From the Gym to the Track: Ensuring Training Transfers to Performance
In our last edition we dug into how testing gives us the what and periodisation gives us the how and when. This month, we focus on a crucial next step: making sure the hard work in the gym and training shows up where it counts, in movement, speed, strength, and power on the track or field. In performance science terms we talk about training transfer, how improvements in strength or power translate into the “specific task” of sport.
Why Transfer Matters
As one review puts it, “Training transfer is the degree of crossover from a training means to a desired outcome or ‘target task’. … Resistance or plyometric training on linear or change-of-direction speed is one such example.” In simpler terms: lifting heavy, doing jumps, training sleds, they are only useful if they help you run faster, jump higher, throw farther, or change direction quicker. Otherwise, they are just numbers in the gym.
Legendary coach Dan Pfaff puts it this way: “There are plenty of guys walking around who can lift the weight room, but they don’t run fast or jump far.” And elite sprint coach Stuart McMillan adds: “It’s not the 9.58 seconds that make sprinting what it is, it is everything packed inside them.”
What these voices emphasise is clear: the how and what of training matter, but so too does the link between training and performance. In research terms, one paper found that 8 weeks of squat strength training produced a 21 % increase in 1RM squat, a 21 % increase in vertical jump, but only a 2.3 % improvement in 40 m sprint time. That gap between gym gains and field gains is where many programs fall short and where we at the Centre of Excellence step in.
How the Centre of Excellence Bridges the Gap
Here is how we make sure the training done at the centre transfers into sport performance:
Specific movement-pattern work: We don’t just lift weights, we build exercises, drills and plyometrics that mimic sport demands.
Individualised profiling and testing: Because every athlete is different, we test movement patterns, strength, speed, spatiotemporal mechanics and then tailor the training so the gym work aligns with each athlete’s sport, event and needs.
Rapid feedback loops: We integrate results from testing with the programming and monitor how well gym gains are showing up in the sport. If the transfer isn’t happening, we adjust different movement planes, different contraction velocities, or modified exercises.
Holistic integration: We align strength & conditioning with technique, movement quality, and sport skill.
Educated coaches and athlete buy-in: We ensure athletes understand why they are training certain movements, sets, reps. Knowing the link between gym work and field work improves motivation and thus likelihood of transfer.
Research-Driven Principles We Use
Specificity: The strongest evidence shows that if movements in training closely resemble the target task, in terms of velocity, direction, contraction type, the transfer odds rise.
Progressive overload with the right emphasis: It is not only about getting stronger but about how that strength is expressed, speed of movement, reactive strength, horizontal force production.
Integration into training context: Research warns that S&C alone in a silo may not achieve meaningful transfer unless integrated with skill, coordination and sport-specific work.
What This Means for Our Athletes
For our junior athletes at the Centre of Excellence that means:
When we do strength and power testing, we don’t just look at barbell numbers, we look at how those numbers relate to sprint splits, jump mechanics or event-specific movement.
When we programme gym sessions, we embed drills that mirror the sport demands and ensure the athlete can express strength in the right context.
When we assess progress, we monitor not only whether the athlete lifted more or jumped higher, but whether they moved better, faster, more efficiently in their sport.
We educate athletes and coaches: understanding that lifting heavy isn’t enough, it is how that lift helps your movement, your sprint, your jump, and your event.
Are you ready to make your gym work count on the track or field? At the Centre of Excellence, we offer a transfer-focused performance assessment that maps where you are training currently is, where it needs to go, and defines the gym-to-sport link for you.
Book your session today and let us ensure your strength, power and speed training deliver results where it matters most.
