Chelsea: The great no weight debate unlikely to be settled soon

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri has sparked the great no weight debate. The results of Sarri’s training style are unlikely to show for some time.

Rarely does a manager’s preferred choice of training regimen spark so much debate. But Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri did just that when he said his team does not do weight training. His argument was that he had never seen a player carry a weight on to the pitch. So he would rather them master their own body weight than extra iron.

Strength and conditioning coaches worldwide were appalled. Their argument was that there is a ton of scientific research that states athletes of that level can almost only benefit from weight training. Even though bodyweight strength training can work, it is not the most efficient method and therefore is inferior.

Sarri’s supporters and others have come to his defense. Logically, it does make sense to master the body because that is all that goes on the pitch. Training Ground Guru had an excellent article detailing both sides of the debate (more weights or fewer weights) through the lens of Sarri’s training. But it feels like both sides of the debate are missing parts.

Key bits of the debate include the fact that weight training can decrease the chance of injury. Opposed to that was that too much muscle can hinder agility and mobility. Like most debates, the two sides took rapidly opposing views with little middle ground.

But does a player like Gary Cahill, who is already quite large, need more weight training? Or does a skinny rail such as Andreas Christensen need only bodyweight training?

The fact of the matter is that the answer is somewhere in the middle like most debates. At a certain point, weight training might be a hindrance just as at a certain point a lack of weight training can be detrimental. Often times, it comes down to the individual. To do all of one or the other is usually only going to yield results in the short term.

Another part of the debate that gets lost is that everything is cumulative. Many point to Chelsea’s current winning form and say “look at that, who needs weights!” but they ignore what came before. Antonio Conte was a big proponent of having the team weight train. Seeing as how Conte’s reign is only recently ended, many of the benefits of that regimen will still be in place as Sarri uses his own.

So right now, Chelsea is essentially using a form a periodization unintentionally. The results of Conte’s training remain while Sarri’s training is piled on top. At some point, the benefits of Conte’s weight training will fade and all that will remain will be Sarri’s bodyweight training.

It will likely take several months to a year removed from Conte to see the exact results of Sarri’s method. If injuries start to pile up or the players wither, it will likely be due to a lack of weights. If they become agile beasts, it will come down to Sarri. The answer may be in the middle of the two but the debate will rage until one takes command of the other.