A strong plan fuels your discipline and keeps you advancing, especially during the busiest seasons.
Joshua Parris, PhD, NSCA-CPT
Victoria Parris, Pre & Postnatal Fitness Specialist
During this series, we have been digging into six tangible actions that keep us disciplined when life gets busy and motivation fails. These actions have helped us take ownership of our lives, and while given in the context of fitness, these actions will benefit you if applied to other areas of your life as well:
- CONNECTING WITH YOUR “WHY”
- CLAIMING YOUR CLOCK
- FINDING YOUR LOCATION
- ESTABLISHING YOUR STRUCTURE
- LEVELING UP YOUR FOLLOW THROUGH
- DRIVING THE WORK FORWARD
In each article of this series, we review one action in more detail and provide you with a “challenge” to apply what you’ve read. Now that you’ve determined the TIME and LOCATION where your effort will be maximized, it’s time to bring STRUCTURE to your training plan to maximize that effort.
Picture this…you are looking to improve your health by incorporating fitness into your life. Based on time constraints, you’ve determined that a 30-minute home workout before getting the kids ready for school is the best way to get started. After purchasing some weights from Facebook Marketplace, motivation is high! The next day, you smash that alarm clock, get to the garage (or basement) and start searching for the “perfect” workout that will maximize your effort. You notice that 15 minutes have gone by and begin scrambling to make the best of your remaining time. You feel a little defeated but are determined to make a plan for tomorrow’s workout. Unfortunately, everything that could go wrong today did, and you didn’t make time to plan. Motivated to keep going, you get to your home gym and pick the first workout video you see, only to realize that you don’t have the same equipment and are struggling to make the appropriate modifications. After a few weeks of piecemealing together workouts, not knowing if they are going to give you the results you want, you question whether your effort is meaningful and begin snoozing at the sound of your alarm.
Now, this may be an extreme example, but have you ever found yourself wandering from workout to workout? I can assure you that you are not alone. Even though we live in the “age of information,” it can be hard to understand how to train effectively and with purpose, maximizing both your time and location. So how do we go about building a structured plan?
Your Structure as a Roadmap
Get out the map
Our friends at structurewell design physical tools that make it easier to show up, track progress, and stick with the basics to achieve lasting results.
If you’ve ever gone on a road trip, what is one thing you likely have on you (whether in print or electronic)? A map! And what is the purpose of this map? To help you get from point A to point B as efficiently as possible. If you think about your training plan like a roadmap and the intended outcome as the destination, a well-structured plan will get you to your destination quicker than setting out without considering the distance, mode of transportation required and best routes available. There is a reason why I map out a training plan for 8-12 weeks at a time. There is a reason why I carry my notebook with me, document each session, and review it at the end of each week. With a clear goal and plan to match that goal, I reduce my risk of overtraining, consider how to push through plateaus, celebrate successes, learn from failures, and document how my body feels before and after each session. Unfortunately, many people do not develop a training plan and fail to consider whether their training will get them to their intended outcome. If that is you, well, it’s time to break out the map and plan your trip!
Identify Point A and Point B
Where are you on your current fitness journey? Where would you like to be?
Point A is your current baseline level of activity and overall health. Consider your exercise history over the past 3-6 months and be honest about your strength, aerobic capacity, mobility, nutrition, and what exercise has looked like over this period. Has it been sporadic? Disciplined? Purposeful? The more honest you can be about your current level of fitness, the better. “Point B” is the intended outcome of your training and it’s important that this be connected to a strong “why”. When considering the intended outcome of your training, we would encourage you to take this a step further than listing a “thing” you’d like to accomplish. Why? Because our natural tendency is to return to the path of comfort once we’ve finished the race, completed the bodybuilding competition or lost 15 pounds. Rather, think of these accomplishments as 8 to12-week pitstops along the journey reflecting progress towards your desired destination. An example of this difference is highlighted in the statements “I want to be a runner” versus “I want to complete a marathon.” The former is something you want to become, the latter is something you want to do. It’s likely that if you anchor to the latter, it is uncertain what your training habits will look like once the marathon is over. However, saying “you want to be a runner” means adapting to a new lifestyle that will drive you to remain consistent well after the marathon has been run.
Choose your route and vehicle
What mode of physical activity will get you the results you’re looking for?
Getting to your fitness destination can take many forms and paths. While I’m not here to tell you the exact path you should take, you should be certain that your path and vehicle can, in fact, get you to your destination. A car may get you from Maine to California, but it won’t get you from New York to London. A car may get you from Maine to California, but it will take much longer than a flight. Running will get you in great cardiovascular shape, but alone, it will not help you build strength. Powerlifting will help you build strength and muscle, but alone, it will not efficiently help you build cardiovascular endurance. Be sure that the path you take on your fitness journey matches your intended outcome.
When getting started, it’s also important to do something that you enjoy. If you enjoy rock climbing or playing tennis, spend most of your time doing that activity! If you like golfing, trade in the golf cart and walk the course. The ultimate goal is to create a lifestyle of activity that will make you healthier, regardless of the activity you choose. Now, given that some activities, like golf, require a significant amount of time or a partner, it would be wise to supplement these activities with strength and cardiovascular training. Similarly, if you despise one method of training (say, running), that doesn’t give you an “out” on training at all. Rather, find the route of least resistance and take it. If you don’t envision yourself as a runner, you can still get in great cardiovascular shape by swimming, cycling and rowing. If you want to lift weights but don’t want to work out alone and prefer to be guided by a coach, join group fitness classes.
Listen to your navigation system
Navigation systems in our cars are fantastic, especially when they can accurately predict traffic and suggest alternate routes to reach our destination with the least number of headaches. However, in these situations, the navigation system is only useful if you listen to it. I can’t be the only one who, at times, does not listen to the navigation system to find myself stuck in traffic and ETA rising by the minute. In this case, I was too rigid in the route I wanted to take to get to my destination. While most training plans should be consistent in the types of exercises conducted, your structure needs to account for real life and the responsibilities you have. Even though I have a 12-week training cycle, it is not so rigid that it cannot be adapted to match my environment or if my body feels off. For example, if you’re in the middle of a strength training program and know that you’ll be traveling for work or a family vacation without access to a gym, that doesn’t mean you throw your hands in the air and eat donuts all week. Consider this an opportunity to perform bodyweight exercise, do more cardiovascular training, and focus on your mobility. Having a plan and knowing what lies ahead enables you to adapt to external circumstances and remain disciplined to achieve your intended outcome.
It’s ok to ask for directions!!
If this all sounds intense and you don’t know where to start, fear not! Do not let the need for a structured plan prevent you from getting started. Consider whether this might be the time to invest in having a certified instructor or coach to guide you! Truth is, we all need a coach or mentor in some capacity during different seasons of life, whether it’s in fitness, business or even parenting. Someone who has been there before or has helped others achieve what you desire can reduce your burden by taking out the “guesswork.” A good coach can also provide you with accountability (the topic of our next blog post!). If hiring a coach sounds too intimidating, then start with purchasing a downloadable program, just make sure it’s from someone who is credentialed.
Putting it all together
Establishing structure within your training will enable you to maximize your time and location. It doesn’t have to be an arduous task, but it must be done if you want to reach your destination along this journey called life. Remember the following key elements:
- Get out the map and develop a system to track your progress
- Identify your current level of fitness and what you hope to achieve
- Take it a step further and identify how these achievements reflect the person you’d like to become as it relates to fitness
- Choose your mode of exercise and ensure that it matches your desired outcome
- Create a training plan that can adapt to your life
- Ask a certified coach for help if needed
Personal Example: Last year, I competed in a Hyrox competition when asked by a friend to join him. At the time, my current programming included both cardiovascular and strength-based elements, but they were not structured together in a way that would allow me to prepare well for the event in 12 weeks. Now, if you know me, you know that I do not like to “complete” something for the sake of completing it. I want to do my absolute best. So, after looking at the race format and talking with my buddy, I devised a plan that would keep me strong, build upon my cardiovascular base, and prepare my body for compromised running. I reduced my strength training days from four push-pull split days to two full-body days, added a day for circuit training that built up to a 1000m run between exercises. I also increased the number of days running from two to three, incorporating paced runs, intervals and longer slow distance runs. When traveling for work, I found a gym within running distance so that I could stick to the training plan. Three months later, I put forth a good performance in the pro division and was excited about this new style of exercise that would form the foundation of my training as a hybrid athlete.
CHALLENGE: Now that you understand the importance of developing a well-structured training plan, it’s time to create yours by doing the following:
- Start off by buying a notebook to document your training. A composite notebook works great, but if you want a high-quality structured notebook, consider purchasing one from our friends at structurewell.
- Write down what the last 3 months of training looked like to determine your current level of fitness. It’s critical that you are honest.
- Write down what you would like to achieve and who you would need to become to achieve that.
- Next, write down your intended training method to achieve your outcome. Spend approximately one hour searching the web for recommendations or downloadable programs to use as a training guide that matches your time, location and equipment available.
- If you’d like a personalized guide for your unique needs, please feel free to contact us at admin@parris-performance.com. We’d be happy to support you in this way!
