the types of athletes

[shadow]

I haven't been on here for a long time, I have been too busy travelling around.

I have still been training on and off, but regularity has been hard when lifestyle is erratic.

I have, however, now got myself a teaching job in northern Thailand (teaching science at a bi-lingual school, which I am very happy about).
On my salary here I can live very comfortably so I will be looking for a house soon with two very important priorities:

1. a big space for exercising.
2. a garden so I can grow vegetables.

Anyways in the recent email out Coach Sonnon mentioned the four types of athletes.

When I considered my place in this I am kind of shocked to find that I likely fall under the type of "strength".

I am definately slow in response to stimuli.
And despite being very skinny, 3 sessions of exercise is enough to cause my muscles to pop out. My body changes incredibly quickly with response to exercise, regardles of diet (I wonder what a really good diet would do for me? Gonna find out soon enough!).

But I would have never considered myself a strong person. I have never been a strong person.

So I am guessing that this characterisation of athlete is the underlying genetics?

Anyways I want to ask questions about how I would go about maximising that potential (could I be huge and strong?? woah, that would be weird) so if anyone wants to offer some pointers, that'd be cool.

Otherwise I'll have to wait until I can make it to a CST-cert. It may be a while as my salary provides a very comfortable living here, but it is in Thai Baht and worth nothing in US dollars.

[shadow]

Thanks Thomas.... actually I have ingrained the value hierarchy into myself and despite how my post came across it wasn't meant to be about packing on muscle.

I am just curious more on the types of athletes and how their training differs, how one maximizes a potential in any given direction.

I was also kinda stunned when trying to identify what kind of athlete I am and that I fall under "strong", when I am skinny and have never thought of myself as particularly strong.

[Coach Flanagan]

Also, just because someone may not BE strong(or fast, or powerful, etc) NOW doesnt mean thats not their genetic disposition to adaptation. It could just mean that there hasnt been enough work yet to trigger those adaptations. Example, I seem to obviously be a speed-type. Now, if havent been doing any work that would stimulate that adaptation, I probably wouldnt have much access physically to that speed - though my nervous system would continue to operate in the same style as Coach Sonnon illustrated. As my genetic disposition though, Its a virtual guarantee that if I put any work in towards developing the attribute of speed, that I will adapt at a very quick rate as that is my genetic strength.

Put more simply:


In general, either you're particularly predisposed to to gaining agility/coordination or you're not particularly predisposed to gaining strength/size. If you don't feel either, then you're either not training sufficiently/properly to create adaptations or not eating sufficiently/properly to anchor the adaptations.

[shadow]

Thanks guys, you have given me some things to think about.

Obviously as Coach Sonnon writes in his latest article (Training the athlete types), I want to become balanced. However first I would like to spend a little time exploring my own particular genetic predisposition....


Currently I am weaning off a maintenance mode that I was in due to erratic lifestyle and have a training goal of correcting some strength deficiencies in my leg drive and hip mobility.

I am using a combination of one day of high rep intu-flow type exercises (following protocol outlined in leg fencing) and body-flow exercises (with the intents of grouping the exercises into a kinetic chain as a goal).
The next day using clubbell exercises.

Repeated twice, with then 3 days of light intu-flow, rest and when I get the chance, feldenkrais.

[Matthew Barnes]

Damien,

I just returned from Thailand, I found great benefit from the Thai massage I got while there. There is a school in Chiang Mai, and if you are at all close I would recommend checking it out. It should be around 300 baht for an hour (~10 USD). VERY worth it.

[shadow]

Hey Mathew,

I'm actually very familiar with Chiang Mai... I've been here a lot.

To be honest 300 baht for an hour massage is extremely expensive!!

But I know where some great massage places are, a fantastic foot massage place, a medical massage place and I'm soon to check out the blind massaurs.

But thanks for thinking of me
:)