Boy did the NCAA screw this one up BIG time. What a mess...
If you aren’t aware of the situation, I’m going to provide you with a brief synopsis followed by my take on it. This is an unpopular take that I don’t see anyone talking about yet.
Both the men’s and women’s NCAA basketball tournaments have officially started in a fashion unlike any tournament before it. Unless you live under a rock, I’m sure you’re aware that there has been a virus going on for the past year. If you didn’t know that then God bless you and I envy you for being oblivious to the shit show this past year has been. Due to the virus, both tournaments are playing in a “bubble” to avoid contact/exposure to anyone outside the “bubble”. It didn’t take long for the internet to explode once the stark contrast between the men’s and women’s amenities were exposed.
Here is one of the more popular pictures circulating the internet:
(The top half of the picture is the men’s weight room and the bottom half the women’s)
First, let me address the elephant in the room... It is really screwed up what the NCAA did here and anyone involved should be embarrassed for allowing this to happen. Throughout my years as a strength and conditioning coach, I have on average trained more female than male athletes. My female athletes are badass and train extremely hard. Some have hit strength feats that surpass their male counterparts (in relation to body weight). I love getting after it with my female athletes and I have personally seen amazing results and empowerment through strength. The NCAA really screwed the pooch on this one.
However, as hard as it is to believe there is actually one very positive thing that all coaches and athletes can take away from this. Ignore for a second the discrepancy between the men’s and women’s weight room. Look at the size of the men’s weight room...this was put together to accommodate a single tournament... That’s crazy how much equipment they brought in for literally a single tournament! But is it? I believe I speak for all of us in the strength and conditioning and human performance field in saying we all already know the importance of in-season training, even during a championship tournament. Training never stops even if it is during the season. The thing that does change is the programming. For example, programming eccentric focused exercises in-season is not advised due to the higher muscle stress/strain placed on the muscles during these types of exercises. Exercises that minimize orthopedic stress and muscular soreness should be the primary focus of your in-season programming. Your in-season programming will also help in “reversing” the negative stressors brought on by your sport. It’s no secret that sports take a toll on the body. Football is a series of mini car crashes that beat the entire body up. Basketball does a number to the knees (patella tendon issues, PF pain) and shins (anterior compartment issues). Baseball and other unilateral dominant sports create an array of muscular imbalances (tight lat, depressed and downward rotated scapula, tight QL). In-season programming is a great time to incorporate exercises to offset these negative stressors and help the body recover to stay strong and resilient throughout the season. We also know that it doesn’t take very long to lose strength if you stop training. Some studies show loss of strength in as little as 1-2 weeks. Imagine not training for 2-3 months, the length of a typical sport’s in-season. It’s a shame when I see athletes train extremely hard with me during the off-season but take time off from training during their season because they will usually lose some of their gains they worked so hard for. Which brings me to my next point... Wouldn’t you want to be your strongest towards the end of the season and not progressively lose strength throughout it? Not only is it possible to maintain strength throughout the season, but you can actually get stronger with the right programming. Also, if you are a player who doesn’t see much playing time and/or plays freshman/JV you should especially be training hard during the season since you’re not accumulating much stress to the body. Plus if you get stronger, faster, and more athletic, you may earn more playing time or a starting spot.
You can imagine my frustration when I deal with sport coaches, parents, and athletes who don’t value or see the importance of in-season training. Sadly, this happens a lot especially since I work heavily with high schoolers whose coaches don’t believe much in training at all (which opens up a whole new can of worms...) I already have to convince sport coaches that a strength and conditioning program from a true qualified professional is one of the best steps forward an athletic program can take. As professionals in the strength and conditioning industry, we have to not only be excellent at training but educating and advocating for our profession.
Things to take away from this:
Women can be just as badass as men and I have hundreds of pieces of anecdotal evidence to prove this.
In-season training is a must. It is a way to maintain or improve strength, help the body recover, and maintain/improve musculoskeletal health. If you think of your body as a bank account, every game/practice withdraws money and every training session deposits money.
It’s hard not to get frustrated with coaches/parents/athletes who don’t want to train in-season out of some irrational fears that of which I don’t understand. However, it is our responsibility to educate the value of our services and how beneficial what we offer is in succeeding on the field.
If after reading this you feel this article may benefit a coach, parent, or player please feel free to pass along.
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