The Modern Cycle Of Training (Part 3)

In part 3 of this blog I am going to discuss what you can do to prevent that continuous spiral of start stop training and the good news is, it is lot easier than you realise.

For the majority, the reason training stops and motivation disappears, boils down to too much too soon. You can’t expect to go from very little activity to HIIT style workouts, coupled with a drastic change in diet and calories and expect to be able to maintain that pace. Unfortunately the classes most people seem to seek out when wanting to lose weight are the ones that focus on high intensity training.

Accept this is a lifestyle change not a quick fix. Try and think a year down the line not next month. Losing 1 pound a week equates to 52lb in a year, that’s over 23kg or nearly 4 stone. Another benefit of losing weight slowly is there is more chance of it staying off as your body isn’t being shocked into it. For the benefit of this article Im using weight as the example but this a one off. Personally I don’t agree with using scales as a guide. I feel people should  train smart, eat right and go by how they look naked and how their clothes are fitting. When you become a slave to the scales it can take over your life (but this is an article in itself).

If the classes aren’t the best way to train then what is? First off, these is no “best way”. there are many ways to skin a cat and most will eventually get you to were you want to go, its just some are better than others. I am a MASSIVE believer in group training. This means a group of 4-10 people, following a program for a designated time period, usually around 12 weeks. The group offers what a class atmosphere does and in my opinion, does it better as everyone is working towards the same goals and watching the numbers on the bar increase each week.

A program should always focus on three things

• Mobility work
• Muscle building
• Metabolic training

Mobility work:

90%+ of us do not do enough mobility work. It is by far the most important element to concentrate on for a better quality of life. Loading dysfunctional movement, which a lot of us tend to do, especially in large circuit style classes, can lead to more damage and injury.

Muscle building:

If mobility is the foundation then lifting weights is the bricks and mortar. All programs need to have a heavy focus on some type of hypertrophy training, what the goals are will determine the weight and rep range but girls, you will not look like a bodybuilder from lifting weights. You will gain confidence, burn fat and change your shape.

Metabolic training:

This is what has become known as a finisher (though some coaches have taken the name literally and try to finish the client). It could be anything from 5 minute high intensity bodyweight set or 10-15 minute partner prowler session. Whatever it is, the aim is simple, increase fitness and ramp up the fat burning ability of your body. The intensity and length of time of the set are directly related. The harder you go the shorter the set. Simplicity is also key for effectiveness. Big, full body movements, burpees, kettlebell swings, prowler, loaded carries etc.

This is not the only way to improve, there are hundreds but in my experience, as both a circuit coach before becoming a strength coach, this is a more effective and intelligent way of training.

Thanks for reading

Pól