There’s an old adage in training (as it relates to Strength and Conditioning, anyway) that some of you may have heard: “20% of your training gets you 80% of your results, and 80% of your training gets you 20% of your results.”

Simply put, it means this – the basic, foundational part(s) of our programs get us most of the gains and results we desire. This is the "easy" part. However, to achieve greatness and to fully maximize/realize potential, we must go above and beyond "basic." The return we get on our training may be much smaller, but it is just that much more important. It is this specialized training and in turn the 20% of results that make the difference between "champions" and "also-rans."

However, I often see people that lose sight of the "Big Picture." They lose sight of the fact that 80% won't win a fight. 20% won't win a fight. Only 100% will win a fight. So 100% is what you have to train for.

The foundational part(s) of a program (i.e. - the basics) are what, as I stated, will make up a majority of your training results. It is what the rest of your training is based on, and you will always have to "come back to" (so-to-speak), when enhancing your training. True, the basics may seem, well, basic, and these basics may not even take a large chunk of your training time, making them seem unimportant. Don't let that fool you, though - the basics can never be ignored or forgotten.

Basics training is usually not fancy - it's also usually not glamorous. Simple Strength and Conditioning training just isn't exotic when compared to the many different specialized training programs, equipment, and systems out there. As such, it's usually specialized training that gets a majority of attention. It's also specialized training that continues to evolve, getting more even more "specialized."
This usually ends up as a problem for the average trainee, though. Because all this specialized training looks neat and fun, and gets a lot of attention, trainees too many times want to focus on these specialized techniques and programs, when they don't have the basics mastered, or don't have a solid foundation built yet.

Look at it this way. Let's say you went out and bought a used small-block Chevy 350 CID V-8. The engine has about 90,000 miles on it, smokes a little, and burns oil. If you were going to build this motor for the dragstrip, and only had a few thousand dollars to put into it initially (just as you only have so many hours per day to train and can only recover from so much activity), would you spend that money buying a super deluxe supercharger or turbocharger? What about an advanced electronic fuel injection setup? How about Nitrous Oxide? Would it be smarter to go for one of these, or to simply have the motor rebuilt first? Make sure the heads aren't cracked? Have the cylinders bored for new pistons? Get new gaskets? Check all clearances? Would it be wiser to add a power adding bolt on first, or to make sure the motor was rebuilt and bulletproof first, with the option of knowing that you could add the bolt ons later? I think most of you would choose the latter.

Training is the same way. Instead of making sure that their bodies are "rebuilt" and "bulletproof" by spending time on the basics, many trainees jump right to the power adding bolt ons.

I've seen and gotten questions from trainees that completely have the wrong focus in their training. I've seen trainees ask about depth jumps, when they couldn't even squat their own bodyweight yet. I've had questions about complex bench press programs, when the trainee can barely do any good push-ups with correct form. I've seen questions on technique of complex lifts such as the Snatch and Clean (and their variations), when the trainee is still having trouble with more simple movements such as the Deadlift or the Bent Row.

Now, I'm not saying specialized training doesn't have a place - because it does. Like I said, it ultimately is what determines champions. Just be sure that you get - and keep - the basics down first.

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.