Words

As coaches we tend to use words that take on a life of their own. I know I over use the word spectrum and spectrum training. Another word that I am getting a lot of questions on is matrix. When everything is a matrix then what is a matrix? Remember words create images and images create action. In my mind I Have a very well defined use for the word matrix in my system, it is a particular dumbbell routine that Gary Gray and I developed in 1996. It simply consisted of three different exercises, done in all three planes for three repetitions, repeated three times. To me it is nothing more than that. As far as spectrum I define spectrum as a broad range of related values or qualities or ideas or activities. Each physical quality that we train is trained across a spectrum. For example with the strength training spectrum according to Zatsiorsky “Exercising at varying levels of resistance causes differences in metabolic reactions, intramuscular coordination, & biomechanical variables and intermuscular coordination.” The goal here is not to criticize anyone or say that my ideas are right and someone else is wrong, rather it is to simplify and be exact in terminology to facilitate communication to make teaching and learning easier.