Mihlfeld says that he’s trying to maximize Pujols’ performance by teaching his body how to perform while fatigued. This is another statement that runs counter to both science and common sense, and reveals how bodybuilders don’t understand the workings of an athlete’s body. There really isn’t any objective evidence that shows that training to fatigue will increase muscle size and maximum strength, and by extension improve performance.
In a paper titled Athletic Performance Development published in the NSCA's Strength and Conditioning Journal by Michael Stone, PhD, CSCS, Steven Plisk, MS, CSCS and others, in conjunction with Appalachian State University, Yale University Athletic Department and the USA Weightlifting Development Center, Stone writes “that training to failure offers no particular advantage,” and research suggests “that training to failure or beyond may lead to over training.”
Stone also writes that it is “obvious” from the data that training to fatigue is not an efficient way to increase muscle size and strength gains.
All the hyperbole surrounding how much weight a person can lift or how many sets that they do in a workout is meaningless, especially in the context of an elite professional athlete’s training program. Over the past 20 years there has been an incredible advance in the understanding of the workings of the body and how to best prepare for the demands of sport while improving performance, but unfortunately there are still athletes and trainers that haven’t been paying attention.
Hopefully, the worst that will come from these programs is that athletes will just have wasted a lot time. However, when you look at the kinds of injuries that have been experienced by baseball players over the past several years you have to wonder if these programs are hurting guys more than they are helping.
Article comments
1 - Pujolsfan
Dang Albert,chill a bit...that's why you've been off too a bad start to 2007
2 - FK
Nice article. I too, even as a novice weightlifter, found Pujols' workout a little surprising. I've read over and over again the need to do functional and compound exercises when preparing for a sport.
Was wondering if you could illustrate a better "ground based" weights workout for baseball training? I assume it would involve leg work (squats, lunges) abs (side bends, crunches), back (upright rows), shoulders (military press) and triceps and forearm work.
Is a day of recovery still advisable?
3 - sal m
FK:
thanks...
you picked ground based movements that are appropriate for any athlete, and i would add explosive movements such as the split jerk, clean, high pull and/or snatch.
including the appropriate amount and type of ground based barbell and dumbbell exercises minimizes the need to do much arm work.
a day of rest is always advisable with 2 days rest at key times in the program. elite athletes really need to rest and recover in the off-season.
the amount of volume in this workout is really incredible.
4 - Ben Connole
First off, I was a player at Maple Woods CC in Kansas City for Chris Mihlfeld in 1996-1997. I left high school, sat out a year after high school, tried out for the Kansas City Royals at a closed tryout camp where Mihlfeld was a scout. I signed a scholarship at MWCC where Mihlfeld was a coach. I got there at 140 pounds. By the time i left I was 175 pounds of lean muscle. My power numbers where up, Homeruns, RBI's, Doubles, etc.....This is the reult of Mihlfeld's workouts. By far the best coach I ever played for. His workouts consist of very explosive movements very similiar to Pujols's. I never broke down, in fact I was stonger as the season went on. You can't tell me that what Pujol's is doing is wrong, had it not been for Mihlfeld's training program I do not believe I would have done as well as I had. Everything that Mihlfeld teaches are explosive movents. I am very gracious to play for him. In fact, at 31 today, I still use most of his training ideas in my workouts and I have absolutley no complaints and if you talked to other former players they would say the same thing. B/C of his ideas we all believed Mihlfeld would move on to bigger things in which he has. There are a million so-called trainers in this world who have many ideas on how to train, what makes you think his don't work. Did you take into account the oblique strain that Pujols had maybe had something to do with the fact he takes about 500 hacks a day at a baseball.. He just doesn't go to the park and puts on a uniform and goes to the plate do you. He hits of a tee, then in the cage, then soft toss, then batting practice, then back into the cage, then back on the tee. Everyday of his life, same routine. Pujols already had an existing elbow problem thats why they moved him to first. I'm not understanding the your purpose for saying Pujol's wokkout is totally wrong. Until you experience it first hand you could never gather the benefits of Mihlfeld's traing program.
5 - joel
um- have you ever tried this workout? i didn't even read this whole article- i stopped at the part where he says- "since all albert does in the second session is shrugs, there's no need to split it up". try this workout ONE time, and you'll be begging for it to be split up more than once...
6 - bruce
For what it's worth, Mihlfeld is Mike Sweeney's trainer and he is constantly hurt.
7 - Sam
This article is the only thing "wrong." There is so much misinformation written in here I can't believe it was published at all. First off, Pujols is a 1st-ballot Hall-of-Famer if he keeps this up, and he's had 8 straight spectacular seasons already. His elbow problems are due to a partially torn Ulnar collateral ligament that could go out at any time. If you remember, Pujols was originally a 3rd basemen and outfielder but was moved to first after the injury. To date Pujols has not elected to have the surgery and go through a long and grueling rehab.
8 - Bradley
Albert is such a natural talent but I have to believe his workout regiment contributes a little to his success. And what a year he is having!!!