player was proficient in, he was sent to the hall with a group of players to condition.  Was the method effective?  Somewhat.  The player never truly developed any speed, but he did become a valuable player for the program.

The reason for this anecdote wasn't to question or call out a coaching strategy, it was to illustrate how a good coach was trying to use the principle of specificity to improve athletic performance.  The PRINCIPLE OF SPECIFICITY, simplified, is choosing exercises or training protocols that will lead to your specific goals.  The coaches goal for the aforementioned athlete was to lose weight, because he felt it would make him faster.  What's the easiest way to lose weight; burn more calories than you consume.  The easiest way to control that with a high school student is keep them moving as long as possible when they are in your presence.  The chosen method may not have been right, but the coach was at least thinking.  He wanted his athlete faster, quicker, and with the ability to cover more ground on the ball field.  He thought losing weight would do that, so he devised a program to lose weight.  I know some full time personal trainers that can't develop specified programs for their clients goals.  Now, the coach probably could have used a better method to improve the athlete's speed, but I credit him for treating his athletes as individuals, something we need to see trainers and coaches do a better job of.

Training for specificity is an important concept, and unfortunately many times it's thrown out the door because a coach, athlete, individual, and even trainer get wrapped up in the brand new, shiny training program that a hot  bodied model is trying to sell.  Don't get me wrong, some of these programs are great, but most of them are either highly specified and require certain skills that if a person does not have can lead to frustration or injury, or they are highly generic, thus enjoyment and results peter out quickly.  A great example of this is cross fit.  I have been a vocal about cross fit in the past and most of it has been negative.  Most of the negativity was rhetoric, but I do have a problem with cross fit, but on the other hand I think cross fit can be a great adjunct to a training program.  My problem with cross fit is that 99% of the people I see doing it and the trainers I see coaching it have no rhyme or reason for their "workout of the day".  They simply throw a bunch of movements and exercises together and beat the hell out of their athletes.  The biggest problem is that a lot of these movements are complex and advance and require specific techniques.  And more often than not, the trainers do not have sufficient education and knowledge to teach these lifts, and the athletes doing them do not have the proper strength foundation to perform them.  Individual's  go to the local cross fit gym and enter a class or hire a trainer that has been certified in a weekend course and begin doing a cross fit program.  Maybe this person has the ability to perform the advanced moves, but most do not.  Most of these people are like almost all gym members and they have just enough knowledge about exercise and the body to be dangerous to themselves and others.  They get into this cross fit program and their banging away at squats, kipping pull-ups, cleans, and other bodily movements, every other day.  The trainer is throwing AMRAPS and repeats and timing things.  What happens when we do AMRAPS (as many reps as possible) or we do things past the point of fatigue?  Our technique breaks down. What happens when technique breaks down?  Injury.  Add weight to that and make it a complex, multi joint movement and the rate of injury increases exponentially, and that is exactly what cross fit is at a majority of places.

The purpose of this blog is not to trash cross fit.  I think there are admirable qualities in cross fit and quite frankly it looks fun.  I've even used principles of it with my athletes and clients.  The purpose of this article is to address TRAINING FOR SPECIFICITY.  The problems I see in cross fit I see in field sports, indoor sports, bodybuilding, running, etc...  Any place and every place I see a person trying to achieve a fitness or performance goal or a coach or athlete trying to improve play on the field, I see countless of hours wasted.  Each person and athlete is unique, and should be treated as such.  Yes, the initial phases of training are often similar throughout, because each person much develop basic strength, flexibility, and techniques.  But even in the beginning phases of training things should be specific to client goals.  An individual that has the goal to lose 50 pounds shouldn't be spending 15 minutes doing abdominal training and focusing on arm and shoulder workouts with dumbbells.  That person needs whole body movements to develop strength, coordination, and to keep the heart rate elevated.  They also need a decent amount of cardiovascular training to help burn calories and strengthen their heart and vascular systems.

A baseball player that hits .350, runs fast, and has a good arm, but is not a good defensive player is doing nobody any good if he takes extra batting practice.  That time should be spent on defensive play. 

A high school athlete that is too slow to make an impact shouldn't bench pressing.  They should be developing as much strength and flexibility in their lower body as possible and running sprint intervals with enough time between each sprint to give 90-95% effort on each run.

If your goal is to run a 10 K, most of your training time should be spent on running.  If your goal is to be the best bodybuilder you can be on stage and your legs dominate your upper body, then why are you training legs twice a week and chest once per week?

If an athlete has injured her ACL, her training should be spent rehabbing that knee, then extra time should be placed on strengthening the joint to prevent further injuries from happening.

If you play an overhead sport, you should continue to train with overhead movements, but you should be smart about it and make sure you are doing the proper strengthening exercises to keep proper AC Joint integrity as well as making sure you have proper scapular mobility.

Training for Specificity is probably the most lacking thing I see in my field.  I pride myself on making sure that I set goals for each of my clients and athletes.  Sometimes my goals for them are not the same as their own goals.  That's because I've been coaching and training people for 18 years and I've worked with 3 year olds all the way up to the elderly.  I've coached T Ball and college sports.  I've worked with and for professional athletes and coaches in multiple capacities.  Training for specificity is the most important thing an athlete or individual can do to reach their goal.  One of the problems with training for specificity is that often we have the wrong goals, and that is where a trainer or therapist can come into play.  If you are feeling weak in certain areas, lacking flexibility, or have pain you need to see a doctor or physical therapist to see what is wrong.  If you are healthy, set a specific and realistic goal.  From there find a trainer or do some research to see what training programs or exercises will best help you reach that goal.  I promise, if you do some soul searching, figure out what you need to accomplish, and train for specific reasons, you will see yourself make improvements along the way.

Kyle Harris is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer and Natural Professional Bodybuilder.  He has coached thousands of athletes and worked with all levels and ages, from 3 year olds to senior citizens.  He is an All American EFX Sports Representative and former high school varsity baseball coach.  He currently teaches Elementary Physical Education and works part time at the Bob Harris Baseball School as well as working as a personal trainer and contest prep coach.  To contact or hire Kyle Harris please email him at battersbox@yahoo.com or follow him on twitter @hossjob.