"Play by the rules. But be ferocious."
™
Starting The Business
Like Fred Smith and the origins of FedEx, Philip Knight's first ideas of what would become Nike Inc. came to him while he was at
school. While working on his master's at Stanford, Knight - an accomplished runner during his undergraduate days at the University
of Oregon - wrote an essay that outlined a plan to overcome the monopoly Adidas had on the running shoe market. He thought the way
to realize this was to employ cheap Japanese labour to make a shoe both better and cheaper.
The plan was put into action shortly after graduating in 1962. Knight went to Japan to meet with the executives of Onitsuka Tiger
Co., a manufacturer of imitation Adidas runners, claiming to be the head of a company called Blue Ribbon Sports (which did not
exist, except in his mind). Knight convinced Tiger to export their shoes to the States though Blue Ribbon and had them send samples
so his associates could inspect them.
Knight paid for the samples with money from his father. He sent a few pairs to Bill Bowerman, Knight's track coach from his days at
the University of Oregon, who became interested in the venture. Knight and Bowerman became partners and put $500 each into the
purchase of 200 pairs of Tigers. Blue Ribbon Sports was formed, and Knight began going to high school track and field events
selling the shoes from the trunk of his car.
Sales were at $3 million dollars when Knight chose to dissolve the partnership with Tiger in the early 1970s. Blue Ribbon began
producing its own line and began selling its Nike line (named research-portal.org after the Greek goddess of victory) in 1972. These first Nike shoes
were adorned with the now-internationally recognizable swoosh logo - which Knight had commissioned for $35 - and had the
traction-improving "waffle soles", conceived of by Bowerman while watching his wife using a waffle iron.
Building An Empire
Blue Ribbon's success (renamed Nike in 1978) throughout the 1970s and into the '80s can largely be attributed to Knight's marketing
strategy. He thought it best not to push his Nike shoes though advertising, but rather to let expert athletes endorse his product.
Fortune smiled on Knight as his partner Bill Bowerman became the coach of the American Olympic team and many of the best performers
on the team decided to shod their feet with Nikes. Of course, when the runners performed well, the shoes they wore were
highlighted. Steve Prefontaine, a brash and unconventional American record-holder, became the first spokesperson for Nike shoes.
After the tennis player John McEnroe hurt his ankle, he began wearing a Nike three-quarter-top shoe, and sales of that particular
brand jumped from 10,000 pairs to over 1 million. As Knight had hoped, celebrity athlete's endorsements brought success to the
company. Knight also capitalized on a jogging craze, and through clever marketing persuaded the consumer that they should only be
wearing the best the best in the world.
The Air Jordans helped the company continue to thrive into the 1980s. In their first year, the shoe made more than $100 million.
Knight realized his initial goal of replacing Adidas as the number the one shoe manufacturer globally in 1986. By then, total sales
had surpassed $1 billion. However, by neglecting the growing interest in aerobics shoes, Nike would have to face a few
difficulties.
Through Problems and Controversy
Sales dropped 18% between 1986 and 1987 as Reebok's trendy, stylish aerobics shoes came to be in high demand. Knight had to
acknowledge that the technical achievements of the Nike shoe would not satisfy those who placed appearance above performance. The
Nike Air was Knight's response to Reebok. It revived sales and put Nike back in the number one spot in 1990.
Corporate Monster that it had become, Nike was the object of public outrage in 1990 when stories of teenagers killed for their
Nikes began floating around. It was believed that Nike was promoting their shoes too forcefully.
That same year Jesse Jackson attacked Nike for not having any African-Americans on its board or among its vice-presidents, despite
the fact that its customer base was in large part black. Jackson's Nike boycott lasted until a black board member was appointed.
There has also been a controversy around whether Knight's use of Asian factory workers as cheap labour s exploitative.
Through all of the bad press that has been foisted on Nike through these events, Nike shoes have continued to sell well. And in
1993, The Sporting News voted Knight "the most powerful man in sports" though he was neither a player nor a manager. Knight's
marketing mastery is to be lauded and regarded as a major factor in his impressive successes.
The 8 Training Principles are research-based guidelines that can help you accelerate your training progress and optimize your results. Knowing how to apply these principles gives you an educated basis on which you can make informed decisions about designing your fitness or sports training program. The principles can also help you evaluate the merits of fitness equipment and personal training services.
All of the principles complement each other. For best results, they should be applied in concert throughout every phase of training.
1. Principle of Specificity suggests that your body will make adjustments according to the type of training you perform and in the very same muscles that you exercise. How you train determines what you get.
This principle guides you in designing your fitness training program. If your goal is to improve your overall level of fitness, you would devise a well-rounded program that builds both endurance and overall body strength. If you want to build the size of your biceps, you would increase weight loads on bicep curls and related exercises.
2. The Principle of Overload implies that you must continually increase training loads as your body adapts over time. Because your body builds and adjusts to your existing training regimen, you must gradually and systematically increase your work load for continued improvement.
A generally accepted guideline for weight training is to increase resistance not more than 10% per week. You can also use percentages of your maximum or estimated maximum level of performance and work out within a target training zone of about 60-85% of maximum. As your maximum performance improves, your training loads will increase, as well.
3. The Principle of Recovery assets that you must get adequate rest between workouts in order to recuperate. How much rest you need depends upon your training program, level of fitness, diet, and other factors.
Generally, if you perform a total body weight workout three days per week, rest at least 48 hours between sessions. You can perform cardio more frequently and on successive days of the week.
Over time, too little recovery can result in signs of overtraining. Excessively long periods of recovery time can result in a detraining effect.
4. The Principle of Reversibility refers to the loss of fitness that results after you stop training. In time, you will revert back to your pre-training condition. The biological principle of use and disuse underlies this principle. Simply stated, If you don't use it, you lose it.
While adequate recovery time is essential, taking long breaks results in detraining effects that may be noticeable within a few weeks. Significant levels of fitness are lost over longer periods. Only about 10% of strength is lost 8 weeks after training stops, but 30-40% of endurance is lost in the same time period.
The Principle of Reversibility does not apply to skills. The effects of stopping practice of motor skills, such as weight training exercises and sport skills, are very different. Coordination appears to store in long-term motor memory and remains nearly perfect for decades. A skill once learned is never forgotten.
5. The Principle of Variation implies that you should consistently change aspects of your workouts. Training variations should always occur within ranges that are aligned with your training directions and goals. Varying exercises, sets, reps, intensity, volume, and duration, for example, prevents boredom and promotes more consistent improvement over time. A well-planned training program set up in phases offers built-in variety to workouts, and also prevents overtraining.
6. The Principle of Transfer suggests that workout activities can improve the performance of other skills with common elements, such as sport skills, work tasks, or other exercises. For example, performing explosive squats can improve the vertical jump due to their common movement qualities. But dead lifting would not transfer well to marathon swimming due to their very dissimilar movement qualities.
7. The Principle of Individualization suggests that fitness training programs should be adjusted for personal differences, such as abilities, skills, gender, experience, motivation, past injuries, and physical condition. While general principles and best practices are good guides, each person's unique qualities must be part of the exercise equation. There is no one size fits all training program.
8. The Principle of Balance is a broad concept that operates at different levels of healthy living. It suggests that you must maintain the right mix of exercise, diet, and healthy behaviors. Falling out of balance may cause a variety of conditions (e.g., anemia, obesity) that affect health and fitness. In short, it suggests all things in moderation.
If you go to extremes to lose weight or build fitness too quickly, your body will soon respond. You could experience symptoms of overtraining until you achieve a healthy training balance that works for you.
For fitness training, balance also applies to muscles. If opposing muscles (e.g., hamstrings and quadriceps in the upper legs) are not strengthened in the right proportions, injuries can result. Muscle imbalances also contribute to tendinitis and postural deviations.
Keep these 8 Training Principles in mind as you design and carry out your fitness training program. They can help you make wise exercise decisions so you can achieve your goals more quickly with less wasted effort.