As adults with full lives, fitting a beloved sport into one’s schedule can be daunting but rewarding. Team comradery, physical exertion, and competition (not to mention winning!) all make life fun. And yet, sometimes it feels like something is missing. Health-wise and interest-wise, lifting is that “something” that more and more adults want to participate in. But often they are left wondering if it will be a hindrance to their other activities. Not only can we make an argument for lifting to push things, but we can also demonstrate how it helps support and improve an individual’s main sport.
Some people get introduced to the power clean – a weightlifting move – in high school. It is often trained as an accessory for certain sports, particularly in football. For many, this is the only barbell exercise they are ever taught. For others, the weight room becomes a secondary part of their training. However, there are a lot of sports that don’t focus on strength development at all. This could be due to time constraints or to prejudices that building muscle will inhibit their ability to perform.
Strong ≠ Bulky
There is a misconception that lifting will make a person bulky or “too thick” which will, in turn, cause issues related to ease of movement, mobility, agility, speed, or coordination. This concern makes sense on the surface. After all, most individual disciplines favor a specific body type or trait at the very least. This is, of course, a generalization and there are always outliers; but most teams or player positions exhibit similar body types. To stray from that – to potentially put on muscle that will modify the athlete’s frame – may sound like it could be detrimental. But that’s not really true. There are many aspects of the myth that lifting heavy will be counterproductive that need to be dispelled.
The first thing to keep in mind is that training with weights can get someone strong – stronger – without creating the dreaded “bulky” physique. It is, in fact, very difficult to add size to one’s frame. Bodybuilding is extremely challenging. To look stage-ready, competitors diet heavily and do a ton of cardio, especially as the competition gets closer. On the lifting side of things, they are generally doing high repetitions of lighter weight on short rest. They may ALSO be doing some powerlifting – some multi-joint movements like the squat, bench press, or deadlift – to legitimately build strength. However, it is not those movements that are creating the size in bodybuilders.
To explain further, there is a continuum of power, strength, and hypertrophy that can be trained with various lifting protocols. If an athlete in another sport wants to be physically stronger and more powerful for that endeavor, they can focus on the powerlifts and executing lower-rep sets. This will prevent the thick muscularity that they are worried about. Additionally, putting on a ton of muscle mass requires a huge commitment to a specific diet – and to eating A LOT.
Don’t Get Weighed Down by Myths
If someone is worried about physical weight of muscle, that shouldn’t be something to be anxious about either. It is very possible to maintain a lighter bodyweight but increase lean body mass. This, too, entails some attention to nutrition; however, lowering body fat at the same time as increasing muscle can help. The individual has control of the situation. It is, therefore, very likely that an athlete actively would put on useful lean mass without causing extreme changes that would negatively impact their pursuit of improving in another sport.
A related concern about building muscle is simply that the development will slow someone down or make them less efficient due to the nature of strength training. Although it appears that powerlifters are moving slowly, the force that a lifter generates during an exercise is huge, especially when working through a full range of motion. This can improve power output, whether it is used in another sport to move an object faster and farther, or to stop another force defensively.
Additionally, training the weightlifting movements – the snatch and the clean & jerk – can improve reaction time and agility. These lifts are categorized as “speed strength”. They can only be executed successfully if done quickly. Various athletes could benefit from this. Turnover rates, change of direction, and balance are just some examples of markers that can be positively affected by including these lifts into one’s training.
Balancing Act
A serious consideration of many athletes – regardless of performance level – is balancing the time dedicated to accessory work with that of their main sport. This is a reality, but it doesn’t mean that it is impossible to manage. Depending on the seriousness of the commitment to the other sport, the need for specificity of skill practice, the level of strength training desired, and the athlete’s lifestyle, a plan can be made to accommodate adding strength sessions into their program. There are two situations to look at: those sports that have an Off Season and those that do not.
The nature of different sports carries a variety of season lengths and commitment. Most endeavors actually have four phases: In Season, Post Season, Off Season, and Pre Season. Just from the labels alone, it is easy to recognize what they each mean and where the training emphasis should be. But here is a simple breakdown.
In Season:
The period of time when games and tournaments occur.
Sport-specific drills and refinement, as well as game preparation and recovery, are the top priority here.
Post Season:
The block immediately after the last official match of the season.
This is an opportunity for rest, recovery, and fun.
Off Season:
The longer stretch following the brief “downtime” of the post season.
This is the time to build strength and power and a “base”, get into optimal shape for one’s sport, increase cardiorespiratory fitness, and work on areas with a less intense need to hone fine skills.
Pre Season:
The timeframe leading into the actual season when competition takes place.
Specific skills, conditioning, and the final prep for the competition window happen during this period.
The Off Season is an ideal phase to increase strength and power without deteriorating from the sport itself. If it is possible, this is a great opportunity to get in amazing shape for the upcoming competitive period and to incorporate weight training effectively. As they get closer to the Pre Season phase, an athlete can shift focus and start to train the elements of the sport as required by the coaching staff, etc.
If, on the other hand, there isn’t a block of time where there is no competition – for example, when the sport is year-round or someone plays in various leagues, etc – there is still an opportunity to enjoy both lifting and the competition. An athlete and coach can note the game days and practice sessions for a week or month and then look at the person’s overall life and schedule. Time permitting, adding in even two lifting sessions per week would be beneficial. Some people will train on their off days. Others will just make sure to get the lifting done prior to skill-based work.
We CAN All Get Along
Overall, it comes down to individual needs. What does the sport require? What will help the athlete improve? A rousing endorsement of cross training by incorporating strength came from a recreational but serious volleyball player. She had participated in the sport all through college, and now, as an adult with children in their late teens, she plays in competitive leagues. She stated that lifting helps you know you are stable. Lateral and backwards movements are easier and there is peace of mind knowing that you are solid. She is more resilient and balanced. She feels the difference and it has increased her confidence in her body and her ability to play.
Likewise, we have trained many individuals at SBWC who are extremely serious about their activities and find that incorporating various strength sports makes them better athletes. Take the 60-year-old elite marathon runner who has seen verifiable improvement in his ground contact time due to training the dynamic weightlifting exercises, for example. Or the league basketball player who finally was able to dunk because his power output was better. Or the talented high school hockey player looking to get a scholarship to a top-tier school who trains “heavy” in his off season. Or the rock climber who was able to drive harder and grip better on challenging routes. Rock climbers – the epitome of wanting to be lithe and limber!
These are just some of the real life examples that we’ve seen that speak to the power of adding strength training into an exercise regime. The list goes on and on. Strength translates to speed and power. Having a strong base makes people better and more competitive. Not only would I say that lifting and other sports play well together – but that they work better together.
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