Less is More

It has been a difficult year for many people around the world. Our lives have changed drastically and emotions have been up and down. Some people find relief through physical training or use it as a distraction from an emotional overload. Training to escape raises the risk of injury due to the neglect given to recovery. This can even be considered a form of self sabotage when the escape becomes more important than the result from training.

Recently, I was chatting with a young client who I helped with a strength training program. He was getting stronger each workout, but he thought he was not doing enough. I typically use less overall volume in a training program than what is common in fitness and sport. This was challenging to his ego because he felt he should be doing more. Low confidence and feelings of inadequacy can be strong influences on our decision making. Recognize these feelings and do your best to separate them from the decision making process.

I was chatting with a separate athlete who under-performed in a tryout for the NBA G League because he became tired. Initially, he wanted to add more training because he believed he was not training enough. I have learned from Ian King many things. One important message is that when you are over-trained you will feel tired and seem out of shape. It's understandable to assume more training is needed when in fact less would be a better choice.

The goal(s) of each training session is to improve in the next training session, and to train in a way that makes you better at life or sport. Progressively add on top of that, but never lose sight of the ultimate goal of continual improvement without injury. Two ways to do this are to figure out the optimal training volume and to also create optimal recovery for yourself.

In conclusion, emotions can become powerful motivators for success. Learn to recognize your emotions so that you can make better choices. Learn what works best for you in all aspects of your program including recovery. Improvement is the measure of a successful program.