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25th March 2025
The father of a 9-year-old boy asked me if I could coach his son 1-1 with his running technique. I said, ‘No.’ Boys that age should be playing outside with their friends, not stuck in an awkward situation with an experienced coach and an expectant father watching on. Unfortunately, the boy attends a private school […]
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Dumbbells or Machines? Istvan Javorek
The benefits of dumbbell training by Istvan Javorek
Dumbbell training is generally safe.
- Does not need a large practice area.
- Is easy to teach (compared to barbell lifts).
- Can be done simultaneously and very efficiently with a large number of athletes.
- Is dynamic with a large range of motion (actually the range of motion is unlimited).
- A large range of exercise variations.
- Stimulates (very important in so many sports) the balance mechanisms powerfully (which much machine training does not adequately do)
- Enables one to develop unlimited muscular power, cardiovascular and muscular endurance, flexibility and strength (most machine training develops muscles but not dynamic explosive strength).
- Is inexpensive to equip a gym with several sets of DBs.
- Can be very easily monitored with a 100 percent accuracy, because we have an exact number of repetitions, sets, volumes and rhythm of exercising.
- Enables one to efficiently monitor the heart rate before and after each set, thus providing a very clear view of recovery time and the physical fitness level of the individual athlete.
- DB exercise variations are unlimited and any experienced coach should be able to figure out many novel variations of DB exercises.
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James has been our lead strength and conditioning coach for the Talented Athlete Scholarship Scheme (TASS) at the University of Exeter since the scheme's inception. His attitude, professionalism and above all his drive and desire to help each sportsman and woman develop and reach their potential is exactly what we require. James shows a real interest in each of his athletes and helps them to aspire to be as good as they can and ensures that no goals are unattainable.
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[…] Dumbbells are great pieces of kit for developing athletes, and teaching children to use them early and well helps prevent problems in the future (See Istvan Javorek’s thoughts here). […]