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Why do athletes need Sports Specific Equipment?

Athletes involved in competitive sports many times subscribe to programs that are designed for body-builders and power-lifters. While body-building and power-lifting are pursuits that can be described as challenging and very competitive; they do not require the cross-section of sport trait skills that are associated with most team and individual sports.

Body-builders are concerned with muscular hypertropy and definition. Powerlifters are most interested in developing maximum strength levels in their respective competitive lifts. When comparing the above pursuits to the training demands of a female basketball player the differences in training become obvious. Our basketball player must be concerned with developing such traits as; power, force, anaerobic capacity, power endurance, flexibility, coordination and balance. These are but a few of the sport traits associated with the sport of basketball. When establishing a training program for our basketball player it would be foolish to train her on body-building or power-lifting programs.

Athletes involved in most individual or team sports need to train with sports specific training equipment. Let us be clear that free weights, in many cases, can be considered sport specific equipment.(see definition of sports specific training equipment) This is largely determined by the exercise that is being performed. Sports Specific training is not limited to machines or apparatus that are designed for tak specific functions. Below are a few reasons to consider training with sports specific training equipment:

1. Central nervous system training - strength training depends on two dominant factors - central nervous and neuro-muscular conditioning. Strength training must be categorized according to its major structural and functional aims relative to the importance of nervous system training methods.
2. Functional Resistance - many of these movements provide resistance in a manner that is associated with the particular sport. Depending on the setting, sport specific resistance devices are supposed to imitate the athletic exercise or certain elements of it in order to provide the necessary specific loads in the different regimes of muscular work.1
3. Movement - Sports Specific training equipment is designed to train movement as well as muscles.
4. Rehabilitation - in rehab situations, sports specific training equipment is often a viable alternative to traditional exercise equipment.

We want to make it clear that in using any machine it is vital to note that simulation of any sporting movement against heavy loads can alter the force-time characteristics of the action significantly and disrupt the neuromuscular programs responsible for the movement. The equipment and exercises that we at Forge prescribe are designed to increase strength levels using functional methods. A football player does not become more explosive on the field by simply performing power cleans. He must practice in live, game-like conditions, performing the movements required of his particular position. Power Cleans can improve explosive power, but only football practice can translate this improvement to "usable or functional power". The power cleans, performed in the weight room, are a means to and end. The magnitude of the load, the pattern of movement, and the principle of correspondance have to be considered carefully if one intends to use machines to simulate actual sporting movements in any way. These are areas that Forge can assist your program with.

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