1. Training Log
I have a hard time
understanding how someone can come into the gym and not write down what they
have done. This obviously does not
have to be literally written down, but recorded in some easily accessible form. Good things to write down are the easy
ones: weights, sets, reps, miles, time, etc. Some other things that you might want to consider are time
of day, sleep quality, nutrition and possibly some measurement of stress in
your life. Donny Shankle gives his take on the importance of keeping a log on
his page, which you should read regularly.
2. Get Stronger
Unless you are just a pure
endurance athlete, this certainly applies to you. This is the most simple of attributes to train. Simple, but difficult. An easy template that has worked for
decades, if not longer is a linear progression of weights. Day one, squat up to 150lbs X 5 reps, the
next squat training day, squat 155 X 5 reps, and so on. Once you cannot achieve the next
weight in the progression, squat for 3 reps. If the last weight you were able
to get for a set of 5 reps was 225 lbs, then squat 215lbs X 3 reps. Follow the
same pattern until you run out of steam and jump to sets of one rep. Once you run out of room here, jump
back up to fives. By this time you
should have squatted for months and will have a better idea of how to
proceed.
3. Don’t Get Too Cute
Stick to the basics. If you
want to get stronger legs… squat… with a barbell… with weight! If you want to get better at the snatch
or clean and jerk, then stick very close to them in training. Once you reach a certain strength or
proficiency level, the variation is probably helpful, but most of us are not in
the category. For a strength
athlete, think of the basic barbell movements as home base. As you move away from squats,
deadlifts, pressing, snatching, cleaning, and jerking, you are moving away from
home base. If you are training to
swim very well, I would suggest that the pool is home base and that you put on your swimming trunks a bunch.
