5 Questions to take inventory of your training

One of the most important tasks Storm’s coaches do is to review our clients training programs to check they are optimally effective and likely to deliver what our clients want.

I would encourage you to do the same, here’s how:

1. Is it actually happening?

When you write a training program, it is a complete entity. By that I mean if you plan to train 3 days per week but then only train 2, there are important aspects of your training that will undoubtedly be missed. If you aren’t able to consistently get through all of your planned sessions you need to change to a program you can complete. If our clients can’t train with the planned regularity we change to a plan that they can.

2. Is it working?

Here we need measurables be that scale weight, waist circumference, the weight on the bar, the number of meters achieved the list is endless. There will of course be weeks where there is little movement but the general direction of travel needs to show positive results.

3. Has there been changes to your objectives?

Now, you can’t just goal hop all the time and I am a great believer in seeing goals through to completion. But, what if you feel with every bone in your body that things that were once important to you aren’t any longer? Time to refocus, set some new goals and change the plan into one that lights a fire under you again. Training should be something you can’t wait to get stuck into.

4. Has it got that POW!?

Complete a session that was right on the money in terms of how much training you did, the loads you lift and rest breaks that were well timed and you know about it! It feels right, it feels challenging and it feels you have used your time brilliantly well. Get any of those wrong and your session may feel flat, too easy or you may even feel you have been entirely wasted by it. Getting all of the above on point is our job, it’s not easy but if I can offer you a hint to getting this right: it’s all about keeping your progression model simple.

5. Do you enjoy it?

Quick book recommendation here: read “ Flow” by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. The book analyses the common aspects of optimal human experience. If we no longer enjoy our training plan we need to make a change otherwise it’s only a matter of time until we grind to a halt.

If we no longer enjoy our program there’s a good chance one of points made in flow are to blame:

• Autonomy: have we freely chosen what we want to achieve?
• Competency: are we using our best skills and being challenged?
• Relatedness: are we taking the journey with somebody else who “gets it”?
• Satisfaction: are you achieving? To achieve you need measurables (see above).

So there you have it, our method for reviewing your training, feel free to steal it! We do it daily, weekly and at the end of each program. If you’d like us to work with you to bring your plans to fruition get in touch today to meet one of the team.

Spence.