|
|
By
Charles Staley, B.Sc, MSS
Director, Staley Training Systems |
You're on a plateau. What else is
new?
If you want to look on the bright
side, consider that stalling out is a sign that you're an advanced
lifter. Only beginners make continuous progress.
If you don't want to look on the bright
side (meaning, you're determined to get out of the rut and on to
new PR's), keep reading, because I have an eminently logical, simple,
and foolproof method of getting back on track.
It's called "The
Path Of Least Resistance."
Now, I didn't say this path was painless,
and it's not. Doing the right thing rarely is. Nevertheless, being
on "The Path" is far better than the alternative, because
at least your blood sweat and tears will have a payoff. So let's
get started with a quick introduction, followed by some practical
applications.
What Is The Path
Of Least Resistance?
Most people lose their way because
they tend to spend far too much time and energy trying to improve
elements that have minimal potential to improve. Why does this happen?
I'd speculate it's because when you spent time on something that
rewards you with positive feedback, you're inclined to go continue
going down that path looking for more psychological "goodies."
Think of it this way: as a beginning
thrower, you were weak as a kitten. Getting stronger really made
the disc fly further in your first few years as a thrower. Problem
is, you're pretty strong now, but you just can't shake that association
between lifting and throwing PR's, even though strength isn't your
weak link any longer.
So What IS Your
Weak Link?
Continuing with that example, let's
say you're now a good collegiate discus thrower stuck at 187 feet.
The question is, what should you be working on? Technique? Strength?
Flexibility? Nutrition? These are only a few of the many components
necessary for great throwing. Getting on "the path" is
all about identifying and then focusing on the element or elements
that have the most potential for future improvement.
SO How Do I Do
This?
First, identify every possible "element"
that could possibly contribute to success in your chosen sport or
event. Don't worry about prioritizing them yet- we'll worry about
that later. For now, just get into pure brainstorming mode and start
writing.
An Example: Me
To illustrate, I'll use myself as
an example (which is a path of least resistance in its own right,
since it's a lot easier than using you as an example!): I'm trying
to qualify for the 2009 Master's World Championships in Sydney,
Australia. To do this, I've got to total 190kg's at a bodyweight
of 94kg's or less. And I've got to do this on April 5th, 2009, in
El Paso Texas- Master's Nationals (By the way, if you don't have
anything more interesting to do that weekend, c'mon down and watch
me lift!).
Currently, I'm totaling (in the gym)
about 180kg's, so I've got about 19 weeks to put 10kg's on my competitive
total.
So my list of elements looks something
like this:
- Technique
- Strength
- Health/Injury Issues
- Body Composition
- Nutrition/Supplementation
- Training Consistency
- Training Intensity
- Coaching
- Travel Interruptions
- Courage
- Flexibility
- Work Capacity
- Consistency
Now there are perhaps several others,
but I'll abbreviate this somewhat to save on bandwidth, since I've
already been through this process. In your case however, don't skimp
on the list. And in fact, make a special effort to include items
that might even seem a bit whacky- sometimes your most glaring weaknesses
are the ones you're not aware of!
OK I Made The List-
Now What?
Next, assign each element a numerical
score (from 1 to 10) based on how improvable you think that element
is, given your current resources. If you think there's a lot of
room for improvement, assign a high number, and (obviously), items
with poor potential for improvement get a low number.
Once you've done this, I suggest picking
the 3 highest-scoring items. These items comprise your "path:"
they bring into focus the things you need to attend do to get out
of that rut you're in.
In my own case, strength, body composition,
and injuries are my top three. And by extension, nutrition comes
into play, since keeping my protein high will help with body composition.
And obviously, better body composition also means better strength.
Also, I'm having some issues with tendonitis in my left knee, which
is why I gave "injuries" a high rating.
So in my personal case, it's both
interesting and convenient that there's a natural synergy between
my top 3 items: better diet and less injuries will result in better
body comp and strength.
Which Has The Most
Potential For Improvement?
Below, I've listed some common examples
of bad decision-making. Have a look and see which one's you're guilty
of:
- Your Training, Or Your Nutrition?
Are you a beast in the gym and a wussy in the kitchen? If you're
super strong but a bit soft around the middle, this might be you.
- Your Physical Preparation, Or
Your Technical Preparation? What difference does it make if you
can bench a Hummer if your technical execution sucks? As an example,
I'm a novice golfer and although I'm far stronger than most pro
golfers, I can only drive the ball about 260 yards, because my
technique is still evolving.
- Your Gym Lifts, Or Your Platform
Lifts? Are you a gym lifter or a meet lifter? If you compete,
your gym PR's don't mean a whole lot unless you can replicate
them under competitive conditions.
- Your Intensity, Or Your Conistsncy?
The latter means a lot more than the former.
|
|
Get Out Of
The Rut And Onto The Path!
All of this obviously is just
another way of stating that, in order to improve, you've gotta
improve your weak points, not your strong points. Of course,
you've known that forever, but (maybe) you haven't done anything
about it (yet).
Today might be the day to get
on a different path…
|
|
|
|
Got a Website, Blog
or Newsletter?
CLICK HERE to learn how you can republish
Charles Staley's
articles on your site for free!
|
 |
|
About The Author
|
His colleagues call him an iconoclast,
a visionary, a rule-breaker. His clients call him “The
Secret Weapon” for his ability to see what other coaches
miss. Charles calls himself a “geek” who struggled
in Phys Ed throughout school. Whatever you call him, Charles’
methods are ahead of their time and quickly produce serious
results. His counter-intuitive approach and self-effacing
demeanor have lead to appearances on NBC’s The TODAY
Show and The CBS Early Show.
Currently, Charles competes
in Olympic-style weightlifting on the master’s circuit,
with a 3-year goal of qualifying for the 2009 Master’s
World Championships.
|
|
Learn More
About
EDT Training!
You can build
muscle and strength and burn fat in as little as 15 minutes,
3 times a week with EDT...it works for EVERYONE
- male, female, young, old...your body simply has no choice
but to get results!
Click
here to learn more
and get your copy today!
 |
|
