What Type Of Athletes Should Lift Weights?

When you think of an athlete, what is the first thought that come to mind?  Most likely it is two things.  Winning.  And training.  Just look at a Gatorade or Nike commercial.  Chances are you will see moments of victory mixed with athletes working hard training.  Now when you think about training, what is the first thought that pops up?  For most, it is the playing field/court, and the weight room.  See how it does not take long to see how closely connected sports as a whole is to the weight room.  Regardless of your sport, you know that a part of your training should involve lifting weights.  You are probably thinking right now that this post is just stating the obvious.  Well, I agree!  But the reality is most high school athletes, coaches, and especially the general public do not even take lifting weights seriously!

Ask a high school track coach about sprinters/jumpers lifting weights, and I could guarantee you the first thing he will say is that strength is good but cant be overdone as the athletes will become too bulky.  A high school basketball coach is likely to give you the same answer.  Even high school football coaches often focus on doing an abundance of random lifts for the sake of "mixing it up", rather than actually having a focus on the proven strength building basic exercises.  

The whole point of this blog and Candito Training HQ is to emphasize that lifting weights helps every athlete and every person to become healthier along with being stronger/faster.  With athletes like Ryan Lochte and Usain Bolt using the weight room to take it to the next level in sports that people don't associate with lifting, it is becoming more and more apparent that the future champions in nearly any athletic endeavor will hold a barbell before they hold a gold medal.