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When you need a coach.....


I have been reading Never Let Go by Dan John. It is a great book. Down to earth advice and wisdom from someone who really knows his stuff.

One of the essays in the book talks about the value of a coach, having someone who can work out a programme and tell you what to do. You don't need to workout what you should do, you jsut do what you are told. You stop dotting from idea to idea and programme to programme. It takes the freedom away and sometimes that is good.

I am guilty of it myself. There is so much information out there as I was saying earlier - that I don't just stick to something simple and give it time. I remember years ago I would stick at a routine for months - just simple stuff - squats, dips, deadlift - and would grow and improve. Now I know more but do not stick to things....and I get nowhere. Injuries have something to do with it too, but I do get distracted by the new stuff.

Maybe I need to just commit to some programme for a while. Just a simple routine or deadlifts and press I think (while keeping my rehab stuff - TGU, bridge etc - going)

Maybe you just need to commit to a programme for a while. Even something as basic as the Turbulence Training programmes (some free workouts are below) can be useful - warm up, strength work and stretch, with intervals on another day.

Sample Workout

10 Minute Workouts

Bodyweight workouts.

Pick something and stick to it for a while.
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Comments

Anonymous said…
Dan's book is great! Try the one lift a day program. Keep it simple.
April 5, 2010 at 5:43 PM
Anonymous said…
I got the same problem as you! I was doing the S&C programmes for a group of elite track cyclists for a few years. At the start of one off-season, I trained with them over a 3 month block - just really simple hip/quad, push/pull type programmes. The gains were huge! But these days I am so hungry for information & to trial new things to see how they feel, I never really gain any traction. Time to go back to the simple stuff me thinks!
April 5, 2010 at 5:51 PM
Anonymous said…
I want to label this 'the grass is greener syndrome'. A syndrome that I too suffer from frequently.
April 6, 2010 at 7:10 AM
olddude said…
A human attribute for sure. That's why it's NB to always try to find the principles behind our "workouts" rather than following recipes. There is always a new recipe. How does the body move. You are into the hills so let that be the foundation you build on mentally and physically. Oh and dont forget that you are also training what we call the mind when we train. Your dedication and intelligence will persevere.
April 6, 2010 at 8:44 AM
Hans Hageman said…
I, too, have found myself paralyzed by complexity. I have gotten back to the deadlift as a functional and primal requirement. My goal is to continue with these, a pressing movement, and isometrics and to make sure I "deload" every four weeks.
April 7, 2010 at 5:46 AM
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