WHY CONSISTENCY MATTERS MORE THAN INTENSITY FOR STRENGTH AND FITNESS

JAY VAN-GELDER, PROFESSIONAL BOXER AND ATHENA PERFORMANCE COACH, COACHING A STRENGTH AND FITNESS CLASS.

WHEN YOU START A NEW FITNESS ROUTINE, IT CAN BE TEMPTING TO GO ALL IN. YOU MIGHT PLAN TO TRAIN FIVE DAYS A WEEK, PUSH YOURSELF AS HARD AS POSSIBLE IN EVERY SESSION AND EXPECT TO SEE A NOTICEABLE DIFFERENCE WITHIN A FEW WEEKS. THE PROBLEM IS THAT THIS APPROACH CAN BE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN.

AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE IN REDDITCH, WE BELIEVE THAT GETTING STRONGER AND FITTER ISN’T ABOUT HAVING ONE INCREDIBLY HARD SESSION OR BEING PERFECT EVERY WEEK. IT’S ABOUT TRAINING CONSISTENTLY, FOLLOWING A STRUCTURED APPROACH AND GIVING YOUR BODY ENOUGH TIME TO ADAPT.

WHETHER YOUR GOAL IS TO GET STRONGER, IMPROVE YOUR GENERAL FITNESS, FEEL MORE CONFIDENT IN THE GYM OR SIMPLY BECOME MORE ACTIVE, CONSISTENCY IS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PARTS OF MAKING PROGRESS.

WHY IS CONSISTENCY SO IMPORTANT IN FITNESS?

YOUR BODY RESPONDS TO WHAT YOU DO REPEATEDLY. ONE WORKOUT CAN MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD, CHALLENGE YOUR MUSCLES AND GIVE YOU A SENSE OF ACHIEVEMENT, BUT MEANINGFUL CHANGES IN STRENGTH AND FITNESS HAPPEN THROUGH REPEATED TRAINING OVER TIME.

REGULAR STRENGTH TRAINING GIVES YOUR BODY THE OPPORTUNITY TO ADAPT TO THE DEMANDS YOU PLACE ON IT. MOVEMENTS CAN BECOME MORE FAMILIAR, TECHNIQUE CAN IMPROVE AND YOUR CAPACITY TO HANDLE TRAINING CAN DEVELOP. THE SAME PRINCIPLE APPLIES TO FITNESS.

YOU DON’T BECOME FITTER BECAUSE OF ONE EXHAUSTING WORKOUT. FITNESS DEVELOPS BY REGULARLY CHALLENGING YOUR BODY AND ALLOWING IT TO RECOVER BEFORE DOING IT AGAIN. THAT IS WHY CONSISTENCY MATTERS. IT TURNS INDIVIDUAL TRAINING SESSIONS INTO LONG-TERM PROGRESS.

CONSISTENCY DOESN’T MEAN BEING PERFECT

ONE OF THE BIGGEST MISTAKES PEOPLE CAN MAKE IS ASSUMING THAT CONSISTENCY MEANS NEVER MISSING A SESSION. REAL LIFE DOESN’T WORK LIKE THAT. WORK GETS BUSY. FAMILY COMMITMENTS CHANGE. HOLIDAYS HAPPEN. SOMETIMES YOU DON’T SLEEP WELL, AND SOMETIMES YOU SIMPLY HAVE A WEEK WHERE TRAINING HAS TO TAKE A LOWER PRIORITY.

MISSING A SESSION DOESN’T ERASE THE WORK YOU HAVE ALREADY DONE. WHAT MATTERS IS WHAT HAPPENS NEXT. THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MISSING A WORKOUT AND DECIDING THAT BECAUSE YOU HAVE MISSED ONE, THE WHOLE WEEK OR TRAINING PLAN HAS FAILED. A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH TO FITNESS ALLOWS FOR IMPERFECT WEEKS. THE AIM ISN’T PERFECTION. IT IS BUILDING A ROUTINE THAT YOU CAN KEEP RETURNING TO.

YOU DON’T HAVE TO DESTROY YOURSELF IN EVERY SESSION

THERE CAN BE A STRANGE EXPECTATION AROUND EXERCISE THAT A WORKOUT ONLY COUNTS IF YOU FINISH COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED AND THAT SIMPLY ISN’T NECESSARY.

TRAINING NEEDS TO PROVIDE ENOUGH OF A STIMULUS TO CREATE ADAPTATION, BUT HARDER ISN’T AUTOMATICALLY BETTER. IF EVERY SESSION LEAVES YOU SO SORE OR FATIGUED THAT YOU DREAD THE NEXT ONE, IT CAN BECOME MUCH HARDER TO BUILD A CONSISTENT ROUTINE. THIS IS WHERE STRUCTURED STRENGTH AND FITNESS TRAINING IS DIFFERENT FROM SIMPLY TRYING TO MAKE EVERY WORKOUT AS DIFFICULT AS POSSIBLE.

SOME SESSIONS WILL NATURALLY BE TOUGHER THAN OTHERS. THERE MAY BE TIMES WHEN YOU PUSH YOURSELF AND TEST WHAT YOU CAN DO. BUT NOT EVERY WORKOUT NEEDS TO BE A TEST BUT TRAINING IS THE PROCESS THAT PREPARES YOU FOR THOSE MOMENTS.

STRENGTH & FITNESS CLASSES

PROGRESSIVE TRAINING BEATS RANDOM WORKOUTS

CONSISTENCY IS ABOUT TURNING UP, EVEN WHEN YOU LEAST FEEL LIKE IT, BUT WHAT YOU DO WHEN YOU TRAIN MATTERS TOO. IF EVERY SESSION IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT, IT CAN BE DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND WHETHER YOU ARE ACTUALLY PROGRESSING. OUR 12 WEEK STRUCTURED TRAINING PROGRAMMES GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO BUILD ON.

OVER TIME, YOU MAY BE ABLE TO LIFT MORE WEIGHT, COMPLETE MORE QUALITY REPS, IMPROVE YOUR TECHNIQUE, MOVE WITH GREATER CONTROL OR HANDLE A LEVEL OF FITNESS WORK THAT PREVIOUSLY FELT MUCH HARDER AND THIS IS THE PRINCIPLE BEHIND PROGRESSIVE TRAINING.

YOU ARE NOT TRYING TO REINVENT YOUR WORKOUT EVERY TIME YOU WALK INTO THE GYM. YOU ARE GIVING YOUR BODY AN APPROPRIATE CHALLENGE AND THEN GRADUALLY DEVELOPING FROM IT. THAT APPROACH IS CENTRAL TO THE COACHING AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE.

OUR STRENGTH AND FITNESS TRAINING IN REDDITCH IS DESIGNED TO GIVE PEOPLE STRUCTURE AND PURPOSE WHEN THEY TRAIN, WHETHER THEY ARE EXPERIENCED IN THE GYM OR JUST GETTING STARTED.

CHOOSE A ROUTINE THAT WORKS WITH YOUR LIFE

IT IS EASY TO CREATE AN AMBITIOUS TRAINING PLAN WHEN MOTIVATION IS HIGH. THE MORE IMPORTANT QUESTION IS WHETHER THAT ROUTINE STILL WORKS WHEN LIFE GETS BUSY.FOR MANY PEOPLE, A REALISTIC TRAINING ROUTINE THAT THEY CAN MAINTAIN WILL BE FAR MORE VALUABLE THAN AN AGGRESSIVE SCHEDULE THEY CAN ONLY FOLLOW FOR A FEW WEEKS. THERE IS NO PRIZE FOR CREATING THE BUSIEST TRAINING WEEK.

YOUR ROUTINE NEEDS TO FIT AROUND YOUR WORK, FAMILY, RECOVERY, EXPERIENCE AND GOALS.THIS IS ALSO WHY COMPARING YOUR TRAINING ROUTINE WITH SOMEONE ELSE’S ISN’T PARTICULARLY HELPFUL. SOMEONE TRAINING FOR A SPECIFIC SPORT MAY HAVE VERY DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS FROM SOMEONE WHO WANTS TO BECOME STRONGER AND HEALTHIER. THE RIGHT APPROACH IS THE ONE THAT MAKES SENSE FOR YOU AND CAN BE PROGRESSED OVER TIME.

MOTIVATION WILL COME AND GO

MOTIVATION IS GREAT WHEN IT IS THERE. BUT IT ISN’T A PARTICULARLY RELIABLE LONG-TERM TRAINING STRATEGY. THERE WILL BE DAYS WHEN YOU ARE EXCITED TO TRAIN AND DAYS WHEN YOU WOULD RATHER DO SOMETHING ELSE. BUILDING A ROUTINE MEANS THAT EVERY SESSION DOESN’T HAVE TO DEPEND ON HOW MOTIVATED YOU FEEL THAT DAY.

THIS IS ONE OF THE REASONS SOME PEOPLE FIND COACHED TRAINING SO VALUABLE BECAUSE HAVING A SESSION PLANNED, KNOWING WHAT YOU ARE WORKING TOWARDS AND HAVING A COACH THERE TO GUIDE YOU CAN REMOVE SOME OF THE DECISION-MAKING THAT OFTEN GETS IN THE WAY. YOU DON’T HAVE TO WALK INTO THE GYM AND WONDER WHAT YOU SHOULD DO; NOW YOU CAN FOCUS ON TRAINING.

RECOVERY IS PART OF CONSISTENT TRAINING

MORE TRAINING DOESN’T AUTOMATICALLY MEAN MORE PROGRESS. RECOVERY IS PART OF THE PROCESS TOO. YOUR TRAINING CREATES THE STIMULUS, BUT YOUR BODY ALSO NEEDS THE OPPORTUNITY TO RECOVER AND ADAPT. SLEEP, NUTRITION, STRESS AND THE DEMANDS OF YOUR DAILY LIFE CAN ALL AFFECT HOW YOU FEEL AND PERFORM. A GOOD TRAINING PROGRAMME TAKES THIS INTO ACCOUNT.

THERE MAY BE TIMES WHEN TRAINING NEEDS TO BE ADJUSTED RATHER THAN ABANDONED COMPLETELY. THAT COULD MEAN ALTERING THE LOAD, VOLUME OR TYPE OF WORK YOU ARE DOING. THIS IS ANOTHER AREA WHERE WORKING WITH AN EXPERIENCED COACH CAN HELP. TRAINING DOESN’T ALWAYS NEED TO BE ALL OR NOTHING.

BUILDING CONSISTENCY AT ATHENA PERFORMANCE IN REDDITCH

ATHENA PERFORMANCE IS A COACHING-LED GYM IN REDDITCH BUILT AROUND HELPING PEOPLE TRAIN WITH PURPOSE. WE WORK WITH PEOPLE WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS OF EXPERIENCE, ABILITIES AND GOALS, FROM THOSE TAKING THEIR FIRST STEPS INTO STRUCTURED TRAINING THROUGH TO EXPERIENCED ATHLETES LOOKING TO IMPROVE THEIR PERFORMANCE.

OUR APPROACH ISN’T ABOUT EXPECTING EVERYONE TO TRAIN THE SAME WAY. THROUGH STRENGTH AND FITNESS, STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING, 1-TO-1 PERSONAL TRAINING AND OUR OTHER COACHED SERVICES, WE CAN HELP YOU FIND AN APPROACH THAT SUITS YOUR GOALS AND CURRENT ABILITY.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE WANT TRAINING TO BECOME SOMETHING YOU CAN BUILD INTO YOUR LIFE. NOT SOMETHING YOU DO EXTREMELY HARD FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE STOPPING.

THINK IN MONTHS AND YEARS, NOT DAYS AND WEEKS

FITNESS MARKETING CAN SOMETIMES MAKE IT FEEL AS THOUGH EVERYTHING NEEDS TO HAPPEN QUICKLY.

BUT SOME OF THE MOST VALUABLE BENEFITS OF TRAINING COME FROM WHAT YOU CAN BUILD OVER A MUCH LONGER PERIOD.

THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU COULD BE AFTER SIX MONTHS OF CONSISTENT TRAINING. THEN A YEAR; THEN SEVERAL YEARS. THE WEIGHTS YOU CAN LIFT MAY CHANGE AND YOUR FITNESS CAN IMPROVE. WITH THAT, MOVEMENTS THAT ONCE FELT UNFAMILIAR CAN BECOME SECOND NATURE. YOU CAN DEVELOP CONFIDENCE IN WHAT YOUR BODY IS CAPABLE OF DOING.

BUT PERHAPS THE BIGGEST CHANGE IS THAT EXERCISE STOPS FEELING LIKE A SHORT-TERM PROJECT WHEN IT BECOMES PART OF YOUR ROUTINE.

START BUILDING A TRAINING ROUTINE YOU CAN SUSTAIN

YOU DON’T NEED TO WAIT FOR THE PERFECT TIME TO START TRAINING, AND YOU DON’T NEED TO COMPLETELY CHANGE YOUR LIFE OVERNIGHT. START WITH SOMETHING REALISTIC. TRAIN WITH PURPOSE. GIVE YOURSELF TIME TO IMPROVE. ACCEPT THAT SOME WEEKS WILL BE BETTER THAN OTHERS. THEN KEEP BUILDING.

IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GYM IN REDDITCH WHERE COACHING, STRUCTURE AND LONG-TERM PROGRESS ARE AT THE HEART OF THE TRAINING, ATHENA PERFORMANCE CAN HELP. EXPLORE OUR STRENGTH AND FITNESS, STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING AND PERSONAL TRAINING OPTIONS TO FIND THE RIGHT PLACE TO START.

BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES TO GETTING STRONGER AND FITTER, THE BEST TRAINING PLAN ISN’T THE ONE YOU CAN FOLLOW FOR TWO WEEKS. IT’S THE ONE YOU CAN KEEP COMING BACK TO.

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