What if I told you that there is another training concept out there that can get results and you don’t even have to work hard for it.
One that you don’t have to push yourself nor even break a sweat.
Sounds too good to be true right?
What if you threw training on its head and started thinking and planning.
Let’s say you want to become better at a Parkrun.
And by better I mean there is a lesser painful and quicker way to carry your body over a certain distance like a 5km.
You only really get to run once a week – gyms are too expensive and road running in your area might be unsafe with taxis driving in the yellow lane or on the pavements.
What would happen if you applied the laws of low volume, least resistance training to your routine and is there a possibility of making good performance gains?
In the short term, the answer is short and sweet.
Not much.
The secret to low volume, low reps and low resistance is that gains come about in the long term.
You are probably perplexed as to what I am saying.
When you go to gym or start a new programme, you are seeking maximum gains and rewards in the shortest space of time but that simply means your programme is too unrealistic to sustain.
Think about why diets don’t work, the path of resistance is too stressful to keep up and maintain, so in the first few weeks you get results but soon you are back to your old habits.
Your “Insta goals” is not a lifestyle programme, it’s about a quick gratification programme for bigger biceps, rock solid abs and sexier legs.
These are short- lived goals.
Instead rather focus on building sustainable pillar strength that lasts.
Break your body down into these categories, lower leg strength, core strength, upper body strength, balance and stability and functional movement.
Further break down your movement into a push, pull, squat and lift.
These are primary movements that are needed for you to be more functional.
Running a park run but not focusing on a pulling action only adds to your skewered development and is counterproductive to getting
faster times.
You don’t run more to get faster times if your routine is already supporting training three times a week.
You don’t swim another lap to get faster.
Yes sure, each stroke will be making you more efficient but once you reached your efficiency with the build you have, then another lap won’t make any difference.
Once you have reached top speed in a Ford Fiesta, pushing your foot flat on the floor is not going to make you go any faster.
You need an upgrade and this upgrade comes in the form of two types of training.
One is specialist high performance focusing on developing strategic areas and improved techniques and the other is a more passive yet consistent approach of focusing on a daily “success routine” without failure.
If you can’t do more than 40 to 50 proper push ups, then your upper body is considered weak for an adult.
If you are a runner and you scored low on the upper body functional strength test, I guarantee you if you start working on your upper body strength, you will run faster.
Just look in the mirror and see how heavy in proportion to your body your upper body is.
When running, you must stop this upper mass from falling over and moving all over the show.
Stabilising your upper body and maintaining a natural rhythm is kept to being more efficient in your run and faster times.
This is how you keep to a system that will help develop you in the long run.
In order to keep to a lifestyle that is manageable, aim for daily routine, factoring in one to two exercises for each category and stick to that routine all year.
IT LOOKS SOMETHING LIKE THIS:
This entire routine will take you eight to 12 minutes and it would have factored in everything from all the quadrants. Each quadrant you can vary up the exercise but as long you don’t change the volume per each exercise.
It must be a low value but done daily. Here is the push line, take eight push ups and multiply it by seven days which is 56 push ups which does sound like much.
Now, multiple it by 30 days which give you 240 push ups. Imagine doing eight push ups for a year. That would give you 2 848 repetitions. Do you think 2 848 push up in a year is very difficult to do and do you think it will contribute to a stronger upper body and a faster park run? Now multiply this by five years and see the value you get.
Sometimes you need to realise it is not about the big gains in short periods of time but rather setting up an easy success framework which will yield results over time. The best part is you don’t have to start with all 10. You can start with just three and build on as you go.
Sean van Staden is a sport scientist. Follow him on Twitter at @SeanVStaden or visit advancedsp.co.za.
Last week’s column can be found here.
For more sport your way, download The Citizen’s app for iOS and Android.
Download our app and read this and other great stories on the move. Available for Android and iOS.
