Today I read something that made me stop and think. A gentleman said on his website that people who train like athletes will "smoke" powerlifters, bodybuilders, and by extension strongmen when it comes to work capacity. I am by nature a Thinker, and this (like most things) made me stop and think. And then I went to make coffee, because thinking is so much better accompanied by a hot (unsweet) beverage.
I think that this statement makes several assumptions about athletes, work capacity, and weight-training-focused trainees (to include powerlifters, strongmen, and Olympic weightlifting).
First, it assumes that to "train as an athlete" demands that you train to increase work capacity a la Crossfit.
Second, it assumes that strength athletes aren't actually athletes OR that they don't have a significant work capacity, especially when compared to true athletes or Crossfit aficionados.
Thidly, and lastly (because all good things come in threes), how to train like an athlete (which is currently very much in vogue).
Work Capacity
Dealing with these assumptions in the order I've listed them, the entire idea of work capacity comes up first. According to Greg Glassman, founder of Crossfit, work capacity is increased across broad time and modal domains. However, I have yet to see Glassman specifically define work capacity. Why is that?
Well, I think it is because work capacity is a nebulous term that is applied to a great many things. If you simply google the term, you'll find Crossfit-related posts and some information from the USDA Forest Service.
There is a work capacity test for wildland firefighters, in which firefighters have to perform a series of tasks while wearing a pack and then must complete a 3 mile hike in under 45 minutes with a 45lb pack without running or jogging. (There are also several lighter versions of this specific test.)
Well, what does science have to say about work capacity? Well, what kind of work capacity? Aerobic work capacity? Anaerobic work capacity? Work capacity of synergistic muscle groups? Work capacity as a measured by the anaerobic threshold?
Hm. Interesting. So someone who "trains like an athlete" will have a greater work capacity then a powerlifter, bodybuilder, or strongman? What about anaerobic work capacity?
Anaerobic work capacity is the measure of all out work performed for 30 seconds. Work, in the physics sense, is a measurement of force production over distance. I personally think that strongman competitors will win this measurement every time. Pounds is a measurement of force; the stronger someone is, the more work they can perform. If we are limiting our work production to 30 seconds, I think that powerlifters, weightlifters, or strongmen (depending on the movement selected) will be able to move more weight over a given distance then most other athletes, and especially more then most Crossfitters. For instance, moving a maximum weight a maximum distance in the farmer's walk for 30 seconds - you will seriously tell me a Crossfitter will out perform a Strongman-competitor?
Well, what about aerobic work capacity? I had a very hard time finding "aerobic work capacity" in any literature, so I went with a close runner-up: aerobic capacity. Aerobic capacity is measured during a short, intense interval and looks at how much oxygen your body can consume over a given time. This is more commonly called VO2 max. Out of curiosity, I decided to look up the highest recorded VO2 max. Surprisingly, the top 4 were Norwegian, two of whom were cyclists and the other two were cross country skiers. The highest VO2 maxes were seen in cross country skiers, cyclists, and runners. Which sports typically demand the highest aerobic power output as determined by VO2 max? The 3000 to 5000m run, 800m run and road cycling, followed by boxing and rowing, and soccer and rugby.
So, when we look at all this, we quickly learn two things:
- Crossfit/general athletic training will NOT develop the greatest work capacity. This isn't a hate on Crossfit; it speaks to the fact that work capacity is a vague and undefined term, applicable to a great many things. However, maximum aerobic or anaerobic capacity will not be developed by Crossfit. (Crossfit might help wildland firefighters perform better on THEIR work capacity test, although I think developing a specific training plan would be more beneficial.)
- Those who have the greatest work capacity (depending on the definition) are a variety of athletes. Which brings us to our next point.
What is an athlete?
This is a crucial question if we're going to define how to train like an athlete, but it is also a critical question if we state that people who train like athletes will out perform people who train like powerlifters, strongman, or bodybuilders. According to Merriam-Webster's dictionary, an athlete is someone who is proficient at a sport, although the British definition limits it to those who compete in track and field events.
Well, that isn't very helpful, is it? As the British definition is very limiting and I'm very long-winded, let's focus more on the "sport proficiency" part of the definition. A proficiency is a skill or competency, and a sport is, according to MW, "an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment." Interesting.
So, is powerlifting a sport? Well, it requires physical exertion, skill, and competition. So powerlifters are athletes.
So, is strongman a sport? Well, it requires physical exertion, skill, and competition. So strongman-competitors are athletes.
So, is bodybuilding a sport? Well ... I don't really like to think so. But, it DOES require physical exertion, skill, and competition. So ... I guess it actually is. Which means ... Bodybuilders are athletes too!
All of that to say... Work capacity does not necessarily make you a better athlete (it depends on your sport), and that "athlete" is a very broad category and not limited to, say, football players (a large group of athletes that most people think of when you say "training like an athlete").
What is athleticism?
I think that what a lot of people mean when they say "training like an athlete" is training for this idea of athleticism. Athleticism can have a variety of definitions, from being able to compete in a sport (which will, again, vary depending on your sport) to being physically strong and well-developed, especially being muscular (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/athleticism).
Wait. Bodybuilders are athletic? Well... It depends. If bodybuilding is their sport, yes. If bodybuilding allows them to be physically strong and muscular, yes.
So, what do people really think athleticism is?
The problem is that people, as a general rule, like to develop these preconceptions that fit in these tiny little boxes. An "athlete" is one who can run a sub-21:00 5k, sprint a 4 second 40, deadlift three times their bodyweight, cut and weave with the best of them, and can dunk a basketball. Or something like that. A lot of people think "training like an athlete" is the same as "training like a high school football player." Well, that would depend on your high school football program.
But its not. As we've seen with our definition of athletes and sports, there is a huge range of what being an athlete and athleticism can be. In short (too late), I think athleticism means you possess an adequate skill set (such as strength, agility, power, speed, and sport-specific skills) that allows you to be competitive in your chosen sport.
Training like an athlete
This brings us to our last point: how to train like an athlete. If you remember from what started this whole blog post, the gentleman said that those who train like athletes will out perform the strength-focused subset of the training population. We've already seen how asinine that comment was, although that sentiment is unfortunately very common in the Crossfit world.
This is possible the easiest, and probably the most deceptive, part of this blog. There is no one way, or best way, to train like an athlete. To train like an athlete, you must know your sport and your position in that sport. A wide receiver (football) is not going to train the same way a center (basketball) or keeper (soccer) or super heavyweight (Olympic weightlifting) or road cyclist will train. Know your sport, know yourself ... and start working from there.
If you are not actually training for a particular sport, you have the ultimate ability to choose what type of athlete you want to train like. You could pick any sport, from Crossfit Games to World's Strongest Man to football. You could even "taste" a couple different training styles and decide which one you enjoy the most.
Wait. Enjoy the most? You mean I'm supposed to ENJOY my training? Its not actually some masochistic thing I have to do so I can feel good about those 3 chocolate chip cookies I ate yesterday? Yes, enjoy your training. If you don't enjoy it, why are you doing it? You just want to be healthier? A good (albeit nebulous) goal, but ... Maybe you shouldn't be training like an athlete. Find something you enjoy, something that gets you off your butt and active (or on your butt and active, in the case of cycling and rowing). If you enjoy it, you're more likely to stick with it.
In Conclusion...
Be very careful about saying one way is THE way, or one set of people can always out perform another set of people, or that your way of training for X is also the best way of training for Y. Will Crossfit make you an elite competitor in powerlifting? Probably not. Can Crossfit make you a healthier powerlifter? Maybe. Will a Crossfitter have a higher work capacity then a strongman or a cyclist? I doubt it, but maybe. Will Crossfit develop the highest work capacities seen in athletics? Most likely not.
The thing I've always liked about Crossfit, the only thing I've really ever liked about Crossfit, is its willingness to learn from and incorporate multiple training methods into a single system. Too often, runners only run and powerlifters only lift. I have an intense dislike for "either/or" situations, and the idea that I can train several things (like strength and aerobic capacity) concurrently is appealing to me. Is it ideal for gaining strength or increasing aerobic capacity? Probably not. It definitely won't make me the best at either. But, I don't have to be the best at something, and I probably never will be the best at anything (except being me). But, I can always train to be a better me then I was yesterday, or last week, or last month, or last year. I think that should be a goal for everyone to strive for.
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