High Achievers & Athletes,
We've talk extensively the past few weeks on different training stimulus and how each in one of them offers specific adaptations (you can read them here in case you missed it). Those adaptations we are looking for while we train can only be created if your training program respects some fundamentals and that you repeat those pillars over and over again.
So whether you are trying to build your aerobic engine, squeezing your muscles with an epic pump or improving your plyometric skills, every training program should have the following non-negotiables.
1. PROPER WARM-UP:
When you enter any fitness facility, you can immediately spot the ones that understood how to properly warmup-up (no, it's the ones that take the PVC pipe or the foam roller) and those who haven't.
What you need to understand is that the first 10-20 minutes of your workouts determine the quality, efficiency and outcome of your workouts. So here is what you should always have in any form of fitness programs:
CARDIO: moving blood around, elevating your heart rate up and cracking a sweat is something I see way too rarely on the gym floor. Starting your workout with just 3-5' of your preferred cardio option will clear your mind up for the training ahead and start the prepping process.
MOVEMENT SELECTION: once those first 3-5' are completed, it's time to move on with a few specific exercices that will target the muscles and joints of the training session. Those exercices need to mimic the movement pattern of the day (Squat, Press, Hinge, or Pull), activate you brain with fun, manageable yet challenging drills and begin to explore the ranges of motion your body will go to.
SLOW & INTENTIONAL: we can't emphasis on this enough. At the beginning of your warmup, SLOW DOWN. There is no reason to rush things out. The goal of a warmup is to prime your mind and body. You can't prime anything by rushing things out. Slow down, focus on connecting everything nicely and send it hard after.
*Example from the "ELEVATE" online program we are currently working on:
3-5' CARDIO OF CHOICE
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2-3 rounds:
Standing Shoulder CARs: 5 reps / side
Scapular Push Up to Alternating Pike Toe Touch: 10 reps
Tall Plank Knee To Elbow: 5 reps (R+L = 1 rep)
2. PROGRESSIVE OVERLOAD:
Whatever your fitness goals, you need to progress overtime.
Progressive overload is the fundamental principle in strength training that involves gradually increasing the stress placed on the body during training sessions. This concept is essential for achieving continuous improvement in muscle strength, endurance, and overall fitness levels.
To apply progressive overload, you need to consistently intensify your workouts. It can be done by:
Increasing weight: adding more weight to the selected exercises over time.
Increasing the number of repetitions: doing more repetitions of the same exercise (not only on Biceps Curl)
Increasing the sets: adding more sets of the exercise.
Switching up tempos:
Changing the positions of your loading: placing loads differently will challenge your muscle recruitments and brain activation.
Using different types of equipment: even thought a horizontal press remains the same movement pattern on Barbell Bench Press than a Dumbbell Bench Press, the equipment differs. Thus, your capacity to progress too.
Increasing your range of motion: lengthening your muscles and increasing your strength in those new ranges is also a form of progression.
Increasing the frequency: working out more often and therefore, increasing overall volume.
Decreasing rest time: reducing the rest period between sets or exercises will add complexity.
In order to progress overtime, you need to keep those few concepts in mind:
Select and work on just a few key exercices during a defined period of time (usually between 4 to 6 weeks) in order to adapt to the stress your body is working with. Switching up and changing your workouts continuously won't help you to progress on any given stimulus.
Track it or lose it. Track meticulously your data, informations and results. Having a system in place where you can write down your results is mandatory in order to gradually evolve and notice your progression. That's why we chose the #1 fitness platform TrueCoach for delivering the workouts to our clients with a comment section where they can write down metrics and track their progress.
*Example:
WEEK 1: Single Arm Landmine Press: 3-4 sets: 10-12 reps @ 30X1 / side
WEEK 2: Single Arm Landmine Press: 3-4 sets: 10-12 reps @ 31X1 / side - challenge your loading slightly compare to last week
WEEK 3: Half Kneeling Landmine Press: 3-4 sets: 8-10 reps @ 30X1 / side
WEEK 4: Half Kneeling Landmine Press: 3-4 sets: 8-10 reps @ 31X1 / side - challenge your loading slightly compare to last week
3. EXPLORE YOUR EXERCICE VOCABULARY:
One of the goals we have with our online programs and by coaching clients is to improve this notion of "exercice vocabulary".
So many of us get stuck with so many limiting beliefs and capacity around what our body can achieve.
If you follow a thoughtful program, it should bring some sort of movement expansion by giving you ways and strategies to open-up new possibilities of moving your body. Offering new exercises selection, will ensure that you stay continuously interested, curious and motivated in your fitness pursue. Plus, it keeps it way more FUN!
4. ENERGY SYSTEMS COHESION:
You might currently be in a lean muscle gaining phase, training for your next Marathon PR or simply trying to elevate your fitness as a whole. Whatever the case, we believe that a great fitness program should help you build different fitness modalities at the same time. Of course, the training style you decide to follow should be heavily emphasized on the goals you are training for. But it doesn't mean that a muscle hypertrophy pursue should only have 4 sets of 12 reps on all the exercices you select. Would you build muscle? If you train close to failure and with effort, probably. But it's boring AF.
As we are trying to develops habits, skills & systems in order to be fit for the rest of our life, it's much more likely that you will stick to something that excites you and that keeps you showing up day after the day. It's much more pleasant to have workouts that challenges you in different fitness domains, isn't it?
This is where elegant programming comes into play and where combining different training styles comes together in order to follow a fun, challenging, evolutive, thoughtful and exciting program to follow.
