Specialisation In the Fitness World
Here’s the problem: Specialisation only holds true at the highest levels of elite sports.
What does this mean? Well, Eliud Kipchoge a runner that recently covered Marathon distance with an average of 2m50’s per km wouldn’t try to gain much muscle mass or otherwise his speed and endurance would drop significantly. Likewise, Becca Swanson an amazing powerlifting, world record-holding woman who holds the world records for highest squat, highest deadlift and the highest bench press, likely wouldn’t be going our for any long endurance runs for the risk of losing strength.
Eliud Kipchoge - He is the world record holder in the marathon with a time of 2:01:39
There are inevitably those who think they should specialise because they’d like to be just as good as the best in the world.
The truth is, that for the average person, it’s simply not realistic. It takes years of round-the-clock training to reach that level. You essentially have to become a full-time athlete and do nothing much else.
Specialisation is great for a person who is winning championships, competing as a professional, or earning a living from their sport.
How many people do you know who are in that boat? How many people do you know that can run a sub 2:15 marathon or deadlift over 450kg’s? The average person is not even close to the highest, elite level of their favourite activity.
So what should you do? Simple - Be a great all-rounder!
Use weights at least a couple of days a week, incorporate endurance sessions into your training week, and do hard interval efforts once or twice a week. This way you keep your body and mind on its toes. Now add the outdoor and weather elements to this and you will very quickly get fitter, faster and stronger, in mind, body and spirit.
At Battle Bootcamp, we keep this approach very much at the forefront of our minds when planning that quarterly programme.
We combine strength, cardio, stamina, flexibility, accuracy, agility, balance and coordination into our sessions. This all goes to improve your power, strength, endurance and speed!
Now, who needs to specialise?