By Brandon Evans
A competitive mindset is a quality you can find in almost all athletes. Everyone wants to win, and everyone wants to be the best. This also holds true for athletes in the weight room.
Competitive drive pushes athletes to move more weight, even when their form is compromised. The amount you lift seems to be the only form of measurement in the weight room.
If a baseball pitcher throws 95mph, but can not throw strikes, he does his team no good. The same holds true in the weight room. If you can squat 400 pounds with incorrect form, you are doing yourself no good.
Poor mechanics in the weight room puts stress on muscles and joints throughout the body. This stress often leads to injury, and if your injured you do your team no good.
Promoting proper mechanics in the weight room as a coach is the best thing you can do for your athletes. The chance of injury goes down and athletes are able to open more time on the field.
Movements do not have a specific pattern because that pattern increases difficulty. Movements have a specific pattern because they limit the risk of injury. Spend more time on proper movement patterns and less time worried about how much weight is on the bar!
