You can steal the ‘workout’, but you’re robbing the kids.
“Many coaches will prescribe exercises they see other coaches programming, without having a clue as to WHY they program them.
Inserting random exercises into workout without understanding the importance of a global programming model isn’t coaching.
It’s robbing athletes.”
-Ray Zingler on Twitter
“Have you heard about <insert x> style of training? They do a lot of ‘y’ that I think is great!”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of it.”
“Awesome, do you implement any of it!?”
“No.”
There is no shortage of exercises and there is no shortage of modality.
Some of it’s good, some of it’s bad, and most of it works, until it doesn’t.
One of the biggest problems in S&C (Youth S&C, specifically) is that many coaches know a number of different programs/exercises exist, however they don’t have a clue in hell whether or not they should actually USE that modality with their specific demographic.
You have two sides to the coin.
On one side, you have coaches out there who try to implement a true Westside Conjugate program with 13-year old’s or have some guy take elements of Cal Dietz triphasic system and implement the principles with kid’s who don’t even know what a hip hinge is.
I get it bro, you’ve bought the books, you understand the concepts (Louie didn’t even fully understand the concepts, lol) and it seems cool to program training modality of the strength elites…. With 14-year olds. Give me a break.
On the other side, and I believe this to be even worse, you have coaches who don’t know their asshole from their elbow when it comes to assessing and improving athletic performance, programming exercises they see other people doing on the internet.
“Why are you doing that?”
“How does what you’re doing fit into your training philosophy?”
“Does this modality fit the bill for your macro programming approach?”
“Does what you’re doing make sense based on your kid’s training ages and levels of competence?”
“Should you be doing this stuff in-season? Are you sure?”
These questions, if answered honestly would be met with a response like this:
“Philosophy? Macro Approach? Huh? What does training age or time of year have to do with this? We’re just doing stuff I see on Instagram.”
And this is why we are where we are in the performance world.
While we have no shortage of access to information, we have nobody holding anybody accountable.
“Coaches” can take other (real) coaches 60-second clips off Instagram and create a “business” training people.
Why? Because they know you don’t know the difference between real & faux.
The IG guru isn’t going to hold himself accountable, either.
See the bullshit. Call the bullshit.
It’s the only way.
