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The Quest for Being (Slightly Better Than) Average …

 

To be better than average.

It sounds like a bit of a low bar to aim for, doesn’t it?

The thing is it doesn’t take long before being better than average is actually pretty damn good.

I’ve never been particularly great at anything.

And whilst when I was younger the idea of being great at something was definitely appealing…

When I played rugby I definitely dreamed, as most boys did, of playing for Scotland. But, whilst I was a good enough player but I was never going to get paid to play.

Because there’s a lot of extra stress that comes with being really good.

I had a friend who played high-level rugby tell me he couldn’t sleep the night before a game.

I mean who needs that…getting stressed about something that’s really a hobby?

Definitely not me.

And as I’ve gotten older I’ve become much more interested in being good at lots of things.

Having less of a specialist focus allows you to have fun and enjoy all the health benefits from different activities.

Powerlifting for the over 40’s is great. 

But the lack of cardiovascular work will bite you on the arse eventually if it’s all you do.

With runners, this flips around…

Yes, you ain all the health benefits from running but lose out on valuable upper body strength.

But given that there really isn’t any need to specialise as we get older why should you?

Especially as you can be both fit and strong…

That they aren’t mutually exclusive.

My 5K time is 8 minutes faster than the average for a UK male…

I could rock up at a powerlifting meet and not get embarrassed…

And my 5K row time on rowinglevel.com is in the advanced category.

No, I’d much rather be a jack of all trades.

Easily able to run to the school pick up when I’m late without sounding like a dying donkey…

Able to comfortable maneuver 3 by 2 slabs around the garden without thinking my back might explode…

Or carry boxes up and down stairs all day when we moved from our top floor flat.

But the funny thing is that if you decide to get good at a number of the different aspects of fitness.

Then you will stand out.

Not just in your age group but in any gym you care to go into.

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The Most Important 2 Minutes Of Your Day

We’ve all seen those annoying posts on Facebook or Instagram. A load of shite about morning rituals and how important they are?

That you must meditate for an hour before the sun comes up. 

And get in a killer workout before getting ready for work.

Prep all your food for the day before a bird has sung a single note.

In other words, get up before you went to bed. 

And then you realise that it’s all written by someone who doesn’t have a life. 

Don’t get me wrong, there’s value in making a point of doing all of the above…

If you can make it work.

The meditation and meal prep are big time savers, not time wasters.

And if you have the ability to train first thing in the morning then your workout is done and dusted before “the day” can de-rail it.

In fact rituals and habits play an important role in how successful we are in pretty much anything.

And your training is no exception.

Yet one of the most important habits or rituals you can have is often overlooked.

And they are, perhaps, the most important 2 minutes of your training day.

Let me explain…

You can turn your legs to jelly on hill reps…

Sweat so much on the Erg you look like you’re actually rowing on a lake..

Cranking out the reps in the gym for a burn so deep you look like the “Human Torch”…

None of it matters if you don’t get this part of the session right.

Well, I’m exaggerating a bit but it is important.

Be it a hard or an easy session the last few minutes are every bit as important as the rest of the session.

You see, once you’ve done the hard work you want to calm things down as fast as possible.

Because the good stuff, the adaptations that make you stronger, faster and generally harder to kill only happen once you’re finished.

It’s the recovery period between the sessions that you make your gains.

And we want to get into the recovery zone as fast as possible.

To do this finish your run with a couple of minutes of gentle walking.

This should see your heart rate drop below 100 bpm.

Then once you’re inside you want to lie down and pop your feet on a seat and breathe.

Nice and gently, in and out through your nose. 

Pause after the inhale and again after you exhale.

Or spend some time in the “Child’s Pose”. 

A couple of minutes spent in either of these will bring your heart rate right down.

Flipping the off switch on the production of all the hormones associated with exercise and flipping on the switch for all those that help you recover.

Give it a try after your next session it’ll help speed up your recovery.

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When to schedule strength training in a running program

Last week I had a quick look at the benefits to runners of including strength training in their program. This week we’ll look at when to schedule strength training in a running program. Where should you fit it in so that you get the benefit of having it in there but not have an adverse effect on your main activity, that is to say running?

 

Continue reading “When to schedule strength training in a running program”

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STRENGTH training for runners

Strength and conditioning in sport are more common place over time. The role of the strength and conditioning specialist becoming more important as athletes look to maximise their potential. This makes a lot of sense from when we considier the benefits of being a stronger athlete. A stronger athlete will, in most cases, never be anywhere tapping out their strength in a game situation.  The conditioning side is about what is the appropriate type of work to be done. There is a lot to be gained from training the different energy systems but what ones are important.  Knowing what aspects to train and where to place them are very important. There is no point  in a marathon runner doing a Tabata session or a sprinter running for an hour.  Plyometric drills that can of great benefit when used correctly for runners of all distances.   Continue reading “STRENGTH training for runners”

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Improving your ability to squat

Squatting is about as natural a movement as you can get but it is a skill that we in Western Europe and the US/Canada rarely practise. As such, as with any skill, not practising it means we lose it. Our lifestyles mean we do not need to squat in order to do anything then combined with a sedentary lifestyle has resulted in many of us losing the ability to do it well. As young children we have the ability to do it but often find that by the time we are adults, at least in the Europe/America, that we have lost the ability simply, I suspect, because we do not make use of it on a daily basis.

 

Fit young man doing squats on track

Continue reading “Improving your ability to squat”

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Abdominal bracing during the barbell squat

Correctly setting and bracing the abdominals during a barbell squat can make a significant difference to the feel of the movement though increasing torso stability. Properly engaging the abdominals will also improve hip range of movement which will make the bottom position feel easier to move into whilst maintaining an upright torso and aid in the reduction of unwanted spinal movement.

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Do not go gentle into that good night: Exercising as we age

Keeping moving as we age is much more important than is often given consideration too and it is often just accepted that as we get older we can do and will do less. From our 30’s we start to lose muscle mass, medically known as sarcopenia, at a rate of up to 3-5% per decade in those who are physically inactive. So given that most people have sedentary jobs, if you buy into the idea that as you get older you can do less then it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, especially where the accepted inactivity alongside the sedentary job push us towards the 3-5% figure. Continue reading “Do not go gentle into that good night: Exercising as we age”