Chuck Kasson

Keep it simple.

We live in a world where there it feels like there is a distrust of simple solutions. I see this a lot in Physical Therapy and the strength and conditioning world that I live in. It seems like people believe that a simple solution won't work, or can't possibly be enough, and tend to gravitate towards the complex. I don't know if they feel that, because they don't understand it, and somebody else does, it has to be the smart solution. Maybe it's more of a feeling that if something simple would fix this, I would have tried it by now. Except that if you aren't looking for the most basic way to fix a problem first, you will miss potentially simple solutions while looking for the more complex. It may also be that simple just isn't glamorous.

Simple is, well, simple. Simple probably doesn't get clicks or shares or likes. Simple is banging out reps and sets by yourself knowing that if you progressively overload your body with compound, multi-joint movements, you will get stronger. Simple is understanding that if you are plateauing in a movement, lift, or throw, it's your body's way of telling you that the stimulus is incorrect. Find something similar but different. It's your body's way of telling you, your recovery is not on point, your diet sucks, your sleep is off, your life is contributing more stress than your body can deal with. Simple is a dynamic warm up that is first general, then specific to the movement of the day. Are you doing cleans, squats, and good mornings? Make sure you are loose or mobile enough to get through the movement fully, and then get after it. There is no warm-up more specific to a movement, than that particular movement. Why are you spending 30 minutes on full body mobility before you squat, when 5 minutes of mobilization for the tight spots and a slow work up in the squat is all you need. That's making it too complex. You are wasting precious training time on something that is a low priority. If you can comfortably take a squat to depth without issue, your hips don't need mobilization. If you can catch a clean comfortably on your shoulders in a deep front squat, your ankles, wrists, and shoulders don't need mobilization.

On the other hand, if your body is a wreck, and you can't perform the movement even partially without issues due to joint problems, hypomobility, tightness, etc. The simple solution is to stay away from the lift for a while until you have your body right with the various stretches, mobilizations, and any soft tissue work that is needed for the particular body area. It's not exciting, but it's what you need, when you need it and nothing more. As training progresses and individuals become more advanced in training and life, time is precious. If you can only carve out an hour a day, what are your priorities?

Pound in a nail? Use a hammer.

Screw in a screw? Use a screwdriver.