Our social media driven world is challenging. On Instagram or Facebook EVERYONE looks super fit! You see people who look like models doing crazy exercises, all while getting the best camera angle. It can make anyone second guess their training practices or even their own commitment to health and well being. But, like most things, a snapshot or video is seldom the whole picture. What a lot of people see is someone selling a product with the promise that you will obtain the same results. Rarely this person got to where they are with that one product. What is the main thing that we get wrong right out of the gate with training even though it seems like everyone that is fit is doing it? Intensity.
At SPC Day 1 for an athlete isn’t super intense. In fact, I almost want it to be easy. There are a few reasons why this is important.
1) I want the athlete to feel confident that he/she can succeed here. Putting someone in a new setting with new people and then demanding that he/she perform to expectations doesn’t seem like a fun time. That’s because it’s not. Day 1 we give a few exercises that might test the athlete (Sparc Avg or sprints, Medball throws), but for the most part, it’s all about getting comfortable with how to move through a training session and how to track it.
2) If you work at a level of 8 or 9 out of 10 for intensity on Day 1, it doesn’t really leave much room for improvement on Day 4. Granted, a new stimulus can cause a new adaptation, but I have yet to see an athlete go hard at every training session, even with enough variety, and not get beat up to the point where performance drops or they get hurt. Our goal is to have a linear progression that is predictable. We have athletes that have trained with us for over 6 months and each month they are seeing some type of improvement. If I had them run their fastest shuttle run Day 1, they may not see an improvement again for a long time. It can feel horrible to be putting in a maximal effort for very little return.
3) Why do more work than you have to? If I can see an improvement with half the training volume or intensity, why would I go maximal? Most of our athletes will give me a look when I tell them they can’t go heavier on a lift. But then they will give me a big smile when we video them hitting a new personal record 2 weeks later on the same lift. Frequently it keeps us out of the injury zone and not so beat up that they can’t work on skills or train again the next lift.
These reasons apply to the general population as well. If you think jumping into a program that “kicks your butt” when you haven’t moved your butt in awhile is a smart idea, then there is a good chance you won’t be doing that program in a few weeks. Programming is a science and an art. You need to use a load that causes a change but doesn’t become detrimental. The art piece is knowing the athlete in front of you and being able to tailor the science to get the best result. A good coach can clearly communicate and explain in a way that the athlete can get behind.
Don’t be the athlete that spends 2 weeks doing a program and quits, only to start another one 1 week later. Figure out how to pick the right intensity from the beginning and grow with each step. Instagram isn’t going to call for your week 2 pics….But your year 2 picture will show your consistent hard work.
TS Training Systems 