Not a day goes by where we aren't all bombarded with fitness influencers proclaiming to have found the "Best exercise ever". It is easy to get sucked in to adding more and more into your training week. But is it the best thing for you.
This week I sat down with a new client and we had a chat, I asked what training he was currently doing. He emailed me a plan containing 93 exercises per week..... 93! To be fair the situation was complex as he was in rehabilitation from ACL surgery and was being very diligent in his rehabilitation. On top of this as the surgery also included a meniscal repair there were additional factors to add in. So now we have a person training strength 3x a week (typical leg/ push/ pull split), one short run, one long run, one single leg rehab session plus a core muscles day. 7 days a week is not sustainable plus most elements of fitness are only getting trained once per week. This is not enough for meaningful change.
On top of this Sean was concerned that he wasn't training flexibility and balance as much as he ought to. To be fair he has a point as balance in particular is important for return to sport after knee or ankle injury. The reality is though that the results from all of this training aren't materialising. This was the reason he contacted me for a one off session to see if I could help arrange everything into a weekly plan that works..... Not a chance!
When you watch a juggler in action there are three things happening, some things are going up, some are coming down and some things are doing neither. Its a great metaphor for successful training. By having a long term plan you can focus on one or two elements of your fitness. They will go up, The elements you did last month will not take much attention to stay the same. The bits you haven't done for a while will be coming down.
So now Sean trains 5x per week. Running is important- especially after not being able to for 18 months- so he runs 3x a week. That leaves time for 2 gym sessions. One session has 6 exercises the other has 8. This will change next month when the focus will shift to other aspects of his fitness. This periodised training approach is simple to follow and will lead to results by giving enough time to get in quality training for this months goals. Plus next month when the focus is shifted the new routine will ensure training doesn't get stale. Best thing is, he now knows how to plan his training effectively and it only took a single session.
If you would like some help optimising your training you can contact me through my website www.jondryden.co.uk to book either a one off session or ongoing support.
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