The purpose of this thread is to generate discussion about the ideas presented in the book Strength is Specific by Chris Beardsley. I’ve heard Jordan and Austin suggest this book a couple of times. I just finished reading it and it has certainly challenged many of my beliefs regarding sport-specific strength training. For example, I held the belief that the below-parallel back squat developed strength that enhanced any ground-based activity for any sport. Beardsley explains that this type of squat is not as useful as most might think because it requires slow-speed force production at long muscle lengths.
If you coach sport athletes or train for a sport yourself I encourage you to read this book (it’s only $3 on Amazon). After you’ve read the book I hope you would discuss the ideas on this thread. I am a high school strength and conditioning coach. I can’t say that I plan on completely abandoning the powerlifting movements but, after reading this, I’ve learned that I can’t train my athletes to be powerlifters.
I’m going to try to put together a short summary of the book. If you read the book you might discover that the chapters start to get very dry and repetitive. I think that’s because Beardsley maintains a scientific writing style throughout the entire book. What’s really helpful is that at the end of each chapter he provides a “What’s the Takeaway” section that sums up the ideas.
Glad you read the book and allowed it to challenge your beliefs!
Nothing cuts through delusion like a Beardsley infographic.
There’s been some serious cognitive dissonance going on in my brain lately! I recently was thinking about the Dunning-Kruger curve. I think if I had to sketch mine out right now it would look like the image I’ve attached. In the past, I’ve been prone to go all-in with certain ways of thinking only to later learn that there’s more to it. Considering this, I’m making it my goal to keep my confidence in my knowledge right in the middle.
Is this a book a lay person can read and get something out of?
Sounds interesting
I think so. It’s definitely more accessible than some of Beardsley’s infographics in my opinion. Each chapter of the book addresses a question such as When are Strength Gains Specific? (Chapter 9) and When are Strength Gains NOT Specific? (Chapter 10). He gives a detailed answer to the question and at the end he provides a summary/short answer. If you only read the chapter summaries the book would be well worth the $3 on Amazon.
Here’s what I’ve really taken from it: If an athlete is under-muscled and they are willing and able to put on muscle then that is what they should train for because muscle size enhances strength in all contexts. If an athlete is unable/unwilling to put on additional size then strength training needs to be specific to the strength needs of the sport. For example, a sprinter needs to develop eccentric hamstring strength and high-speed hip flexor strength through a full rang of motion.
What I plan on doing with my high school athletes is dividing them in to two groups. Those who need to and are willing to get bigger and those in which size isn’t a priority or beneficial to their sport.
If there are any other strength & conditioning coaches reading this, I strongly recommend that you take Dr. Baraki’s advice and read the book.
