Quarterback on Netflix and what NOT to Do in a Workout

I’ve loved watching the eight-part series, Quarterback, on Netflix over the past few weeks. Among other things, the series has increased my admiration for Vikings Quarterback, Kirk Cousins.

The series also provides examples of what NOT to do in the training and conditioning of an athlete (an NFL athlete or weekend warrior). Episode seven features Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Patrick Mahomes performing workouts during the bye week before a play-off game. To be clear, Mahomes is not working out with the Chiefs’ Strength and Conditioning Staff, instead, he is working with his private personal trainer.

The episode details Mahomes’ trainer convincing Mahomes to jump up and down with a 135-pound bar on his back. Repeatedly, Mahomes told the trainer, “No, I can’t do that.” Repeatedly, the trainer cajoled him to do so. Jumping up and down with a bar on your back is possibly the single most dangerous exercise a person can perform. The bar is vertically compressing the spinal column and the forces created while jumping and landing mean that Mahomes doesn’t simply have 135 pounds on his back; he is experiencing forces exceeding a thousand pounds. This is a recipe for injury. Additionally, this exercise offers no physiological benefit (jumping with weight does not improve speed, vertical jump, strength, etc.). The episode continued to show Mahomes performing a host of dangerous and purposeless exercises and the coaching and instruction delivered violated about 24 principles of physiology and motor learning.

If I were the owner of the Kansas City Chiefs (or the head coach) and I saw this episode, I would immediately draft an addendum to Mahomes contract that states he is banned from working with that trainer ever again and that he can only work with Chiefs personnel during the season. Mahomes is in a 10-year, $450 million contract. The Chiefs are risking the health and well-being of their (nearly) 1-billion-dollar asset.

Take Home Message: Never emulate the training and conditioning of professional athletes. The training is rarely evidence-based (which means, it’s rarely effective). In the words of legendary NFL Strength Coach (Head Strength coach for many years for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jacksonville Jaguars), Mark Asanovich. “Most athletes are successful in spite of their training programs, not because of them.”