Training Equipment – Then and Now

Brain wrote the following comment: In terms of what is needed to train elite athletes has the equipment needed changed much since 1968? I think that starting out in 1968 I thought that you needed a lot of equipment. Today I do not believe you do. You need the correct tools to do the job, no more no less. For me today the emphasis in the equipment area is heavily biased toward that which will help me monitor training. In 1968 artificial surfaces in terms of track and filed surfaces were new, today they are better and more forgiving, so that is a tool necessary in climates that are wet and cold. When I think I need some equipment I always remind myself of the moment constants – gravity, the body and the ground. Manipulate those three variables and you have all you need. The farther away from the body you get and the more things you put between the body and the ground the less effective you will. Use gravity and the ground, you can’t escape those. I am a minimalist; I don’t need much regardless of the level of the athlete. Equipment can be a crutch and an excuse for not training and performing. Good training methodology applied by a good coach with an athlete with a degree of talent will produce superior results. You do not need fancy buildings and chrome weights and mirrors to be the best.