Train Your Strength, Not Your Skill.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, you know that strength and skill can sometimes be confused. Usually, what happens is that you’ll see a smaller person doing something a larger, stronger looking person can’t. Like this, for example:

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltZ-hvg65gQ]

Now, do any of you really (I mean, honestly) think that Glover Texiera is weaker than Nicole? Especially in leg strength? The Crossfit guys at least had the courtesy to point out that Glover’d never performed the overhead squats or the muscle-ups. What happened in this clip is that you got the best illustration that demonstrations of so-called “strength” are really just demonstrations of skill and technique.

What does this have to do with you?

Focus on those exercises that have a big payoff in terms of improving actual strength. It’s cool to being able to do movements that demonstrate your strength, but in terms of building strength, it’s best to stick to the basics:

 

1. A lower body push, such as a basic squat.
2. A lower body pull, such as a basic deadlift.
3. An upper body push, such as the overhead press or bench press.
4. An upper body pull, such as a row or pulldown.

If you work to your maximum capacity, even on a truncated program like this one, and you follow proper progression and recovery principles, your strength and physical abilities will skyrocket much faster than if you were to spend your time learning to juggle kettlebells (a demonstration of strength).

You shouldn’t think that skill is unimportant. To be maximally successful at sport, you need to maximize both. As a little guy in a big man’s jiujitsu academy, I can tell you that skill (aka technique) is of vital importance. But you shouldn’t confuse the fact that I can armbar an opponent over 100lbs heavier than me with the idea that I’m stronger than that guy.

In order to reap the maximum benefit from both, you should keep your skill and strength training separate. Life’s much better that way.