Yesterday I wrote about an old tradition in baseball of using a weighted doughnut on the end of a bat to warm-up with the idea that it will prime the batter to swing with greater velocity (read the post HERE). Despite its popularity with pros and amateurs alike, the baseball doughnut doesn’t actually make players swing faster (it has the opposite effect, actually). But before you go and throw the baseball doughnut out with the bath water, realize that its inefficacy at increasing bat speed doesn’t mean that it’s a useless tool. In fact, the baseball doughnut can be a highly useful tool when used properly.

While researchers found that warming up with a weighted doughnut around your bat will actually slow your bat speed, they also found that using the implement regularly helped strengthen the muscles of the forearm and wrist, an effect which could have positive performance implications and may aid with injury prevention. Other researchers also found that while warming up with the doughnut decreased bat velocity immediately after, long-term use of the doughnut in a training context increased players’ upper body strength, ultimately leading to greater bat velocity. What we have is a case of context defining the result.

In human performance and just about anything else, you will rarely find something that is absolutely bad or absolutely good. This can make things difficult and uncomfortable. It will require you to pay attention to details, to understand things deeply, to speak and think carefully and with an attention to nuance, and to ultimately acknowledge that you may not know as much as you’d like to think you do.

If you find yourself being fed absolutes, there’s a good chance you’re being lied to or led by someone who might not know what they’re talking about.

- PS

4/17/19

• Deadlift - 3x5

Then...

• 2 rounds for reps/cals:

• 90s max push press (95/65)

• 90s rest

• 90s max double-unders

• 90s rest

• 90s max burpees over bar

• 90s rest