We talked about the importance of filling in the gaps yesterday, and how important it was not to take extended breaks from your training, as often it is so hard to get back into it again!
What about your own individual workout standards though? Do you know them off by heart now? Do you keep a workout diary to make sure you havent slipped back? How important are those workout standards to you?
Lets start at the beginning.
When you first start training, i like to start everyone off slow. For example, if you start off with 4 press ups first time, then that’s the beginning and where you should judge your progress from.
If we fast forward 6 weeks later, and i catch up with you and are thrilled to see you are doing 20 press ups, that means you are now doing 5 times the number you first started off with, this is REAL progress and you should be pleased with yourself.
If your favourite run takes you 20-23 minutes, then staying in this good range or even pushing 19 minutes can be regarded as good progress.
What happens though if the press ups start sliding back to maybe 10?
What happens if the run takes you 28-30 minutes all of a sudden?
There can be a number of factors such as illness of course but barring that, the reasons are likely to be over-eating, over-drinking, not sleeping enough or simply missing lots of workouts.
The big progress will be judged to have largely stopped, and you have no direction in your training once more, leaving you lacking motivation and inspiration to carry on most of the time.
This is why your standards are all important.
Workouts should not be done in a haphazard manner, there has to be a plan and routine. This plan also needs to show progress and this is done by challenging yourself on a weekly basis. If you have the desire to personally improve, then motivation can be easy.
If you are suffering more lack of motivation, perhaps you need to re-visit why you are training in the first place, and what being healthy and being in great shape would mean/really means to you.
A REALLY good idea is to keep a workout diary and write down your workouts, or follow the list of exercises you are suppoed to be doing, and recognise that keeping to your usual high standard is not only desirable, but is vital to your over health and progress.
Try and assess your progress over a week, and if things have gone wrong, don’t dwell on them too much, just go out and fix them. Everyone had good and bad workouts, as long as the trend if upwards though, you can be more than happy that you’re getting fitter and healthier. Use the opportunity you have right now to hit your health and fitness with real passion and drive, no putting it off or leaving it until “another day”, let’s do it and make yourself proud of your performances!
No up and down standards, let’s keep them right up there!!!
