Ride out the year or stick with the programming?
This is the time of year when athletes start treating the remaining few weeks as a wash, telling themselves they will reset in the new year. It’s the time of year when you make a decision on whether you stick to the regular programming. Holidays or not, I often hear complaints from folks about not seeing the progress they want. It usually goes something like this…
“I’ve been coming to this gym for 5 months but I’m still not losing fat and gaining muscle like I thought I would.”
Here are the common pitfalls:
Relying solely on group classes. There is value to group fitness. In addition to working 1:1 with clients, I’ve been teaching group fitness for over eight years. I love taking class occasionally myself. But realistically, group classes cannot take individual goals into account. Your progress is inherently capped if this is all you do.
Throwing in other random activities. This is where both getting clear on what your specific goals are and communicating with your coach is really important. Doing other activities is great if that’s what you enjoy! I had clients who played competitive underwater hockey. Because they shared their underwater hockey schedule with me, I could tailor their training in the days leading up to and following so that the training advanced their overall fitness goals but also primed and complemented their underwater hockey.
It also doesn’t stop at the gym. I keep emphasizing this because you can be following your programming to the T, but if you’re not getting the sleep your body needs or eating to supply it with the nutrition it needs or if you’ve got a big stressor in your life, whether that’s work or family or some other crisis, you will not get the intended results. A good fitness coach can guide you through thinking about a holistic, practical approach.
Taking an extended break (whether due to injury, family, work, etc.) and then thinking you can just pick up where you left off. It doesn’t work like that and it’s often a recipe for injury. Depending on the length and nature of your break, your body may simply be functioning differently.
This year, I was proud of taking two groups of athletes to competition, many of whom took the platform in a competition for the first time. As always there are different levels of commitment (ya’ll know who you are…), and it was clear the athletes who made the most progress and got closest to their goals were the ones who stuck with the programming. It’s not always fun. Sometimes it’s a little boring. A lot of times, it’s going to be hard and challenge you. But it works.
So as you help yourself to those holiday treats, think about whether you want to start the new year with momentum at your back or if you’ll be okay trying to get moving against the inertia. There’s no right or wrong answer, and no judgment! Just make it a conscious choice.
See you out there,
Andrew
