How to train all year round.
I?m always looking for ways to ensure that my personal training clients remain energised and injury free all year round.
The best method I?ve found to date (and the one I use to schedule my own training) was one I ?stole? from the fascinating writings of martial arts and fitness guru Steve Morris.
Morris advocates training for three to four week periods, increasing the intensity, volume or frequency of your training week by week. At the end of the three or four weeks, take three or four days complete rest and then just start a new three or four week training period ? with a slightly higher original ?starting point? than the previous one.
By training like this you can pretty much train all year round, without having to worry too much about burning out physically or mentally.
Try either:
Week 1 ? moderate training
Week 2 ? increase the intensity, volume or frequency
Week 3 ? training hard and challenging personal bests
Then 3 days complete rest before starting the whole process again.
Or:
Week 1 ? moderate training
Week 2 ? increase the intensity, volume or frequency
Week 3 ? training hard
Week 4 ? training hard and challenging personal bests
Then 4 days complete rest before starting the whole process again.
Use a bit of trial and error to see whether three weeks or four weeks works best for you. It?s different strokes for different folks – I have a client for personal training in Southfields who uses a three week training period, but also train another client in Wimbledon who prefers the four week training period.
The three or four days of complete rest will allow your body and mind to recover from the pain of the final tough week of training!
If you?re lucky you might even find that your body ?super compensates? for this tough training by actually getting stronger as you rest for a few days!
The first week of each training period acts as an additional ?deloading? spell, easing you back into things before you begin upping the ante once more.
Good luck and happy training every week of the year!
