Now there are short and simple exercises which tire the body rapidly, and so save our time; and time is something of which we ought to keep strict account. These exercises are running, brandishing weights, and jumping
Seneca
We can get as fancy as we want with our workouts and programs, but at the end of the day every athlete needs to work on their endurance, their strength, and their power. Seneca writing in 50 CE already knew this and he acts like it had been common knowledge for quite some time. Since then the training world has moved in many directions, but at the core these principles have always been true. Though some sports may rely on certain aspects more than others we all need bits of each. When we develop training for our athletes of course we bring in the most current research and methods, but we never leave behind the practices that have always been true. Make sure you don’t throw out the old gold for new tricks.
The ancient author of Ecclesiastes sums this point up pretty well; “there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, ‘See, this is new’? It has already been, in the ages before us.”
