6 Timeless Training Principles
I started Perform24 in late June, 2014. This week will mark 6 Years that we’ve been open for business.
This is something that I’m very proud of, but I’m also highly aware that this is the result of an entire community. Perform24 does not exist without the support and participation from many of you. I know firsthand how hard you work.
Thank you for your efforts!
To acknowledge this 6-year milestone I decided to make a list of 6 Training Principles. These principles have successfully played out over and over in our training throughout the years, and if you’re following these in your own routines you should be achieving regular progress. These principles are reliable regardless of your age, stage of life, profession, or level of fitness.
Note: I’m going to assume that you are training consistently. Consistency is easily Variable Number 1. If you don’t have a regular training routine, working to build that should be your primary objective.
Here are 6 Perform24 Training Principles
1. You MUST Follow a Program
This may seem like the least inspiring piece of training advice ever, but showing up to your session without a plan is not the path to success.
It’s obvious that your goals should guide your program, and that planning and tracking your training leads to more efficient and effective workouts over time. But, there’s an entire psychological side to following a program that is often under-appreciated.
If you don’t know what your workout is going to be when you show up to the gym, you’re going to spend valuable mental energy trying to create it on the fly. That process will rob you of your ability to dial it in and focus on the actual session. Instead of training with intent and crushing your workout, you’ll be second guessing yourself, weighing options, and float through a series of random exercises.
This is not the way to make serious progress.
When you follow a good program, you understand what’s ahead. You know how Day 1 relates to Day 2, and how Week 2 prepares you for Week 3. This anticipation creates “Buy-In,” adherence, and dedication to your training process.
2. Training Phases Evolve after 3-4 Weeks
This month I’ve been training a female athlete and we’ve been joking about the three week “Progression,” of a Perform24 training phase. We made up these terms and we were laughing as we discussed this, but there’s a lot of truth to this process.
The first week you get Steamrolled. You don’t know what to expect and the new exercises, sequences, tempos, or intensities throw you outside of your comfort zone.
The second week you Acclimate. You know what to expect and hey, you’ve already made it through the week once. It’s not so bad.
The third week you Thrive. It’s now your turn to conquer the phase.
As soon as you’ve reached the point of smashing the workouts, it’s time a for a new phase and we start the process all over.
3. Hammering Your Glutes Rarely Has Consequences
Most people I train have deficiencies in their glutes. These deficiencies lead to a range of issues - low strength, back pain, bad posture, injury susceptibility, etc.
Learn how to use your glutes for all lower body movements. Figure out how to feel them on linear movements, lateral movements, rotational movements, hinges, squats, lunges.
To be honest, I have yet to find a scenario when prioritizing glute function has backfired.
Get your glutes right, kids!
4. Eventually You’ll Regret Neglecting Your Conditioning
We all hate conditioning.
It’s hard. It’s uncomfortable. It can seem mundane. It’s easy to convince yourself to skip it.
But, having an engine with a big work capacity is one of the attributes that makes humans so special. Neglecting our cardiovascular system is to ignore one of our biggest natural gifts.
We owe it to ourselves (especially under the current health environment), to challenge and expand our heart, lungs, and mental fortitude that comes with conditioning. Sprint intervals, sled variations, shuttle variations, long runs, Ruck Marches, all of it.
We need this skill.
5. You Must Enjoy Your Training
It’s totally acceptable to hate your workouts in the heat of the moment. But overall, from the macro perspective, you should enjoy and appreciate your physical activity.
There are a million ways to organize an effective training routine. It’s our job to find a creative gameplan that regularly challenges us without associating the gym with a heavy dread, pressure, or anxiety.
I was once told that the best training program for you is the one you stick to.
The easiest way to stick with something is to enjoy it along the way.
6. Habits Outside the Gym Can Ruin Principles 1-5
Sleep. Alcohol. Stress. Toxic Relationships.
Since we started in 2014 our mission has always been to help you live an ENTIRE life of performance. Physical, Personal, Professional, Psychological, and overall Purpose.
We firmly believe that success and progress in your training will have a positive impact on other areas of your life. The truth is that you can’t isolate these individual priorities. Life is too connected.
As you dial in your training, I will also challenge you to evaluate areas of your life as a whole.
After all, what’s the point of improving yourself inside the gym if it’s not going to benefit your life outside it?
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I hope this adds a little spark to your current training. Please feel free to reach out to me with any comments.
Thank you again for 6 years of Perform24. Cheers to another 6. Cheers to beyond!