Joseph CSCS

If you’re trying to run a faster 40-yard dash, obsessing over becoming more elastic might be a waste of time.

Look at the numbers.

Florence Griffith-Joyner, one of the greatest female sprinters ever, ran an estimated 4.71-second 40-yard split during her 10.54-second 100m world-record performance.

Now compare that to:
• Usain Bolt: ~4.35 (4.22 in ATL unofficially)
• Su Bingtian: ~4.30 (4.1 split during his 60m WR)

These are all world-class sprinters with extraordinary elastic qualities. Elasticity isn’t a gender-specific adaptation. Olympic-level female sprinters are some of the most reactive and elastic athletes on the planet.

Yet their acceleration times are still substantially different from elite male sprinters.

Now consider NFL Combine athletes. Many are 220–250+ lbs, and some run faster 40s than elite female sprinters despite not necessarily having comparable reactive strength or RSI scores.

Why?

Because elasticity isn’t the same thing as force production.

The ability to produce enormous amounts of force relative to body mass, rapidly, is a major differentiator in acceleration.

Tendon stiffness, elastic energy storage, and reactive strength matter. But they don’t replace muscular strength and power.

If you want to get faster, don’t neglect getting stronger and more powerful while chasing some arbitrary elasticity or RSI number.

Elasticity helps you use force. Strength and power determine how much force you have available to use.

No problem! Congrats on breaking that 400lbs mark!

One of the biggest reasons people struggle to increase their bench press is that they get the fundamentals wrong.

1. Intensity: Either lifting too heavy and constantly maxing out or not lifting heavy enough to adequately recruit high threshold motor units.

2. Frequency: Not benching often enough to develop the strength and motor skill required to move heavier weights.

3. Accessories: Not building the triceps, shoulders, and upper back to support a bigger bench.

You don't need a complicated program. You need the right intensity, frequency, and accessory work, consistently applied over time.

One of the biggest mistakes in strength training programs is constantly rotating exercises.

One day is trap bar deadlifts, the next is a unilateral variation, and the next is a different bilateral lift. It looks like variety, but you're sacrificing consistency and the opportunity to develop proficiency.

A high school athlete who is already weak doesn't need three different lower body lifts performed once a week. They need repeated exposure to a foundational movement.

Squat 3x per week. Manipulate sets, reps, intensity, and percentages to progressively build strength. Use unilateral exercises as secondary movements, not replacements for your primary strength movement.

You can't develop proficiency in a movement you barely practice. Repeated exposure builds neuromuscular coordination, technical efficiency, and the ability to progressively overload.
Stop confusing exercise variety with a good strength program.

🤝🤝🤝 Yes sir !