The Activity-Specific Trap

 The Activity-Specific Trap

Many people assume that the most effective training must closely mimic the movements and demands of their favourite activity. The reality is that many “activity-specific” or "sport-specific" programs are simply effective strength programs with an activity-specific label. Effective training relies on building strength in a few basic movements, rather than mimicking your activity in the weight room.

Is It Actually Activity-Specific?

Most of what’s described as activity-specific isn’t activity-specific. The program designer has developed an effective program and simply described how it will benefit that activity. For instance, the squat can help you run more efficiently, lunge more effectively in pickleball, and pick up your grandkids more easily. 

All the best strength programs are adding squats, lunges, hinges, pushes, pulls, and carries.

“Your sport isn’t different. You just think it is.” - Marco Cardinale, Sport Scientist

Avoiding Mimicry

The common misconception with activity-specific training is that we need to perform strength movements that mimic our activity. 

According to Pavel Tsatsouline, this idea came from Russian boxers who would hold light weights, about the weight of a roll of nickels, inside their gloves while practicing. While possibly effective, this evolved into mimicking sports with heavy resistance from weights, cables, or bands.

Mimicking sporting movements in this way could interfere with your shot, swing, or gait. 

For example, one study showed that swinging a heavier bat immediately before a baseball player went up to bat decreased the speed of his swing. Thus, this type of training should only be done with someone who’s both knowledgeable in your activity and with strength training principles.

Instead, our goal should be to find exercises that build the general qualities to support those movements.

Are You Strong Enough?

One concept that’s often missed when discussing activity-specific training is strength levels. 

For example, plyometric training (e.g. jumps, hops, and bounds) is more specific to sports than squats, but you’ll respond better to plyometric training if you can squat 1.5-2x your bodyweight, while also lowering your risk of injury. Most people aren’t strong enough to emphasize activity-specific training.

Injury Prevention

If you attempt to mimic an activity too closely while resistance training, you’re at greater risk of developing an overuse injury. 

Think of volleyball, which has a lot of jumping. You have to be careful adding more jumping during a strength training session to avoid stress fractures and knee pain. 

A greater variety of movements is also better for protecting joints, ligaments, and muscles. My former running coach missed months of training after a groin strain from slipping on ice. Maybe general exercises such as lateral lunges and shuffles could have prevented this. 

In summary, the pursuit of activity-specific training, while well-intentioned, often leads people astray. The most effective programs don't need to mimic an activity to enhance it. Instead, they build foundational strength through universal movements to develop baseline strength and reduce injury risk.

Stay fit,

Jonathan Pratt

Two Warm-Up Features for Better Performance and Injury Prevention

 In October, I started reading Dr. John Rusin’s mammoth book, Pain Free Performance, and have been experimenting with his ideas in my warm-ups since then. 

When I was in my 20s, I could warm up by doing a few sets of progressively heavier power cleans starting with the empty barbell. But when you’re in your 40s and beyond, things change. You need a more thorough warm-up.

Since adopting this approach, my back feels better after my workouts, and I can squat deeper.

Feature 1: High-Rep Isolation Work

We’ve always done muscle activation work to warm up and support joints. Where we were missing out was that it was too easy for our fitter members. They were probably not properly prepared for heavy squats and deadlifts.

Now, I’m seeing high-rep warm-ups everywhere. The functional training people, powerlifters, and bodybuilders are all doing them. These groups never agree with each other.

High-rep work increases blood flow to joints and muscles, reducing your risk of injury and helping you lift more weight during your workout. You’re also building your muscular endurance, which will help you to work harder for longer in and out of the gym. Furthermore, you’re strengthening your muscles in their weakest positions, which could reduce cramping.

Below is a list of muscles we’re working and the area protected by working these muscles.

        Glutes = Low back and hips (Donkey Kick)

        Lats = Low back (Bent Over Lat Pull Down)

        Rotator cuff = shoulders (Face Pull)

        Hamstrings = knees (Bent Knee Hamstring Curl)

Feature 2: Slow/Controlled Movements

The next big change that we’ve made is adding a slow/controlled squat or deadlift to the warm-up, corresponding to the main strength exercise for the workout.

Kettlebell Romanian Deadlift

Goblet Squat

Slowing the movement down helps us to improve technique, firstly. Adding a pause at the bottom of the movement helps us develop strength and control where our muscles are most susceptible to injury. Moreover, our brains often don’t let our bodies move into positions where our muscles aren’t in control. By adding this control, we’re improving flexibility. 

Dr. Rusin prescribes three to five sets for each of these features, but one to three sets works best for us. 

In summary, what worked in your 20s won't work in your 40s and beyond. Dr. Rusin's warm-up approach, which combines high-rep isolation work with slow, controlled movements, effectively addresses this reality. When functional trainers, powerlifters, and bodybuilders are all using this method to reduce injuries in the gym, you know it’s a good option. By activating key muscles and practicing controlled movement patterns, you prepare your body for heavier lifting while reducing injury risk.

How Hard Do You Need to Train in the Gym?

In high school, I believed that harder was better. I crushed every workout, but underperformed in competition. As punishment for my poor performances, I would make up for it with another hard workout.

In grade 12, I learned about overtraining. I had experienced nearly all of the symptoms.

Symptoms of Overtraining (or more often, Overreaching)

Stagnant or declining performance

Lingering soreness

Higher perceived effort

Elevated resting heart rate

Chronic fatigue

Frequent illness

Poor sleep

Mood swings and irritability

Loss of motivation

In my final year of cross-country, I decided not to race each workout and raced consistently well. I then went back to my old ways, only to stagnate. I didn’t have another breakthrough until I was 24, again by training smarter.

In the last few years, several studies have compared training to failure with going easier on strength and muscle-building.

Note: The term “reps in reserve (RIR)” means how many reps you’re still able to perform after finishing a set. Training to failure means you have 0 RIR, while finishing your set with the ability to perform 3 more reps means you have 3 RIR.

A 2023 study by Ruple and colleagues compared lifting to near failure (0-1 RIR) to training moderately hard (4-6 RIR). 

They found little difference between groups in strength development. Training near failure, however, was more effective for muscle building.

This means that if you could have done 10 reps, doing only 4-6 reps is just as effective for strength development. You’ll feel a lot better after, too.

Four to six repetitions in reserve versus near failure is a wide gap. A 2025 study by Hermann and colleagues narrowed things down for us. They compared training to failure versus 2 RIR.

Training to failure was slightly better for muscle building, and there was no difference for strength or muscular endurance.

Why Might We See These Results?

The authors of these studies noted that coordination between muscles and within a muscle is important for strength development. Fatigue and soreness negatively affect the development of this coordination. Therefore, we don’t want to constantly train to the point of failure.

Muscle-building is a little different. Muscle fatigue and soreness can be beneficial, although not always necessary. 

How Can We Apply These Studies?

To maximize long-term progress, you need to train hard, but not so hard that it negatively affects your next workout.

For multi-joint exercises such as squats, deadlifts, and presses, you should leave two or more reps in reserve to build strength. This ensures better technique and a lower risk of injury. This is where starting your first sets lighter and building up to one or two top sets is beneficial.

Occasionally, push yourself to see how many reps you can complete at a given weight. If you’re newer to resistance training, you might not be good at estimating how many reps you have in reserve. 

When your progress stalls, take a deload. In a deload, you back off the volume or intensity for each exercise. Fatigue and fitness are in a constant battle. With a deload, you maintain fitness while reducing fatigue, supporting future improvements in performance.

For higher rep isolation exercises, you should train closer to failure. When introducing a new exercise, start with a few reps in reserve to prevent excessive soreness. In subsequent weeks, push one or two sets to near failure and test yourself occasionally.

In conclusion, your goal should be to train moderately to hard while ensuring proper technique, occasionally pushing yourself. 

Stimulate, Don’t Annihilate!

References:

Hermann, T., et al. Without Fail: Muscular Adaptations in Single-Set Resistance Training Performed to Failure or with Repetitions-in-Reserve. Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise, 2025.

Ruple, B., et al. The effects of resistance training to near failure on strength, hypertrophy, and motor unit adaptations in previously trained adults. Physiological Reports, 2023.

Weights Only vs. Weights + Cardio

 For many years, we trained our members similarly, whether their goal was strength, muscle building, weight loss, healthy aging, or excelling in their favourite activities.

We got great results because there’s so much crossover between these training goals. Performing sets of 5-10 repetitions on multi-joint exercises checks a lot of boxes.

For example, getting stronger helps you handle heavier weights during your higher-rep muscle-building isolation exercises. It helps you to excel at your favourite activities and maintain independence as you age. Focusing on lower reps for strength is helpful when trying to lose weight, because it’s harder to train well if you’re constantly eating low-carb meals. 

In addition, we now know that training across a variety of rep ranges is equally beneficial for muscle development. Building muscle is great when you’re trying to lose weight. It boosts your metabolism for hours after you work out and helps ensure your weight loss comes from fat rather than muscle. Having more muscle is tied to healthy aging, and larger muscles tend to be stronger muscles. 

So, if our training was working, why did we change our programs?

1. Our members got bored with training the same way. Now, if they get bored with one program, they can simply switch to another. 

2. Higher rep isolation work helps your joints feel better.

3. We added bikes and battle ropes for cardio.

4. Training at more than one rep range leads to better results.

A recent study by Ari and colleagues (2025) compared a strength- and muscle-building program with a fat-loss program to determine which was better for strength, muscle building, and fat loss.

The program ran for 14-16 weeks, with sessions up to 90 min.

The strength and muscle-building sessions consisted of lifting heavier weights with 2-3 min rest between exercises.

The fat-loss sessions consisted of lifting moderately heavy weights in supersets. A superset is where you do two back-to-back exercises with short rest periods to elevate metabolism, build endurance, and get more work done in less time. The weight training was followed by 30 minutes of cardio in the form of high-intensity interval training (HIIT).

The results showed that both groups gained strength and muscle, while losing fat. 

However, the strength and muscle-building group gained more strength and muscle mass, while the fat loss group lost more body fat. 

A Better Program Design

These two programs were designed to be different to see if they produced different results.

But what if you want to lose weight AND build muscle? 

What if the strength and muscle-building group added a few supersets? 

What if the fat-loss group added a few lower-rep sets with heavier weights?

We prefer to combine elements from both designs because our members typically have multiple goals.

In summary, you can achieve great results for a variety of fitness goals by combining low reps/heavy weight with higher reps/moderate weight, combining exercises into supersets, and adding cardio at the end of your strength sessions.

Reference:

Arı, U., Ulupınar, S., Özbay, S. Comparison of grip strength measurements for predicting all-cause mortality among adults aged 20+ years from the NHANES 2011–2014. BMC Sports Science Medical Rehabilitation, 2025.

Building Strong Bones Through Exercise

Building strong bones to prevent osteoporosis and injury from falling is a goal for many of our members at Pratt’s Pro Fitness. I’m going to show you how to best go about building strong bones through exercise.

For years, some fitness influencers created a fear that lifting anything heavier than 3lb dumbbells would make you big and bulky. 

This was incorrect and benefited no one.

Unless you’re jumping with the weight or throwing it, 3 lbs provides no challenge to your bones and muscles. 

Now, the pendulum has swung the other way. Fitness influencers are claiming that you need to “Lift heavy s#!t.”

We’re not focusing on lifting heavy necessarily, but looking to exert a stress (force) on the bones. We can do that with high-impact activities like jumping and through low-impact activities like strength exercises … even bodyweight strength exercises like push-ups.

What does the research say?

A 2021 study by Kistler-Fischbacher and colleagues reviewed the research on developing bone density in post-menopausal women. They discovered that different regions of your body responded best to different intensities.

Note: 1RM stands for 1-repetition maximum. It’s the heaviest weight that you can lift for one repetition. On average, you can lift 80% of your 1RM for 8 repetitions, making that your 8RM.

They defined high, moderate, and low intensity as the following …

High force: Resistances greater than 80% of 1RM done for fewer than 8 reps and jump forces exceeding 4x bodyweight 

Moderate force: Resistances of 65-80% of 1 RM done for 8-15 reps and jump forces at 2-4x bodyweight

Low force: Resistances less than 65% of 1RM done for more than 15 reps and jump forces less than 2x bodyweight

Looking at the above description, you might wonder how you’re going to match those jump forces if you can’t lift 4x your bodyweight. 

Imagine you’re trying to bicep curl a 20lb dumbbell. Maybe it’s not that difficult to do. Now, try lifting it with a straight arm. It’s much harder because the lever is longer. 

Your muscles have terrible leverage. It would be much easier to curl a dumbbell if your bicep were connected from your shoulder to your wrist. However, you would be so bulky if your muscles were well-leveraged. Instead, your bicep is connected close to your elbow. To curl that 20lb dumbbell, your bicep has to tug on your forearm with 100lbs of force … and the force is applied for longer than a high-impact jump.

It’s not the amount of weight used, but how hard your muscles work. 

You can use weights, cables, resistance bands, or your own bodyweight. Your muscles and bones don’t know the difference.

What did the Kistler-Fischbacher study find?

High-intensity exercise wasn’t the best for all areas of the skeletal system.

The lumber spine responded best to high-intensity exercise. 

The femoral neck (upper thigh) responded best to moderate and low-intensity exercise.

The hip responded best to moderate-intensity exercise.

How do we apply this information to our 40+ year old members at Pratt’s Pro Fitness?

High-Intensity

We like to perform 5-8 reps on our main strength exercises. These weights are more forgiving than the ones that you can only lift for 1-3 reps.

Main strength exercises include variations of the deadlift, squat, lunge, and press.

For jumps, we’re careful about what exercises we give to our members because the impact forces are so high. We prefer to focus on the muscular power benefits of jumps and leave the skeletal benefits to strength exercises.

Low to Moderate-Intensity

Accessory exercises like rows, push-ups, step-ups, and isolation exercises are done for 8-25 reps.

A Word on Running

Until recently, I would have told you that running was great for building strong bones. However, runners' bones are no stronger than those of the average person. After the first few minutes of running, the signal to build your bones shuts off. The repeated stress from thousands of steps makes it a draw. Training with varied movement, like in a team sport, is better for building strong bones.

In conclusion, building strong bones is best done through a variety of movements and intensities in the gym and is not limited to high-impact jumping and lifting heavy weights.

Source:

Kistler-Fischbacher, M. et al., The effect of exercise intensity on bone in postmenopausal women (part 2): A meta-analysis. Bone, 2021.

 

Improve Your Step-Ups with This Technique

 The step-up is an exercise that trains the quads and glutes as well as improves balance. 

Try the technique in the video below if your goal is to use step-ups for strength or muscle building.

CLICK HERE 

Stay fit,

Jonathan

The Best Squat Variation You're Not Doing

 The goblet squat is our most used squat variation. 

Like other squat variations, it emphasizes the quads and glutes. As with the front squat, you’ll feel your upper back and probably your core, too.

What I like about the goblet squat is that it’s easier to stay upright and sit deeper compared to barbell variations. In fact, I now use it as a warm-up for my barbell squats.

In the video below, I’ll show you one cue to use to ensure you’re in a stronger position. You’ll also notice that my heels are elevated on a wedge. This helps with good posture, especially if you have poor ankle range of motion.

CLICK HERE

Stay fit,

Jonathan