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Myths Around Strength Training In Cricket – a conversation



Ques: Do all of us have muscle mass?
Ans: Yes.

Ques: Is it enough to carry out the work (including sporting activity)?
Ans: Yes.

Ques: Should we be working to gain muscle mass then?
Ans: No. Why? Unless you are a body builder or it is recommened due to a reason.

Ques: Do I train the same musculature while practicing and playing?

Ans: Yes.

Ques: But do I need bigger arms to throw faster?
Ans: No. Why? How? What happens to the existing muscle mass? How could adding more help?

Ques: Can I throw or ball faster if I have big muscles?
Ans: Not necessarily. Cricket sporting activity only takes very small % of total strength of a muscle! Its the composite effect of different muscles that generate power in a certain movement.

Ques: What’s the functional unit of muscle mass?
Ans: Lean muscle mass. Just like how a egg can’t be without a yolk, we always possess lean muscle mass.

Ques: Does it mean I already have the strength in us?
Ans: Yes. But strength for what? If it is to carry out sporting movements that take only a proportion of the total strength in a muscle; then yes, we always have that strength.

Ques: Hang on….what?
Ans: Yes. We may not be able to use it! Its the optimal usage of existing strength that should be our first step in real time on field movements. This would trigger all the necessary benefits of strength training and in fact do more to train the muscle fibers and their pennation angle that would contribute to the velocity element immensely.

Ques: Isn’t it logical to use what we have before seeking more?

Ques: Are you saying we don’t need to gain strength in a season?
Ans: Yes in 90% cases we don’t! Off season is when we can increase strength without having to worry about movements, contractile speed, penation angles, tendon’s pull on the bone, etc.

Ques: What?
Ans: Yes. Don’t we see lean bowlers bowling fast or short structure batsmen hitting long sixes?

Ques: Does every fast bowler with a big butt bowls fast? NO.

Ques: Then why should I be doing clean and jerk or dead lifts or shoulder presses as a cricketer?
Ans: You shouldn’t be doing unless you like it. Its not a necessity.

Ques: Then why trainers insist on it?
Ans: Because they don’t understand human anatomy or movement. They will have to study more to understand strength beyond weight rooms.

Ques: What’s your experience to speak like that?
Ans: Trained for 300 athletes, NO INJURIES, increased the pace, helped athlete lose weight, increased running speed of athletes, improved their agility, structure etc.

Ques: But you train strength?
Ans: Of course…its the best human intervention for good health. Everybody over 40 should indugle in weight training for good health.

Ques: Why against it then?
Ans: haha…I am not against it. That’s why I live with good body and abs! But I do not have to throw a ball. And neither I have to jump or run from weird postures.

Ques: But you tell cricketers not to weight train?
Ans: Yes. Because its not good for them. Running is a good exercise but I can’t ask my 80 year old father to run. Right? So do what is required by your body for the task that you are suppose to perform and not what people do or researches claim.

Note: All evidence of strength training is real and great, however, what matters here is, how much is needed and whether we already possess it. Because then it comes down to speeding up – velocity with balance and control. And that can’t be done in weight rooms for a field sport.

Ques: But then why best cricketers train with Olympic lifts?
Ans: 8 out of 10 get injured also. And those who train doesn’t display extra power anywhere. You can be fit without doing Olympic lifts if thats what you are chasing. Where is the extra power in those who do?

Note: Having said that its not a sin either. Do it if you enjoy it and if it suits you and you are getting injured.

Ques: What about researches then?
Ans: We read researches in the wrong context. Find me one research that supports weight training in a season for a cricketer? There can’t be because its fundamentally wrong.

Ques: What’s good and most suitable training then?
Ans: Depends where you are at! But if I were to run or jump on a grass field then I should be training to facilitate those movements.

Ques: What if I like weight training?
Ans: Do it. But don’t get injured because of it and blame it on your sporting activity. Its not wrong. But players are getting injured. Players are pulling their hamstrings while chasing a ball. And sadly nobody is bothered why they are getting injured.

Ques: What do you know about all this?
Ans: Well, I am 50 and I am faster & fitter than 70% of my athletes.