Rest

[CougarDav]

My son plays football for a Div. I University that resently changed the head coach and subsiquently strenth\conditioning coaches. For the 1st time in his life and mine for that matter, the coaches are requiring workouts that consist of the same muscle groups every day. Such as bench press, squats, etc.

Is there some new research that supports daily working of these muscle groups without a day or two of rest? Will this help him gain strenth or hurt him?

[Bill Hartman]

It all depends on the program design.

Especially when talking about sports-related training there are a number of variables to consider. The old 48 hours of rest between training sessions does not necessarily apply.

Take olympic weightlifting for example. Weightlifters will perform some form of heavy squatting 4-5 times per week. They are also some very strong and powerful athletes. Maybe the most powerful in all of sport based on the math. Variability of load (% of maximum) and volume (sets and reps) changes to prevent stagnation and overtraining.

There are many protocols with a high number of workouts per microcycle (usually a 7-10 day cycle) that show rather impressive strength gains in a very short time. There is also a matter of how long this type of training is performed. Some programs are designed to prevent full recovery during part of the cycle and then show an amazing delayed training effect which can skyrocket strength levels very quickly when full recovery is allowed.

There are also many strength coaches that design pure crap when it comes to sports training.

If you can provide more detail of the program it would be much easier to identify strengths and weaknesses of the program.

Bill Hartman

[Brian Grasso]

I agree with you, Bill!

Beware of the strength coaches with all the flashy certifications and credentials but no substance or practical knowledge.

Having said that...

There is a side to strength training (more on the functional perspective) that indicates athletes should train MOVEMENTS rather than MUSCLES. It becomes a question of nervous system training (i.e. developing strength/power in a neural sequence or pattern) versus adding mass to the muscle belly. While bodybuilders typically need to rest muscles and groups of muscles for certain periods of time after training them (for the purpose of hypertrophy) this does not necessarily apply to any athlete.

Common strategies of true strength development (NOT hypertrophic responses) include frequency of training (i.e. training the nervous system through a particular lift or movement on a regular basis and without long periods of rest).

Don't forget what Bill said though...

Some strength coaches 'design pure crap'!

Hope this help.


- Brian

[YOUNGONCE]

Agree - "credentials but no credibility" - an all too common occurance now-a-days.

How many of these credentialed coaches and/or trainers have experienced the goofy stuff that they're inflicting on their trainees?

Incompetence is rampant in the "personal training" field, I see it every day. All trainers (teachers) would better serve their clients (students) if they'd first educate them to the point that they could recognize the trainer's BS...or not!

My rant...... anyway, for what it's worth, via my education and experience: previous two posts are right-on. I guess I could have said that first and not thrown my $.02 worth at you.