With the proliferation of different types of training - especially different training tools - in recent years, different feats of "strength" have become more and more commonplace, being used as a measure of progress, strength, and/or capacity.

 

In other words, if you can do (insert random feat here), this means you're strong.

 

In my opinion, most of it is B.S.

 

Most of these "feats" aren't representative of strength (and when I say "strength" in this article, it can be mean strength, power, etc.) development.  Rather, they're representative of strength performance.  Just because you can do (insert random strength) doesn't mean you're strong.  It means you can apply the strength you have in a certain way.

 

In most instances, these "feats" are generally very hard to perform, but are still done with a very light weight, or make a usually simple exercise very hard.

 

Let's look at an example - the Kettlebell "Bottoms Up Press" (KB BUP).

 

The BUP is a pressing movement where you press a KB overhead, but keep the KB upside down - the "ball" part of the KB is above the handle the entire time.  This exercise is so hard because balance is such a big factor - you have to keep the KB perfectly vertically aligned or else it wants to come down and flip over.  Wrist strength is of vital importance in this exercise, as is tension.

 

Is this a hard exercise?  For sure.  It's not uncommon for pretty strong dudes to have a really hard time doing the BUP with just a 53-pound KB.

 

But here's the thing... say you're strong enough to do presses with a 72-pound KB or 88-pound KB, but the 53-pound BUP gives you trouble, and you can only really perform them well with a 36-pounder.

 

Do you think you're doing yourself a whole lot of good by messing with presses that are half or less of what you're really capable of?

 

Sure, you're getting your wrists stronger, you're practicing tension, blah, blah, blah.  Who cares?  If you're limited to a scant percentage of what you're capable of (and you're not training maximum speed for power), then you're doing yourself a disservice.

 

Here's the deal - I can make any exercise "hard" or difficult to perform.  However, that doesn't mean that they're going to do you any good.  Remember what your goal is.  If your goal is to be a better overall fighter, would you be better off doing something like a BUP when you could be spending your (what should be limited) time doing strength and conditioning (S&C) work with real strength and/or power work?

 

You see, many of these "feats" are more about technique and practicing the actual "feat" itself than it is strength, power, or the like. 

 

If you can do KB presses with a 72-pound KB, I'm sure you could spend some time practicing the BUP, and get it to a decent level.  And that's fine.  But did you just get stronger, or did you just get better at performing a certain movement?

 

There's a HUGE difference.

 

That is why I call many of these "feats" circus tricks.  Sure, they're cool, they look neat, they're hard as hell to perform, and no, I can't do them.

 

But I don't care, because outside of the performance of the actual feat itself, how much application or carryover does it have to anything else?  If the answer is "very little," then as a fighter, you're wasting your time.

 

Now, hopefully all the KB fanatics won't flood my in-box with hate mail - I'm not "hating" on the KB or the BUP.  I'm just using that as an example.

 

The same goes for doing various movements (say squats) on a swiss ball or Indo Board.  This takes incredible balance and is very tough to perform.  But unless you're a surfer or skateboarder, how much carryover is there?  Probably not a whole lot.

 

Same goes for various gymnastic exercises.  Most gymnastic exercises, by design, are done in a manner that puts your body at the most disadvantageous position it can be in - that's what makes it so hard.  But the problem is that once you get over a certain bodyweight, there is virtually no way you're going to perform any of these feats.  It's just basic physics.  I don't care how strong you are.

 

Yeah, you might be able to do all the chins in the world, and do them with a whole lot of weight added, but if you weigh 200 pounds, chances are you'll never do an Iron Cross on the still rings, let alone the planche moves (where you hold your body in a horizontal position).  The physics just aren't there for heavier guys.

 

And that's fine.  That 130-pound gymnast might be able to do an Iron Cross, but he'll likely never squat or deadlift as much as you, which means he'll never be as strong as you are.  (We're talking in an absolute sense - his relative strength very well may be higher than yours, but that's another topic of discussion.)

 

Ultimately, though, we have to go back to the original question - what are you goals? 

 

If your goal is to become a better fighter, while these "feats" are cool to be able to do and use to show off at parties, they won't do that much toward developing more strength and power, a higher work capacity, better conditioning, or the like.

 

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard. 

 

Matt "Wiggy" Wiggins is a strength coach and author living in Cameron, N.C. Having trained and designed Workout Plans for 16+ years, Wiggy is a strength moderator at mma.tv, columnist for MMAWeekly.com, and an avid fan of Mixed Martial Arts Training. His site, Working Class Fitness.com, is dedicated to designing low-tech, high-result Workout Programs; earning praise from the likes of UFC commentator and martial artist Joe Rogan, Ultimate Fighter alumnus Jules Bruchez, world famous strength and conditioning coach Charles Staley, UFC veteran Leigh Remedios, and others.

 

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