Build - An opportunity exists, every day. It exists because you have put yourself in a position to make a difference, you showed up. That is actually the easy part. The hard part is staying diligent and focused, always striving to work hard even when you don’t feel like it. Now, I am not saying showing up is not important, but let's not over celebrate the bare minimum…I mean I showed up to class in College (Mostly…) And that did not mean shit. Nobody threw me a party when I did make an appearance, because outside of physically being in the room, my effort was lackluster at best. What does this have to do with lifting weights? Low input effort results in low output results. Lifting with the intent of trying to get stronger is where actual progress will be made. Everyone is in a different set of circumstances and everyone is at different ability levels…Lifting the most weight in the gym or competing against your fellow friends and members is not what I am talking about. I am talking about competing with yourself and not settling for just walking in the door and calling that a win…Maybe somedays that is, and if it is only “sometimes” that is ok, but just don’t let it be a majority. At least get yourself to a passing grade of 70%…7 out of 10 days you crush, and 3 you just show up, and that is just getting your foot in the door if you are comfortable with being average.
Charge to Sustain - Lifting heavy is increasing intensity, but doing it in really short bursts. Most lifts do not last more than 30sec…And that is on the long side most of the time. Really intense lifts take less than 5-10sec. As duration extends out, so does intensity. So on the conditioning side of things, a 30sec effort should be really really hard because it is so short. 2-3min efforts are a little less intense then really really hard, but still really hard.
This continues all the way out. As duration extends, intensity lowers. Not effort, but intensity.
Don’t confuse lower intensity directly across to easy.
Track examples seem to be the easiest to break down.
100m Sprint (WR 9:58sec) - You train decades to test everything in under a 10sec race. Not terribly taxing on the cardio system. But it takes everything, all at once to accomplish this feat.
400m Sprint (WR 43:03) (9:78sec/100m) - Even the best in the world start this race ever so slightly pacing. It just so happens that their “pace” is super human. But if you look at the splits compared to the 100m Sprint WR, they are slower per 100m.
1 Mile Race (WR 3:43.13) (55:85sec/400m) - Again, paced from the start. Splits are slower per 400m than in the 400m race.
Marathon (WR 2:00:35) (4:36sec/mile) - 2+ hour marathon is an absolutely insane feat…And yes the splits are slower per mile then the stand alone 1 mile race. Duh, I know…
Even the most elite athletes in their respective fields slow down as duration extends out.
But it is kind of crazy how close the splits are across the broad distances that I covered.
Not one of these athletes would say it was easy. In fact every single effort requires a different kind of hard. From absolute explosiveness to monstrous endurance.
Intensity is a metric to guide power.
Pacing is a metric to use with duration.
Improvement is never easy, but neither is getting good grades. Low inputs produce below average results.
Low expectations and high standards.
Cool Downs - Show up, don’t leave early. Bare minimum.
Coach
At Targhee Athletics, we believe in empowering individuals to achieve their best—whether you're stepping into a gym for the first time or you're a seasoned athlete looking to push your limits.
.svg){kind=icon}
