Post by Greg Crook on Oct 5, 2006 20:44:42 GMT -5
As most of my training partners and the secretary's at my work can attest I'm the writingest damn person they ever seen. I've used up countless note pads, day planners etc. on planning my training for the next up coming meet. The only thing I've noticed about doing that is every time they end up in the garbage. I never finished a training cycle the way I started it.
In life alone there are way to many variables to try and train based on a plan you wrote down for the next 12 weeks. Your job, children if you have them, you get the picture. Now theres you. You may walk in the gym and simply not want to do what you've got planned for that day, thats happened tons to me. You may not be recovered from a previous workout. Simply put its very hard to plan when such unexpected things interfere with your training.
My recommendation is you plan to train your weaknesses. Do not plan exercises. I've not followed this advice until September myself. My bench is the best example, I've been benching 500 for 2 yrs now. When I watched the video from the Rock Hill meet I had the same problems I've had for years (top end). This is because I always "planned" what to do instead of working on what was wrong to start with. The squat or any of the 3 lifts are no different, the meet is where you perform but its also where you gage your progress. You should learn from the meet what your weaknesses are and train accordingly.
My training right now is the best its been to date. The only thing thats changed is I'm training my weaknesses. With my squat the mid to top end of the lift is behind right now so I pick an exercise thats going to work that. Whether its with bands, chains or squat in chains it doesn't matter I pick something when I walk in the door and give it all I got. Periodically I'll suit up and see if what I've done has helped.
This has also kept my mind fresh, I don't think about what I'm going to do therefore I can't set expectations before I get there. I do the best I can that night in the gym. Now if I really liked what I did then I'll do it again next week "IF" I feel like it, if not I'll move on to something else.
Now there are alot of people that can plan meet cycles successfully but the ones that I know are very experienced and know there body very well as far as what they can get away with(volume etc). I'm not one of these people, I'm still learning my body and what works for me and what doesn't. For us beginners, don't over complicate and don't get bogged down in planning and just go in the gym and target a weak point and kick it in the ass!!
In life alone there are way to many variables to try and train based on a plan you wrote down for the next 12 weeks. Your job, children if you have them, you get the picture. Now theres you. You may walk in the gym and simply not want to do what you've got planned for that day, thats happened tons to me. You may not be recovered from a previous workout. Simply put its very hard to plan when such unexpected things interfere with your training.
My recommendation is you plan to train your weaknesses. Do not plan exercises. I've not followed this advice until September myself. My bench is the best example, I've been benching 500 for 2 yrs now. When I watched the video from the Rock Hill meet I had the same problems I've had for years (top end). This is because I always "planned" what to do instead of working on what was wrong to start with. The squat or any of the 3 lifts are no different, the meet is where you perform but its also where you gage your progress. You should learn from the meet what your weaknesses are and train accordingly.
My training right now is the best its been to date. The only thing thats changed is I'm training my weaknesses. With my squat the mid to top end of the lift is behind right now so I pick an exercise thats going to work that. Whether its with bands, chains or squat in chains it doesn't matter I pick something when I walk in the door and give it all I got. Periodically I'll suit up and see if what I've done has helped.
This has also kept my mind fresh, I don't think about what I'm going to do therefore I can't set expectations before I get there. I do the best I can that night in the gym. Now if I really liked what I did then I'll do it again next week "IF" I feel like it, if not I'll move on to something else.
Now there are alot of people that can plan meet cycles successfully but the ones that I know are very experienced and know there body very well as far as what they can get away with(volume etc). I'm not one of these people, I'm still learning my body and what works for me and what doesn't. For us beginners, don't over complicate and don't get bogged down in planning and just go in the gym and target a weak point and kick it in the ass!!
