A few weeks ago I was able to go home and visit with my family up in Down East Maine. While I was there I was able to get a workout in at the old community gym that I called home for so many years.
While I was lifting, there was a man and his son working out. The boy was probably in 8th grade, he was doing a dumbbell shoulder press. To be more specific it was a neutral grip press, elbows tucked in. The father was walking on the treadmill and tells the son, “Push your elbows out. It’s sport specific.”
Wait, what?!?
BOOM! Mind officially blown.
When did a shoulder press become sports specific and how does having your elbows out to the side make it more specific then having your arms in a neutral position. At least with the elbows in you are lessening the chance of injury in the shoulder.
What I took from this somewhat comical situation was that, to my surprise, not everyone knows what sports specific training is.
This may come as a surprise to some of you but there really isn’t anything sports specific about lifting weights, unless you are a power lifter or an Olympic lifter.
I have never watched someone squat and thought to myself, “Wow, he squats really well, he must have a great jump shot.” Or thought, “He benches a lot of weight, he must be a great offensive linemen.”
You want to know why? It’s because, although having strong legs and arms will help prevent injuries, it does not directly make you better at your sport. To be a good basketball player you have to work on your shot, you can’t practice that in the weight room. To be a good lineman you have to work on hand placement and footwork. A bench press will not help with that. But strength will compliment all of these attributes.
I am guessing he is training to be a waiter
What is Sports Specific Training?
Sports specific training takes place when you play your sport. You get better at your sport by practicing it. There is no way to simulate all the movement that can happen in any given sporting event.
But if you practice you will become more comfortable with your skill. If baseball is your sport then work on you’re hitting or pitching or catching. Sports specific training takes place when playing a particular sport or sports with similar skill sets.
The Benefits of Working Out
This is not to say athletes do not gain anything from the weight room. There is a lot an athlete can do to get better at their respective sports by weight training. To list a few things: Injury Prevention, Improving Coordination and Movement Patterns, Increase Strength and Power, Improve on Quickness and Speed, and many more advantages.
But all this will not help Johnny throw a football better. The truth is Johnny may bust his ass in the weight room but just does not have the sports specific skill to make him great at the sport. The skill comes from one of two places. Many hours of practice and repetition, or you were born with it.
Closing
The gist of it is. Lifting weights is not sports specific; playing one’s sport is sports specific. Don’t get the two confused.
Best
Josh Williams
