Posts by Charles Chavez5

Ethan Garcia8 said:How is it even possible to improve pull-up performance by focusing exclusively on deadlifts? 😁

It’s common sense. If you want to get better at pull-ups, you actually have to do pull-ups. You aren't going to improve your pull-up numbers just by grinding out deadlifts. Simple as that.

Ethan Garcia8 said:How is it even possible to improve at running while spending all your time on a bike?

It’s unbelievable. As far as I can tell, runners primarily run. Cycling is nothing more than an off-season hobby used to recover from injuries or just to kill the monotony. Have you ever actually seen a runner out on a bike path during peak season? No, you haven't. It might be fine to load different muscle groups occasionally—those specific movements we don't normally utilize in our primary sport—but only up to a point. There is such a thing as specificity.

Ethan Garcia8 said:How is it even possible to improve vertical jump performance by doing nothing but deadlifts?

Unbelievable. Just look at the thread above.

Ethan Garcia8 said:Juice and disbelief. How is it even possible to get better at running while only doing squats?

It’s impossible. There isn't any real physiological overlap between the two sports, aside from VO2max or anaerobic capacity. That's about it.
Do sprinters lift weights and handle relatively heavy loads—maybe even kettlebells? Never heard of it, yet here we are. Sprinters train for a specific kind of running where explosive power is everything. Middle-distance and long-distance runners hit the gym too, but their focus is on full-body conditioning and core stability, typically using much lighter weights during the off-season.

Ethan Garcia8 said:Pure disbelief. Why do people bother jumping rope, lifting tires, doing pushups—doing basically everything under the sun—when, in principle, they're just training for some basic boxing? 😁

Sure, they do that, but is the goal to build muscle and strengthen the cardiovascular system, rather than just refining technical skill? You aren't going to win an opponent in the ring just by jumping rope or swinging a kettlebell, are you? You need specific drills, like heavy bag work, don't you?

You constantly conflate sport-specific skills with

Ethan Garcia8 said:Oh, wow. Is it actually possible that things are interconnected after all?

I certainly hope so. It isn't that complicated once you grasp the principles.

What else is there to explain regarding the Tabata protocol?

nimblemarlin6 said:Look, since you're an experienced David Long27, I want to get your take on kettlebells (Russian bells).

The American company Dragon Door promotes their kettlebell system as superior, claiming in their publications that this type of training significantly boosts athletic performance—even outperforming other training methods.
For instance, the American trainer Tsatsouline seriously argues in one of his books that a study exists where one group of athletes trained with pull-ups and sprints, while another group focused solely on kettlebells. During testing, the group that trained only with kettlebells actually showed better results in both sprinting and pull-ups than the group performing those specific exercises.
If that’s true, it’s fascinating.
What role do kettlebells play in athlete preparation, and is it truly a superior tool? Do professional athletes actually use them frequently?

I won't be aggressive, but I'll be blunt: it's MARKETING!

There is no such thing as a "superior tool" in sports. It doesn't exist. Explain to me how someone becomes faster without running? Or how they get better at pull-ups without doing pull-ups? It’s pretty simple. There is no "movement memory" or "transfer" in sports like Bopa claimed.

As for that "study"—which I haven't even read because it's irrelevant unless it even exists—one has to look closely at how it was conducted.
For example, what if the control group using the bells was already highly trained in sprinting and pull-ups compared to the other group, which might have been out of shape or untrained? You have to analyze studies thoroughly before commenting, much like the Tabata HIIT craze, which has been one of the biggest marketing tricks in sports over the last 15 years.

Bells have a purpose, and yes, athletes use them, but for which specific sports? To claim otherwise and lure millions of people into gyms is pure marketing, just like the Tabata protocol.