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  • Chris Judd: Train your weaknesses to get stronger

    Chris Judd - 4.5 min read

    20 June 2019


    We all have fitness goals that could use a little improvement. Here, Chris Judd shares his experience working on athletic weakness – and provides some guidance for moving out of your comfort zone.

    Chris Judd: Train your weaknesses to get stronger

    It’s human nature to gravitate towards the things we’re good at it. After all, who doesn’t want to feel accomplished? Still, when it comes to training, we also need to develop in areas where we are not as strong.

    Your weaknesses can shape your goals

    If you strive for what’s comfortable and familiar all the time, you’re not going to see the improvements that you want. While pursuing your strengths might make you feel satisfied, the temporary discomfort of training your weaknesses is going to lead to far more benefits in the long term than training within the limits of what you know.

    Often, discomfort is a useful tool for identifying where your focus should be; where you will potentially see your biggest improvements over time. For example, if you absolutely hate running, it’s probably a good sign that you’d benefit from some aerobic training. If you’re used to weightlifting, it might be time for some flexibility challenges. If swimming is your main form of exercise, you might want to think about hitting the gym.

    There is a cost to mixing it up: maybe you won’t feel you’re executing these unfamiliar routines as well as the other people around you. But you need to put that ego aside. Ultimately, the health benefits are worth a little discomfort. Trying something new should be enjoyable as well as therapeutic.

    Make your #OneChange

    Think about the type of training you tend to avoid, and have another go at it. Training your weaknesses may help you find a new type of exercise to enjoy.

    Training weaknesses helps avoid injury

    If you’re constantly staying within the limits of your own comfort in terms of the exercise you’re undertaking, invariably you’ll end up overdoing it. Think of a distance runner: they’re putting enormous strain on the same body parts over and over again. Unfortunately, that’s the risk that comes with pursuing the activities you love. If you’re cross-training and working your weaknesses, ideally you’ll be activating those parts of your body that haven’t had as much strain put on them.

    It's worth being mindful that if you’ve found something you love doing, that you’re comfortable doing, you’ll want to be able to keep doing it for a long period of your life. With almost any exercise routine, if you go too hard, then by your late 40s your joints may begin to wear out. Overtraining may also affect metabolism, heart function, hormone levels and bone strength over time. So, from the point of view of longevity, it would make sense to do a bit of cross-training along the way to extend that period of your life when you can run. Or row. Or play team sports.

    This advice is probably most crucial for people who are doing something that they like doing, but they're doing it so much that they're putting themselves at risk. I often think, with people who do these crazy endurance-type exercise programs year after year after year – particularly when they're running as opposed to lower impact stuff like cycling or endurance swimming – there are costs involved in everything you do. You need to be aware of what they might be.

    It’s a cliché, but in terms of training, it’s true: too much water you drown, not enough water you die of thirst. Somewhere in the middle there's a happy medium. And it’s worth taking the time to find it.

    Finding balance with football, and in life too

    Your weaknesses have a funny way of appearing and costing you. That's the same in football and in life: people prefer to avoid their weaknesses, but the key is to find a balance.

    In a footballing sense, you don't want people to obsess over the negatives and have that be their main focus, necessarily. They'll have their strengths, too, and those are the reasons they got drafted in the first place. You have to make sure your super power stays a super power (and grows as well). Otherwise, you're not that much use to the team.

    I spent 75 per cent of my time as an athlete making sure that my strengths were real strengths – but then I've also done enough work on my weaknesses to ensure they weren't weighing on me. Usually, people will only get their weaknesses up to a reasonable level. It's rare that in a professional sporting sense, somebody's weakness goes on to become their strength.

    When I got drafted, there was a view that I wasn't a very good kicker of the football. I disagreed with that belief, but I resolved to work on it. And I actually told people during the recruiting process that kicking was where I wanted to get better. I think that played a role in changing people's beliefs. I also spent hours and hours of practice with an assistant coach – a huge amount of time making sure that weakness was addressed.

    I think what helped me was deciding, ‘This is what I want to do.’ It’s a real positive if you’re constantly reviewing your strengths and weaknesses, pinpointing where you can get better, and planning out ways to achieve that.


    Chris Judd

    Former Australian Rules footballer Chris Judd is familiar with how to get your heart rate up and push yourself physically. Twice winner of the prestigious Brownlow Medal, Chris is an honoured sportsman and father to four children, Oscar, Billie, Tom and Darcy. The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as medical, health, nutritional or other advice. You should obtain professional advice from a medical or health practitioner in relation to your own personal circumstances.

    Disclaimer:
    The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.


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