Toughness Vs. Technology

Toughness vs. Technology 

Complex does not mean great. 


Sophisticated doesn't mean challenging. 


Revolutionary does not always equate to success. 

     Most of these statements contradict themselves in everyday life, yet in my life and the life of many strength and conditioning coaches around the world simple is better. Athletes strive to become the best and are subject to new training techniques, fads and myths, and more technology in some training centres than electronics store. The idea behind these new training methods is that the athlete will somehow become better through a system of pulleys, buttons, compression systems and computers and monitors. The sad truth behind this is; not only is the athlete wasting time and money, "dynamic and cutting edge"is misleading and a sad misfortune.

    The "favour" is that the workload is lessoned, the training methods are subpar and you'll leave the gym in a light sweat, short of breath and somewhat less of a man than before you entered. I know the cliche is inevitable but it must be said. "Why fix something that isn't broken?"
Perfect example is the video above, and we all know how that one turned out.

"He's not human-he's like a piece of iron"-Ivan Drago


There are a few simple things that every great athlete does to train:
-Lift Heavy
-Run
-Jump
-Recover

    One of the biggest preachers of this type of training is Zach Even-Esh. The man is a genius. Joe DeFranco is another one of the greats in the industry who NEEDS to be mentioned in this article. What do both these men have in common? They produce freak athletes and have a no bullshit approach to training. Their athletes lift and pull heavy things (bars, tires, sleds, atlas stones, sandbags, yokes, etc), preform freakish bodyweight exercises, run fast & jump. They don't need calibrated machines, compression devices, treadmills, and all the other marketable necessities sought after by some athletes & training facilities.

  Focus on being able to control your body through all ranges of motion and being able to be functional as an athlete. Pack on muscle and strength through lifting properly and become fast, agile and explosive through running and jumping. Save money, save time and save a headache and train PROPERLY. Old school training never got old. Time to man up and take responsibility and realize their are millions of athletes in the world and the ones that make it to the top are the ones who bang out that extra rep, don't skip over the mobility and rehab sessions, put blood sweat and tears into their workouts and would actually embarrass any gym rat/wannabe bodybuilder when it comes down to pure strength, power and speed. This simple, barebones training turns you into a man and into an athletic freak.

One of the easiest ways to look at it is this...
When in sport are you ever strapped down, sitting down, slowly moving, and able to control the pace of the opposing athlete in sport? NEVER. So don't train sitting down, do not train attached to machines and do something applicable to your sport. The bar isn't going to get up unless you pull it up, the dumbbells do not have a lever that you can just push out to save yourself from getting through that last tough rep and you control the speed and direction of the squat and whether or not it gets up. Speed, plyometrics, agility as well as mobility are constantly evolving but for the better. You need to train smart and you need to training properly.

I am sick and tired of hearing about all these revolutionary programs that will pack on 30lbs of muscle in only two months and that because its working for one athlete it is going to work for everyone. Heres an idea, stop subscribing to mens health and get into a gym where the athletes, PERFORMANCE coaches and atmosphere will challenge you.

"Pick up heavy shit, put it over your head. And do it often, and you will get stronger"-Rob Orlando

Off-Season has officially begun!

 Train Hard.

-Per

www.trainwithme.ca