What's Happening?

So far during COVID, I’ve pursued a mile time goal of 5:30, I’ve looked to become a part of the 1000 pound club at a bodyweight of 188 and have worked towards achieving a single digit handicap in golf.  I can’t say that I’ve succeeded at all of these, my mile time is down to 5:49, my total of the big 3 is at 935 and my handicap is stuck around 15.   Still plenty of room to grow.  

When I am missing on training goals, I tend to ask myself a few questions that apply to folks training in the gym. Plateaus happen all the time, why though?  

Question #1 - Is there something that is happening outside of the gym affecting my recovery? 

Job stress, a new Netflix series, relationship struggles, the cat waking us up early in the morning.  Recovery is multifactorial.  Finding the answer to question #1 helps me show up to whatever I’m working towards rested and ready for action.  

Question #2 - Is there something that I’m doing in the gym that I don’t need to? 

Before adding exercises, I always look to remove first.  Do I need that third set of lateral raises if my focus is towards improving my squat?  How about that extra ten minutes on the row machine?  It’s easy to add because it helps us feel like we’re accomplishing more more and more.  Answering question #2 is difficult as it makes us prioritize our training. 

Question #3 - Am I completing exercises with sound technique? 

This one applies more towards strength training, as I chase the 1000 pound club.  Could I get there faster by neglecting technique and tempo?  Perhaps.  Would I stay there without risking injury, doubtful.  Answering question #3 requires taking video and a heavy dose of the humble pill.  If I can’t do the weight under control, I shouldn’t be doing it.  There are times and places to train outside of normal tempos but when chasing strength goals, especially early in a training career, the focus needs to be on tempo and technique.  This can help limit soreness and pain in joints that stems from not controlling the weight and help us train harder, longer and more consistently.  All of which go into being a strong and capable athlete.  

In my case, this question can be rearranged to apply to golf by wording it as “am I completing rounds within my gameplan?”.  Am I hitting fairways?  What about 2-putting?  It’s easy to look at the final score as the end-all be all but how we get to that score is just as important for consistent improvement.  As opposed to being held slave to the final score or the weight on the bar, answering question #3 helps us to remain detached from results and prioritizes the action steps being taken.   All good things to drive patience. 

These are just a few questions that I’ve used to break through training plateaus.  As always, there are deeper and more thorough questions to ask as new challenges pop up.  Start here and adjust as necessary.   

Enjoy training!