In this month’s issue of Men’s Health, Joe Kita writes a great article about the strength training approach of Coach Dos Remedios, or the College of the Canyons, Santa Clarita California and his take on getting bigger, stronger and leaner.
Coach Dos’s training consists of relatively short, high intensity compound resistance exercise, regularly changed up. By concentrating on this method of training, not only will one be able to sculpt the body they want, but they will also gain the benefits of functional fitness.
Hmm…. Where have I heard this ad nauseam before? Oh, that’s right - the tried and true crossfit. But this isn’t the first time that Men’s Health has featured an article about the benefits of athletic type strength training and how superior it is, compared to the isolation movements of the standard bodybuilding repertoire. Several months ago the Men’s Health “guy” was Jason Statham - the ripped action flic actor \ mixed martial arts practitioner who gets his physique (and uncanny strength) through high intensity functional movements. Again - crossfit-esque in every way.
So I wonder - is this the new norm? Are more and more gym rats suddenly going to be hitting the pull-up bar and working on their cleans and push jerks? Will lines begin forming for the power racks? Will squatting and deadlifts start getting the attention they deserve? Probably not. Unfortunately.
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Hehe, I think the odd gym rat is catching some of this drift, but whether it sticks is another matter. I’ve noticed recently that casual bodybuilders (i.e. normal guys who just work out to look slightly better than average) are starting to explore bodyweight exercises, crossfit etc. There was a lot of buzz after 300 came out which got people trying more functional stuff.
Thing is, the functional stuff is harder to perform than your normal bicep curl, so people don’t stick with it. Not everyone is prepared to push themselves to those limits. Same applies to squat and deadlift: ever had to psyche yourself up for a heavy deadlift session? It’s not for the faint of heart!
December 11th, 2007
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