training philosophy Archives -

Strive for progress, not perfection

CONCENTRATION: Sue has her mind on the job

I THINK Sue Crabtree, back on her second week of the Amazing 12 Chichester after missing a week through being ill, is beginning to see why I enjoy and value lifting weights so much.

“I’m finding that, mentally, it’s fantastic,” she admitted.

Of course, weight-lifting and training is also working us in the physical realm, but it’s the thinking and concentration side that most people overlook or sell short.

As she’s new to working with the steel, Sue’s realising just how “switched-on” you need to be. While that may be frustrating and taxing for some of us, for me it’s one of the attractions.

LEANER: Ian’s dropped half a stone so far

Ian Barnett, also on his second week of the Amazing 12, has done weight-training previously and, especially as he’s trying to regain his fitness, appreciates the value of what it can do for him.

He missed a few days this week – one because he had a work conference in London pre-booked and the other because he felt really rough (onset of a cold). But Ian was itching to get back in the gym at Core Results even though he felt below par. And by the end that early morning (6am) session, he felt much better for it.

Lifting weights and exercising can be like meditation from the point of view it requires – for the best results and, more importantly, to avoid injury – that you focus your attention on the one thing you’re doing.

ADJUSTMENT: better technique this week on battle ropes

As an always-on-the-go-type person, Sue’s having to adjust to the different pace of training with weights and the way it’s done on the Amazing 12.

Runners often like to allow their minds to roam when they are out covering the miles and that’s one of the joys of running. But in the gym, with a weight on your back or in your hands, you can’t afford to go off into dreamland or admire your surroundings. That’s when you can get hurt.

Weight-training is great for Sue, in my opinion, because I believe we should choose movements and types of training that are the opposite of or offset the way we tend to live our lives and complement the strengths we already have.

HEAVIER: getting stronger means increased challenges

If your life is fast-paced, stressed and hectic, go take a yoga class or, if you prefer the gym, pick movements that are slower, more deliberate and require patience. Do what you need and not what you want.

Technique-wise, I recognise how Sue’s starting to find her groove. It was all alien to her when she started. She admits that she’s someone who needs continual reminding (and I oblige), but, as the process of practice dictates, Sue’s requiring fewer pointers as the days go by. Her body is beginning to remember the new patterns.

As someone who has continually had some back pain, Sue declared she’s felt nothing since lifting weights except the feeling you get from working your muscles. She’s particularly pleased about that.

I’m noticing her becoming stronger, engaging her core muscles better and understanding what movements are challenging what muscle parts.

NEW GEAR: Ian turns on the turbo with the prowler

It’s the same for Ian. While he has a good grasp of technique, with Ian it’s a case of removing the rust.

“I thought about what you said last week,” he said. “Doing this [the Amazing 12] is a return to fitness for me, but making progress is the way to go [long-term].”

Ian has already shed half a stone. There’s definitely a difference in him and his appearance. He’s growing in strength and confidence. He already has his sights on a challenging cycle ride later this year.

Progress is what the Amazing 12 is all about. And it is achieved through practice. Methodical practice. Intelligently-constructed practice. It’s not about being perfect. Perfection is the aspiration – the end of the rainbow that we try to find, but never can lay our hands on.

Perfection has an end date. Then what? Practice is infinite. Perfection can rouse in us a fear of failure. Practice encourages it.

So replace any frustration with patience and attention and dedication and trust.

Practice doesn’t just apply to technique. Sue, for example, likes to stay within her comfort zone. She called it “lazy”, I think I said she was “cautious”.

Our mindset receives far more practice than our body. If your thoughts are not in alignment with your intentions, you are most likely impeding your own progress.

So I challenged Sue to move closer to the discomfort zone. The more you venture there, the less daunting it seems. Stay in the comfort zone – the part that’s really easy – and you can feel like you’ve been treading water for years. Nothing much changes.

The beauty of having a trainer is that he or she not only tells you what to do and, if competent, helps you to do it correctly, but holds you accountable. In addition, being on a program like the Amazing 12 means that, when executed properly, adaptations happen naturally.

As far as I’m concerned, as the coach, these two are warming well to the task. For me, it’s always more about the progress than perfection. If you are feeling daunted by a challenge, I encourage you to move towards and not away from it. Real growth comes from taking and completing those brave steps.

What training and tanning have in common

WHAT’S the best – and healthiest – way to get a sun tan? Lie there all day in the intense heat (effectively, fry) or for 10 minutes a day every day?

I ask because the way many of us approach bronzing ourselves and physical activity is somewhat similar.

I borrowed this analogy from Dave Whitley, Amazing 12 coach in Nashville, USA, strongman, author and a world class strength training instructor known as the ‘Irontamer’. It struck a chord with me because it’s visually so easy to see the connection.

It could be that the common link between the two scenarios is scarcity. Put it this way. In England, where, comparatively, we don’t always see much sunshine, the compulsion is to try to make the most of it. And, consequently, lots of people get sun-burned. Similarly, with our training or exercise protocols, we live (or create for ourselves) such busy lives nowadays that many individuals don’t know when they will next get to the gym or train. So they cram as much as they can into each and every session.

Is more better? That approach to training works about as well as the intense suntan strategy. You’ll only get burned!

And if you don’t get burned, it’s probably only a matter of time before your skin says ‘I’ve had enough’!

Employing a coach for your training is like applying sun screen before going into the sun. But there are good and poor brands of sun cream. Choose carefully.

Sadly, for many people I work with or know, training or exercise is an afterthought or chore….until our bodies start to fail us and then it becomes a priority.

But if you make it a priority or at least move it up the pecking order, your body may last well for your lifetime.

Little and often – done well (and that’s the key) – will bring the greater rewards.

Agree or disagree? Let me know your thoughts.

The shift that made all the difference

WHENEVER I’m asked what I know now that I wish I had discovered earlier on my physical training journey it is this: approach your activity with the mindset of ‘I’m going to practice’ rather than ‘I’m going to train’.

It may not seem like much. But it has made a world of difference. Mindful practice shifts the focus from effort to excellence and from quantity to quality.

For years, though, I never saw training this way. I was young, felt indestructible and thought working out or exercising was something to do until sweaty and tired and out of breath or just lifting weights until you’ve had enough. In a nutshell, the emphasis was almost solely on my capacity for working hard. Often it didn’t matter too greatly what that entailed so long as I did something that could be labelled gruelling.

Many people continue to train this way…and all the time. That is fine if you are a young stallion or working towards a gold medal of some description, but, from my experience, it’s not sustainable or even worthwhile.

Progress, for me, isn’t measured in sweat or even being breathless and fatigued. But if you want to get burned out or injured, taking your body to the limit over and over is a great way to go about it.

In the wise words of esteemed American strength coach Dan John, who, believe me, knows his stuff, “Don’t act your age, but train your age. Do everything you can to increase lean body mass and maintain the right amount of mobility….Life, lard and laziness are all conspiring against you in your noble battle to keep yourself as young as you can be, as long as you can.”

Even if your intention is purely conditioning, continually reaching and exceeding the point of fatigue comes at a price: recovery gets tougher; form declines; wear and tear accumulates. When the quality of your movement suffers, you become less efficient.

Worse still, over-training, which is what it may be defined as, can lead to injuries and illness.

If you enjoy your training, you don’t want to get injured. If you value health, you don’t want to become sick.

Effective training means you have a clear, structured and intelligent plan that leads to a chosen goal over a designated period of time. It means you know what you are doing and why. It means you assign time to training and recovering and intelligently manage that balance. I ask, what is wrong with leaving the gym or your training session feeling energised, ready for the next one, rather than exhausted and on your knees in a pool of sweat?

With practice as the driving force, the shift in mindset is subtle yet profound. Practice has a purpose and the path is never-ending. I now go to the gym to sharpen my skills. I know what I want to work on and how. The emphasis is on skill and efficiency rather than output. I can better structure my time in the gym. Focusing on practice also helps me to remain patient, which is vital in this day and age, because, realistically, skills take time to improve and/or perfect.

No matter where I am, I can put in the practice. I don’t always need to think about how many reps or how hard to push. Instead, my focus is on progression and quality of movement. I think in terms of ‘how well’ rather than ‘how many’ and, for me, that’s been a healthier change of perspective.

When you are dedicated more to skill than work, you’ll also find that you move much better and, perhaps most importantly, the chances of staying in one piece increase dramatically. At my age – in my 50th year – that’s a crucial factor.

I take this approach into the Amazing 12 transformation program as well. I teach it as a skill. I want each of my clients at the end of 12 weeks to know how to lift effectively and how to move and to be mindful of that whenever they step into a gym, training environment or in going about their daily lives.

Once the skill is dialled in the rest – strength, fitness, physique – will all follow.

As Aristotle once wrote: “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.”