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By
Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems |
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Last week we examined the challenges
many of us face when trying to apply the three bedrock principles
(progressive overload, variability, and specificity) to your
training.
This week, I'd like to challenge
you to explore your personal "system" of training,
and more specifically, I'd like you to take an assessment
of your personal "Values" as pertains to training.
In other words, what's your "Training O.S.?"
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Before doing that however, it's important
to realize that you do already have an operating system. All of
us have a set of habits, paradigms, proclivities, and/or beliefs
that govern our decision-making under the bar. For example, I've
written volumes about a belief that many people hold, which is that
pain equals gain: the more something hurts, the better it must be.
If you happen to hold this point of
view, you're likely do manage your workouts differently than someone
who holds a contrasting belief (for example, that "performance
equals gain"). This sequence of events can be visually summated
in the following diagram:
Paradigms
' Decisions ' Consequences/Results
Needless to say, if you operate from
accurate, productive paradigms, you'll make good decisions that
will lead to good results. If you operate from incorrect assumptions,
you'll make faulty decisions and suffer unwanted consequences. Let's
examine a few common belief patterns so that you'll have a concrete
understanding of this sequence of events:
Paradigm:
"John" is (unconsciously)
overly enamored by novelty. He's always looking for the newest,
coolest training system, diet, or training equipment.
Decision:
Every time John becomes aware of a
new system, diet, or tool, he immediately discontinues what he was
previously doing in favor of the new discovery.
Consequence:
John never makes any progress because
he never does anything long enough for it to work. Interestingly
enough, he always has a convenient excuse- his current methods are
behind the times!
Paradigm:
"Jenna" believes she is
weak and needs to be a tougher person, mentally and physically
Decision:
Every time Jenna encounters pain during
a workout, she chalks it up to personal weakness and continues despite
the pain.
Consequence:
Jenna is nearly always injured, which
reinforces her paradigm. She's caught in a vicious cycle, and she's
completely unaware of it.
Paradigm:
"Joe" is fascinated by,
believes in, and has extensively studied periodization.
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Decision:
Joe plans his workouts months
in advance. Every exercise, set, rep, and weight is pre-planned.
Consequence:
When Joe inevitably encounters
a workout that he isn't able to complete "by the book,"
he gets frustrated and immediately starts writing a new
macrocycle, convinced me made an error on his last plan.
Like John and Jenna, his faulty paradigm is self-replicating.
Like John, Jenna, and Joe,
we all have productive paradigms and faulty ones. How then,
can we reinforce the former and eradicate the latter? Simply
by increasing our own self-awareness. I'd love your input
on this discussion, so if you'd like to share your own paradigms-
good or bad, current or former, please click the discussion
link below. I'm certain you'll find the exercise to be enlightening
and transformational.
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About
The Author
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His colleagues call him
an iconoclast, a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients
call him “The Secret Weapon” for his ability
to see what other coaches miss. Charles calls himself
a “geek” who struggled in Phys Ed throughout
school. Whatever you call him, Charles’ methods are
ahead of their time and quickly produce serious results.
His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing demeanor
have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY Show
and The CBS Early Show.
Currently, Charles competes
in Olympic-style weightlifting on the master’s circuit,
with a 3-year goal of qualifying for the 2009 Master’s
World Championships.
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