Absolutely.

But I think the big thing you have "incorrect" so to speak is that strength=athleticism. It doesn't. Trust me. I'm a trickster. I've been torn between jumping/flipping around like a maniac and strength training for a number of YEARS. They have little correlation.

Strength can improve general athletic markers, but when it comes to moving gracefully, it doesn't touch it.

So even though you're not helping yourself build muscle, you are building up your athleticism by actually doing athletic things. That makes sense. I guess I always figured building muscle means getting stronger, and getting stronger means becoming more athletic.

"Part of barbell amnesia is forgetting how to 'play.' And, no, I don’t mean sports. I mean having fun outdoors without being confined by rest periods, sets, reps, or much of anything."

I'm assuming here you mean playing professional sports. Wouldn't a friendly basketball game of skins vs. shirts or a touch football game with your buddies be the sort of outdoor fun that builds athleticism?

Ya Chuck, I hear where you're coming from, but it's a look into athleticism. Lifting weights isn't necessarily going to improve your athleticism from a reactive, quickness, or even explosiveness aspect. Unless, of course, you're training with O-lifts and plyometrics as your main focus. But getting out there, sprinting and performing athletic movements is incredibly important to improving athleticism.

I also agree with Ossian, that Anthony brought even more variation to a site that really stresses trying everything within reason, and consistently being inconsistent with regards to reps, sets, and exercises for our training.

I love the article, and am glad Anthony brought a perspective to the site that I wouldn't necessarily bring. Most guest article ideas are very similar to what I'd write anyways. Glad we were able to switch things up with this one.

And I also want to say that some lifts, like the Olympic lifts, certainly are "athletic," and can certainly be done. But, in general, the more you confine yourself around an object, the less "flow" you have. So if you're always conforming to a barbell or dumbbell, your ability to flow gracefully through movement is limited.

Thanks Thierry.

It's not even so much "hanging out in the park." It's doing sprints. Doing jumps. So if you're goal is athleticism, and you're training, you're better off going outside and hitting some sprints than you are staying inside for squats.

Better yet, find a way to do both. But if you're after athleticism and you're doing nothing but squatting, pressing, and pulling, you're not on the right path.