Why Your Workouts Are Holding You Back More Than You Think

OCR and Hybrid events require specific training programs to follow. Bouncing from one workout to the next may be stalling your progress.

When you start a training plan, the good news is just about any decent program will work.  Even following no program and just doing a few random workouts will get you some results.  

The bad news is this won't last forever.  After a few weeks of solid progress, you probably won't see much more improvements.  

Of course any workout is better than sitting on the couch doing nothing, but if you are reading this you aren't just trying to do workouts.  You want to see results that translate into race day performance.  

This is not always easy to do in our day and age.  With seemingly unlimited access to information, it is easy to get shiny bright object or squirrel syndrome.  

You know the feeling.  You start one program and then see something online that looks cool so you abandon ship and jump on the next boat floating by.  

The truth is, to see better improvements in performance, programs will trump workouts any day.  

A workout is a stand alone routine that you can find just about anywhere.  A program is an entire system of workouts that build off each other and support each other.  

The reason your workouts lead to better race day performance is because of the adaptations that occur in the body.  You physiology responds better when exposing it to consistent stress as seen with a program.  

Consistent exposure with progressive overload is the secret formula.  Variation in your training is ok, but it should be planned and with purpose.  

Imagine if you wanted me to teach you how to play the guitar.  The first lesson I teach you how to play a C chord.  It is a struggle but by the end you start to figure it out.  Then the next lesson I complete leave out the C chord and show you how to play a G chord.  Then the next lesson I teach you a scale.  

If this was the strategy were probably wouldn't see much progress in your guitar playing.  Instead I continue to show you the C chord and practice that, and start to add things that made sense as you get better.  

Training is the same way.  If I jump from workout to workout how can I see true progress?

You assignment is to follow a plan and give it time.  This doesn't mean you can't adjust it.  Sometimes exercises don't workout as well as you thought.  Maybe you are in a crunch for time and have to cut out a few things.  Those are all real life situations.  

But try and stick with the plan so you can see and measure your progress.  This is how you have your workout work for you versus simply training hard to get tired.  

If you need a little more guidance with what a plan should look like, don't forget to download my free 14 day jumpstart.  This is a great starting point for you to work with.  Click here to learn more.

Next Up:  Top Race Day Mistake Most OCR and Hybrid Athletes Make

Are you making this common mistake?  Most athletes I work with are.  In this next post learn the mistake and what you can do about it.

Click here to learn more.

Categories: : Programming

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