A 37-year-old Kenyan marathoner was asked how he could compete at an international level at such an advanced age. Quality, not quantity training, he replied. Favorite coaches John Gagliardi (Division III football, St. John's University, Minnesota) and John Wooden (Division 1 basketball, UCLA) emphasized quality, not quantity. Watching another team perform vigorous pre-game calisthenics, Gagliardi laughed. "That team is going to be the best in the nation at pushups. Unfortunately, pushups aren't part of the game." Gagliardi emphasized the fundamentals, blocking, tackling and running the plays. Mainly his teams practiced by just running plays. Wooden, meanwhile, programmed his practices down to the minute, and they moved faster than games. When players got in games, they were better conditioned than the other team and it seemed as if everything was unfolding in slow motion.
The practices of both Gagliardi and Wooden were some of the shortest in the nation. The results? Multiple national championships. They practiced smarter, not longer.
How does this equate to Younger Next Year? Well, we do weights twice a week, an hour a time. Those weights should be specific to your needs. I program mine to help with my golf swing, my balance and the ability when I'm older to get out of a chair or of a car. I don't pump huge weights overhead or do curls with massive barbells, not that there's anything wrong with that. But I know what I need. That can change. When it does, I will adapt my program to the needs of the moment.
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