Exercise Epiphanies

**Gypsy Jazz** · Posted On: 10/22/2011 1:05am

There have been some really good threads in other forums here on epiphanies worth sharing, so why not have one here too? Share away, hopefully we all benefit and don't hate each other too much by the end of it. None of these ideas are original.

1. Strength and conditioning coaches primary goal is injury prevention. No matter how strong, fast, fit, or good someone is, if they're injured the athletes can't play the game and that coach gets fired. How many of our own exercise routines mimic this model?

2. Just because an action looks similar to something in your chosen sport(s) doesn't mean it has any carry-over. Muscles activated, firing patterns, neurologically, and probably any number of other ways exercises can be (and often are) vastly different than skills.

3. Needs dictate the program. This one is a bit more opinion based and less empirical for sure. Stronglift 5x5 is a pretty damn good program and as such is broadly recommended around here. Matching opposing movements 1 push to 1 pull makes total sense if everything is in balance, but how many of us really are? I like 2 or 3 to 1 pulls to pushes especially when someone is hunched over a desk all day. The same concept can be applied to anything really, but depends on what you need.

4. Strong glutes seem to be the answer to everything. Back pain? Strengthen glutes. Knee pain? Glutes. Flat feet? Glutes can help somehow. Want to increase your pressing strength? Stronger glutes can improve your base of support. Improve strength in damn near anything low body... you guessed it. If you've never felt your ass before, or just want to see how "dormant" your butt was, give the "Cook Hip Lift" a shot during your next warm-up.

5. Rowing and benching look like opposing movements, but might not quite be. One of the major points of a row is to work on getting your scapulae retracted and depressed. How do you bench? Scapulae retracted and depressed. The true opposite motion of a row would be a "push-up plus". Blew my mind.

**MMAMickey** · Posted On: 10/22/2011 4:08am

Originally Posted by Gypsy Jazz

2. Just because an action looks similar to something in your chosen sport(s) doesn't mean it has any carry-over. Muscles activated, firing patterns, neurologically, and probably any number of other ways exercises can be (and often are) vastly different than skills.

I always see this with people thinking that bench pressing carries over into punches. Even a few well known MMA magazines have touted such nonsense.

**PerseusStoned** · Posted On: 10/22/2011 1:42pm

Subbed.

**Azatdawn** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 5:51am

Originally Posted by MMAMickey

I always see this with people thinking that bench pressing carries over into punches. Even a few well known MMA magazines have touted such nonsense.

Well I've felt that bench-pressing has helped my punching power, but it's not really a substitute for actually practicing punches... well either that or it's all in my head and my technique just sucks.

**MMAMickey** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 6:08am

Originally Posted by Azatdawn

Well I've felt that bench-pressing has helped my punching power, but it's not really a substitute for actually practicing punches... well either that or it's all in my head and my technique just sucks.

It strengthens your upper body and makes for a more efficient force transfer while punching, therefore it can result in increased punching power. However this has nothing to do with carry over from the movement. The movement itself is not sport specific.

**Azatdawn** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 7:08am

Originally Posted by MMAMickey

It strengthens your upper body and makes for a more efficient force transfer while punching, therefore it can result in increased punching power. However this has nothing to do with carry over from the movement. The movement itself is not sport specific.

Okay, yes. This I 100% agree with.

**Gypsy Jazz** · Posted On: 10/23/2011 3:34pm

Though not specifically exercise, I'll toss this one in as being another change in thought for me.

Diet dictates weight lost, exercise dictates what you're losing. Clarifying the point a bit, it's damn near impossible to out-exercise a bad diet. Creating a caloric deficit is the biggest factor in your ability to lose weight of any kind, but even intense bouts of exercise aren't going to be enough to counter-act lousy eating habits.

Regular (fairly heavy) weight training will stimulate the mechanism for muscle growth, though without energy to build muscle (calories, macros, etc) that stimulus will work to prevent any significant muscle or strength loss. Combine that with a caloric deficit (mostly created via diet) and you'll be losing mostly the stuff you want to lose.