Depends on your ability to recover. If you cannot sleep enough and eat 6000 calories a day on a program of both sports and a novice strength progression, you cannot recover.
Member
Playing sports as a novice
Hello Rip,
Love everything you do, it has worked great for me.
During an Ask Rip series video, someone asked you if it is possible for a soccer player to following the SS program. You said yes (but then later said that the issue is soccer players don't eat, so it makes it near impossible because they are the type of people who don't eat enough calories to do both).
However, in the book, you say that it is paramount that you get your rest in between gym days and to make sure nothing you do on recovery days makes you tired, because then it will take away from recovery.
Could you please clarify? Is it okay to lift and play sports at the same time as long as you get the calories, or should you not play sports at all?
Does it depend on the sport and the amount of time playing the sport?
Thanks,
Looking forward to the response
TMPHBITEU
Depends on your ability to recover. If you cannot sleep enough and eat 6000 calories a day on a program of both sports and a novice strength progression, you cannot recover.
Member
Matt, this is a common question from young athletes who are running linear progression while playing their sport. In my limited coaching it is basketball, although I played soccer in high school.
Here is the deal. You train with an appropriate rate to cause an adaptation or stress...but no increase in strength or adaptation will occur unless properly recovered from said stressor. So unless adequate recover can be provided, it will be very difficult to drive increases in strength during the season.
Most likely you will need to focus on strength training during the off season if the daily demands of soccer compromise your strength gains. This is not a unique problem. Run a linear progression during the off season, during the season keep your strength with light volume and plenty of rest.
Your homework young man, since you asked the question: find your answer in Practical Programming 3rd Ed. (Hint: jump right to Sayles Law).
Starting Strength Coach
I have run a pretty successful after-school barbell club at my gym for the past several years. We have had many, many average athletes go on to have great success from the effectiveness of our strength program. However, there is quite a difference in the results of the kids who play other sports and those who attempt to train in-season.
Rip doesn't just say things because he thinks they sound cool. He has seen this stuff play out for years in the gym and I have watched the exact same things for years now myself. Kids do not eat enough to recover and grow strong. It is so bad that I often feel like I am running a support group after school because I have to ask each kid multiple times what they have eaten throughout the day. I feel like a teacher being told that the dog ate the homework most of the time. It is a major issue because the kids that don't eat enough do not make the progress they should and it is frustrating to watch them fizzle out because of it.
I could write an awful lot about this, but I will simply say that you should just stop playing sports. Just get strong. As strong as possible would be best. That is where the best results are going to be found.
But, if you won't do that, and I know that you probably won't...
Take 6 months off of all sports and run the program. Eat all of the food and lift all of the weights. Sleep as much as possible. Get as strong as possible. Once you do that start playing your sports again as a stronger human being. You will be amazed at how much more dominant you are.
I start anywhere from 5-10 novice young athletes on the program a month in my gym. The kids who do not play sports all get a lot stronger a lot quicker. They then go back to their respective sports and all of them perform much better simply because they are stronger than everyone else. I have watched plenty of my athletes go on to earn accolades like being named all state, all area, a starter, getting moved up to varsity early, or being named captain of their team after starting out very weak and undertrained.
Yes, there are some athletes that can get stronger and play sports if they eat/rest plenty, but often they are the same kids who would dominate regardless of training. The athletes who are on the fringe of being benchwarmers and starters seriously need to just focus on getting strong.
Member
Chris, perfectly said. I never thought about it like that, but I guess I also run a support group for young athletes, always asking if they ate enougjh It is always the last thing to fall in place for young athletes. Me: Kid, are you eating?
Kid: .....blank stare.
Matt, you have received responses from both Rip and Chris. Wish I had such guidance when I was your age. Eat and get stronger.
Just watched Boyz n' the Hood this weekend, and this caught my attention: Ricky wants to play football in college. Ricky is drinking a carton of milk in a lot of scenes.Originally Posted by TommyGun
✓ Member
Like, anorexia in reverse? Omigod!
Member
I learned this training secret 30 yeas ago. I went from being a benchwarmer to being a starter.
One of the reasons that I like this website is there is so much strength wisdom here.
Starting Strength Coach
The BEST way to do it?
In a perfect world it would be great to have kids for an extended period of time and run nothing but a strength program, but it aint a perfect world so you do the best you can.
I have kids here who are in sports FIRST and I have to get them stronger, I do it all the time-its not the BEST way but its the way I was hired to do it. In order for a soccer player (or any non football athlete) to get the most out of my program and get stronger I'd have to see them year round and thats a rarity. So I go on a cycle like this:
1-School starts in August-orientation on lifts in weightroom (bench, press, squat, clean, DL)
2-Slowly, and I mean slowy, start adding weight to these few lifts. Build them up best I can in the two days a week I have them.
3-Season starts, teams (some more than others-some never miss) start missing a day here and there, then a week, then a month etc etc...
4-Season is over, start back over in spring but we have a "pretty good idea what were doing"
5-Build up to end of school year, beg for them to come to summer workouts
6-See them in August again, repeat first step but slightly better..
VS Football
Year round lifting, no excuses. Have kids here who wtroom numbers would be good for alot of college programs..
It can be done, its just like the sign hanging in eveyone of my squat racks says "Being weak is a choice". All my athletes that go on to play a sport in college come back and "realize" how important this is..
Member
+1
It's tied with actual playing skill as the most important.
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