Today's blog is part 2/2 of my '3 Pillars of Training' blog from last week. If you missed Part 1 then check out the link below before reading on:
Note: For ease of reading and explanation in this post, assume that the person has general health and fitness goals with an aim of a balanced training approach. Every person is different and this (although a sensible approach for many) is by no means a personalised training plan for any one person.
Training programs should not be "one size fits all"
Question 1. How much time do you have to Move, exercise, train and be healthy?
John Berardi, Precision Nutrition founder suggests 5-6 hours of 'activity' per week as minimum starting point for improving health and fitness at an above average level - I would say thats a great target for most people to try and hit. I really don't believe people when they say they have no spare time to improve their health, it's just a matter of setting priorities and planning accordingly.
Cant commit to 5 hours of activity? Thats barrier #1 and you'll need to figure that out yourself (future blog topic).
You CAN create 5 hours of time to exercise every week.
Question 2. How do i prioritise my training sessions into 'most important' first?
Lets consider the 3 pillars of training and split these up even further to create 6 basic training concepts:
- Stability
- Mobility
- Strength
- Hypertrophy
- Aerobic Conditioning
- Ananaerobic Conditioning
This is a very basic separation of the training components needed for a general fitness program but I would say that the above 6 areas are all concepts we should try to include into an initial balanced plan. How YOU prioritise them is up to YOU. However be wary of personal bias towards what you are good at Vs what you actually need more of. Human nature suggests that strength-based guys and girls will spend more time in the gym and runners will spend more time running!
Don't like Stretching or Yoga? Is it too boring for you? Thats Barrier #2 - You are probably not the best in the class, Its challenging to do the basics and its difficult to slow down to appreciate this huge cornerstone of general health and well-being. Take some time to find a stretch, movement, recovery method that you like:
SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT - Try my Virtual MOVE class on Sunday 4pm through ufit.com.sg classes. It was designed by myself to be a combination of joint mobility, stability, basic Yoga, bodyweight, flow etc. Its not going to compete with a yoga session with a Professional Yoga teacher but its a great halfway point to get people to start learning more about movement and maybe a step towards taking up Yoga, pilates or some other restorative training method? Message me in comments if you want to try out for free this Sunday :)
Taking time to appreciate restorative practises will improve every aspect of your training
Question 3. How do i put the training together with the time i have?
There are an unlimited amount of options you could apply to do this. The 3 models below are starting points of general fitness plans for clients with 3 different time commitments (3,5 and 7 hours per week). Success on any training plan will heavily depend on Individual nutrition, recovery and other daily commitments and stress factors.
Client A - 3-4 hours per week
- 3 x 60 minute GYM sessions covering all the bases
- Basic, longer interval work to finish each gym session
- 1 x 60+ minute outdoor activity/active recovery session on the weekend
Client B - 5-6 hours per week
- 3 x 60 minute GYM sessions covering all the bases
- 10 minutes added to weight training slots
- shorter, more intense interval work to finish each gym session
- 2 x Aerobic training sessions
- 1 x 60+ minute outdoor activity/active recovery session on the weekend
Client C - 7-8 hours per week
- 3 x 60 minute GYM sessions covering all the bases
- Narrower rep range focus on Weight training - heavier efforts
- Shorter, more intense interval work to finish each gym session
- 3/4 x (optional) Aerobic activity sessions
- 2 x 30-60+ minute Mobility/Movement/active recovery session on the weekend
I hope you enjoyed the 2 parts of this blog on the 3 pillars of training, if you have any questions on the above then fire them into the comments and Strat a conversation on anything related.
Share this with someone you think will enjoy and spread the word :)
NEXT BLOG: The positives of 'Lockdown'