"Strength is only useful if it transfers to performance." - Nick Grantham
Strength training has long been a foundation of athletic performance.
But what that training looks like is changing.
Across elite sport, there is a move away from generic gym programmes towards exercises that directly reflect the demands of competition.
The focus is shifting from how much an athlete can lift, to how well that strength transfers.
In practical terms, that means fewer isolated movements and more integrated ones:
• rotational strength for bat-and-ball sports
• unilateral work for running-based athletes
• multi-directional loading for team sports
The goal is specificity.
Performance coach Nick Grantham, who has worked across Olympic and professional sport, has highlighted this shift in approach.
"Strength is only useful if it transfers to performance," he said. "It’s not about the gym numbers, it’s about what happens on the field."
That idea is reshaping training environments.
Rather than separating gym work from sport, coaches are blending the two. Exercises are designed to reflect movement patterns athletes actually use - sprinting, turning, striking, stabilising.
This doesn’t mean traditional strength training is obsolete. It means it’s being used more strategically.
Heavy lifts still play a role in building capacity. But they are increasingly complemented by exercises that challenge coordination, balance and control in sport-specific contexts.
For athletes, the difference is noticeable. Training feels more relevant. Movements feel more connected to performance. And perhaps most importantly, it reduces the gap between preparation and execution.
In elite sport, strength isn’t the goal - it's the tool. And the better that tool fits the demands of the sport, the more effective it becomes.
