Wednesday, January 4, 2012

“If it’s Important to you, do it every day.”

That’s what Olympic Gold medalist Dan Gable said.  

It doesn’t get any simpler than that.  

If your goal is fat loss, then you should be doing swings, and its many variations, all the time.  If you want to build up to a bigger press, then you should be pressing –every day!  Same thing goes with getting better at a sport.  If you want to improve, you must diligently practice daily.  

Now I didn’t say attempt a PR every day.  If you ‘practice’, the PR’s will naturally come.  

Last week I showed you how to create goals to have a better plan of attack and this week’s post ties right into that.  

Whatever your goals are, make sure your action steps are congruent with them.  So as in the example above, if your goal is fat loss, then why are you wasting your time with bicep curls???  If you are cleared to swing, then grab a kettlebell and start swinging!  Likewise, if you want to get stronger or more flexible, choose the exercises that have the biggest bang for the buck.  

Too many people in our country are wrapped up in searching for the next best thing.  There’s no need to re-invent the wheel.  When it comes to developing your own exercise plan, use tested and proven exercises.  Squats, swings, deadlifts, and presses are all great examples. But don’t just pick exercises because they are good exercises.  They have to match what you’re looking to accomplish.  

Here’s a simple template that can get you started on the right foot this new year.  It’s simple, but don’t disregard it on that basis because more often then not the simplest things in life are often the hardest things to do (and more beneficial).    

Pick one pushing exercise, one pulling exercise, and one leg exercise.  Do them every day, or at least 3-5 days a week.  Make sure you rotate through light, moderate, and heavy intensity days, and track everything you do on paper.  You can also do different variations of the exercise every day.  You can set a kitchen timer (set the timer for 20 minutes and try to do as many sets as you safely can), roll a pair of dice (completely random), or work up to a certain number of sets (start at 5 and work up to 10).   

Concentrate on mastering technique and never let it deteriorate.  Once it does, stop the set right where you are.  If it keeps happening, stop the session altogether – tomorrow is another day.  

Do this for 2-4 weeks and evaluate your progress.  Keep it the same or modify accordingly.  Don’t change it just because you’re ‘bored’.  As we so often hear in the RKC community, “Are you looking to be entertained or to see results?” 

Don’t be consumed with sets and reps; alternate between easy, medium, and hard days (with the majority of them being light and medium); try different variations of the exercise; and always finish fresh and listen to your body.  By using those principals, you will not burn out and you will keep progressing.  

Leave a comment and let me know how it turns out for you.  

Have a Happy (and strong) 2012!

Have fun, train smart, get strong,

Nelson