
Getting Started Part 5- Weekly Planning
In our last article covering monthly planning we developed an understanding for the need of planned recovery weeks following several intensive weeks of training. The next step is understanding how to map out your training week. It is commonplace for a trainee to desire improvements in multiple physical characteristics within the same program. Assembling a training week that allows for the greatest compatibility between the multiple characteristics being trained is like constr

Getting Started Part 4- Monthly Planning
Once you have your long-term plan crafted, it is time to begin thinking about the smaller pieces of the training plan. The next important component to planning is to think about monthly planning. For athletes and fitness enthusiasts alike, creating month long training plans help to structure and manage training stress in the short-term. In this article we’ll discuss several useful rules that should be followed when developing a monthly plan. A monthly (4-week) training plan r

Getting Started Part 3- Long-Term Planning
You’ve figured out your purpose for training and set a few short and long-term goals for yourself, so what’s next? It’s time to create a long-term plan. Your long-term plan could only be a few months in preparation for the upcoming fall sport season, or in the case of an Olympian, a Quadrennial (4-Year) plan. In this article we’ll discuss the how-to of annual (1-Year) planning. When annual planning it is important to plan backwards. Think about what physical attributes need t

Getting Started Part 2- Goal Setting
After establishing your purpose for embarking on a training plan, the next step is to set a few goals for yourself. Goal setting will help to focus and direct your efforts, increase productivity, improve accountability to your training, and align your behaviors for success. Not to mention achieving a goal that we set for ourselves goes a long way towards boosting our self-confidence by tasting success. Less is more when it comes to goal setting. The fewer goals that you have

Getting Started Part 1- Defining a Purpose
You are an aspiring athlete, fitness enthusiast, or someone just looking to get healthy. You know you need to start training, but you don’t have a clue where to start. Do you lift, run, do body weight exercises at home? How often should you train? The only way to stop the question carousel that can go around and around in your head is to first define your purpose. Defining a purpose for your training will help you logically answer many of your training related questions, all