See if you can find the interview I did with Nick Berringer for RangerUp regarding this topic. I just tried, and maybe you can find it better than I can.
Rip, one of the things I've run into as an amateur coach and person who's tried to get people into strength training is the usual resistance from the un- or ill-informed. Typically, the people who are first-in-line to get under the bar for duty or general fitness are the people who have experienced life events, injuries, or dealt with critical situations and illnesses where it was immediately apparent that they needed the benefits.
What are your thoughts on tracking something simple that can be performed easily in most locations like a 100m sprint time to show that strength really is foundational, and won't make you slow, fat, or likely to "gas-out" quickly? Would it be useful as another metric, or a waste of effort? I've learned enough to zen-out when people say "no" or lack the gumption to do the work, but ignorance still irks me a bit. I wonder if being able to say, "Here's the data on my lifters who did solely strength training for 2-3 months" might work.
See if you can find the interview I did with Nick Berringer for RangerUp regarding this topic. I just tried, and maybe you can find it better than I can.
Is this the one?
Are you Strong Enough? An interview with Mark Rippetoe - | @TheRhinoDen | Home Of All Things Military
That's it. RangerUp took it down, but we have the permission of Nick Barringer to reprint it here.
Are you Strong Enough? An Interview with Mark Rippetoe | LTC Nick Barringer
Got a question... The 75 second 400. That's not an easy number to hit. It would take some training. I think more would get inured trying to get that number than hitting 2x body weight for DL.
Any particular reason you suggested that time vs 80 or 90 second 400?
Just curious.