Why bodybuilding is NOT for athletes
by Jason Hanisak
The biggest problem I come across with athletes is the
way that they are currently training. Everyone wants to train like a bodybuilder. I don't know if its the current
trend in muscle magazines, if its misinformation, or if the athletes simply don't have the proper goals in mind but changes
need to be made.
As an athlete, the first thing you need to do is ask what
are my goals with this lifting program. Do i need to be stronger? Do I need to be faster? Ask yourself
why am I lifting? Many times I get the answer to get bigger or to look better. Now if you are trying to gain
size for a sport then you should be lifting to get bigger. But what else? You still need to be explosive and fast
and coordinated. As far as lifting to look better, don't even step foot in the locker room if that is your interest.
Of course everyone wants to look good but any athlete's number one goal is to become better at your sport. Besides,
if you train hard and train properly your body will look great anyway.
The most common mistake I see with lifting programs is
the traditional split. That is when you train each muscle once a week on its own day. This is very common among
today's top bodybuilders. For bodybuilding purposes it is very effective. For athletes however it is not.
Let me tell you why. The goal of a bodybuilder is to build muscle. Strength does not matter at all. It
is simply about lean muscle mass and symmetry. Achieving the perfect physique is what every bodybuilder is after.
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 a power program.
The goal of a traditional athlete is to become better
at a sport other than bodybuilding. For example, wrestlers need to be strong, powerful, explosive, balanced on the mat.
Therefore, they need to use functional exercises in addition to standard lifts such as bench press or shoulder press.
In addition, an athlete needs to train for injury prevention. You can't play if you are injured. Exercises like
one leg squats, woodchoppers, or one leg deadlifts are just a few that accomplish all of these goals. Each sport needs
to be trained for differently. Baseball players rely on rotational core strength more than other athletes.
Another reason the traditional split is not for athletes
is recovery time as well as sport specificity. If you spend an hour on arms, how are your arms going to feel at practice
later on. They are going to be worn out and tired while the rest of your muscles are fresh. They will probably
get overworked. Plus, what if you miss a day. Do you skip that bodypart and continue on the next day. Do
you lift that bod ypart and keep th same schedule, just miss out on lifting the last body part this week. It just doesn't
make sense.
So how should you lift? Total body routines three
times per week. You could make a fourth optional day. You do a lower body push and upper body push, lower body
pull upper body pull and one or two specialized exercises for your sport. Why do it this way. Well, first ask
yourself, what muscles do you use during a game or match? All of them. You never use just your arms or just your
chest, etc. So why would you train that way. Its called exercise specificity and it means that you train specifically
how you play. If you want to be fast then you train fast. If you want to be strong you have to lift heavy weight.
You use all of your muscles during your sport so train all of your muscles together in the gym. This way you will not
beat up your muscle and wear it down, but rather stimulate the muscle and make it respond. You work all of your muscles
a little bit, let them rest for a day and stimulate them again. If you miss a workout, no big deal. You already
worked your entire body and when you lift agian you will do the same. Nothing is left out.
Still ot convinced? Think about this. If you
do biceps on Mondays, why don't you train them on Tuesday or Thursday? According to the traditional split the resaon
is recovery time. You hammer that muscle and give 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
and worn-out and therefore useless or at the very least your play will be less effective because of tired muscles.
My point is this. 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 functonal 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 will see a difference in you sports performance.
One more thing. How many pro bodybuilders have you
ever seen on a football or baseball field or wrestling mat? Zero. Do you think there's a reason for that?
