Training 101 - Goals
Imagine starting a business with no idea what product or service you will offer, or how you will sell it.
No one would ever do this, but if they did, the chance of success would be low.
Way too many people do this every day in regards to training, and tell themselves it was worthwhile.
Few people ask WHY.
Few people think deeply about why they are training and how they are going to make it happen.
As I reflect on my early days of working out, this is exactly what I did. I would do the same series of workouts every week, at the same weights and generally these sessions were inconsistent.
Looking back I realize why it didn’t work, but at the time I had no idea.
A few years into the future, I started training on a structured program with a coach (my jacked high school chemistry teacher), who said “Never do the same weight twice”. This was my first lesson of progressive overload.
Point of the story, pick a goal. It doesn’t need to be specific. Pick a physical challenge you want to complete or achieve: train for a backpacking trip, get stronger, build muscle, reduce your risk of injury, improve health etc..
Once you have an end goal you can identify the physical qualities you need to train.
Strength
Power
Speed
Aerobic Fitness
High Intensity Fitness
Mobility
Hypertrophy - (increase muscle mass)
At some level most physical goals will require an improvement in a combination of the qualities listed above. Identifying qualities is what truly matters.
These qualities are the basis for the training methods you will use and when you will use them. An end goal allows you to start working backwards, and build a program.
A program is your business plan. At some level it can determine success or failure. Unlike business, there is no luck in training, only systematically applied stress over a long period of time.
It all starts with having a goal. What do you want to achieve?
As always, if you have questions or if something is unclear, leave a comment below.
-Milo