I'm a big fan of absolute strength. I have been for a while and I don't see that changing any time soon. But, that's not to say that I don't appreciate relative strength. It still amazes me how poorly people are able to control their own bodies, both competitive and everyday athletes. The problem with this is that, in sport and in life, there are often times when our physical strength is judged on a relative basis. For the elderly, being able to stand up out of a chair or walk up and down stairs is of the utmost importance. For kids, being able to climb, run, jump, and swing are everyday necessities. From teens to middle-aged adults, relative strength is often taken for granted until it is gone due to age or weight-related problems. I can't tell you the number of people I see every week who are truly disappointed in themselves because they can't do ten push-ups or a single pull-up.
Whether we realize it or not, we put a lot of importance on relative strength in our minds, so perhaps it is time to start giving it importance in our training as well. Since January I have been doing one day of body-weight circuit training a week, and my relative strength has improved dramatically because of it. Body-weight circuits are not only great for improving relative strength, they are also a great conditioning tool as well.
If you are interested in starting body weight circuits, sign up to be on my mailing list to receive my Workout of the Week every week. You will also receive my "Monster Pushups" program with this subscription. You can sign up by filling out the required information here.
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