Post by Steve Gardener on Aug 31, 2006 12:36:24 GMT
Consistency by SG
Be it consistency in your training, diet or whathaveyou you need to be putting in the hours, days, weeks and months. It goes without staying that you need to be plugging away in the gym day in day out (or at least on your regularly scheduled training days) but there are other factors which if looked at, cleaned up or discarded with could also help you.
Drugs and alcohol
What promoted me to type this one out was a couple of conversations amongst the lads and lasses I train with both at the unit and Gymnation. We mentioned how we have seen posts on message boards where someone asks 'how much does my drinking/drug abuse affect my training?'. The short answer is 'enough'. There are a group who train for whom working out 2, 3 or 4 times a week allows them to go absolutely mental with whatever they use to abuse themselves with at weekends. I'm hoping most here are not in that group.
It's not for me to judge on what YOU do (after all you ain't here annoying me with it are ya ha ha) but if you think you are serious about your workouts and the effort you put in then when you go off on one and 'cane the gear' or do a 'I work hard so I play hard' then you are effectively doing little more than standing still and worse, for some, taking steps back (esp those that use speed and similar drugs).
Diet
By the same token there as many who train as hard as they can but do not apply the same effort to their diet and nutrition. Even some of my closest training buddies let themselves down in this area. It's no good you training like demons and really pushing yourself if when you should be eating or drinking a protein shake you are working, busy or finding yet another reason not to follow up. These same people can even have as much knowledge on the subject - if not more - than me. But they are not applying it.
As a member of many sites and one who doesn't need to restrict my bodyweight for any classes for competition I can indulge. Like anyone there are times when it is a struggle but I have been consistent (theres that word) with my food and shakes to the point where I feel guilty or will even go as far as to double up so as to ensure I get in the same amount every day. This means, for the most part, breakfast followed by an 11am shake, 2pm lunch, 5pm shake, 8 pm supper and 10pm shake.
Rest
I'm both very fortunate and not a little selfish that I can rest and catch up on my sleep. I am a light sleeper at the best of times so overnighters when away tend to mean less sleep than usual. I am now at the age where I LOVE my own expensive and cosy bed above any other.
But I also understand the massive variation people have in this area. That said by reading, reading and reading some more I have noticed that from Jay Cutler on down (Ronnie is an exception as he seems to need 4 hours a night) most pro athletes and those aspiring to get to that level REST. This can mean a nap or siesta in the afternoon, 40 minutes post workout with their feet up or similar but it also includes the minimum they need at night (as stated from 4 in Ronnies case to 9 in Jay Cutlers. There IS such a thing as too much rest (I think my bad back agrees with me on that score) and so I'll look at that in a future 'Active Recovary' article.
Sufficent to say you need to keep an eye on ensuring you get the rest you need.
Roids
This is not gonna be an paragraph or two on making sure you take your drugs on time but more back to the basic tenet of consistency. I know more than a few lads that will happily spend a fair old few quid (£100 up) on an 8 weeks or longer cycle and it's the only time of year they apply all of the above parts together and properly. The mentality is that they don't want to waste their £100 or more but what about the other 44 weeks?
Why only live right for 8 weeks cos of the £100 when you could have been progressing all of the rest of the time. One very bad habit and not a little frustrating I'd imagine is making some great gains on and then losing 90% or worse off - due to the silly bad habits people have.
Fini
It might be difficult and expensive to do what the late Paul Borreson called '100 day wars' where the freezer has 100 days of perfect food, the stash of gear is ready and you've gone over your training with a fine tooth comb but you can SO improve many neglected aspects so as to keep gains trickling in and better so that you can look back and see that not a day has been wasted or thrown away.
Be it consistency in your training, diet or whathaveyou you need to be putting in the hours, days, weeks and months. It goes without staying that you need to be plugging away in the gym day in day out (or at least on your regularly scheduled training days) but there are other factors which if looked at, cleaned up or discarded with could also help you.
Drugs and alcohol
What promoted me to type this one out was a couple of conversations amongst the lads and lasses I train with both at the unit and Gymnation. We mentioned how we have seen posts on message boards where someone asks 'how much does my drinking/drug abuse affect my training?'. The short answer is 'enough'. There are a group who train for whom working out 2, 3 or 4 times a week allows them to go absolutely mental with whatever they use to abuse themselves with at weekends. I'm hoping most here are not in that group.
It's not for me to judge on what YOU do (after all you ain't here annoying me with it are ya ha ha) but if you think you are serious about your workouts and the effort you put in then when you go off on one and 'cane the gear' or do a 'I work hard so I play hard' then you are effectively doing little more than standing still and worse, for some, taking steps back (esp those that use speed and similar drugs).
Diet
By the same token there as many who train as hard as they can but do not apply the same effort to their diet and nutrition. Even some of my closest training buddies let themselves down in this area. It's no good you training like demons and really pushing yourself if when you should be eating or drinking a protein shake you are working, busy or finding yet another reason not to follow up. These same people can even have as much knowledge on the subject - if not more - than me. But they are not applying it.
As a member of many sites and one who doesn't need to restrict my bodyweight for any classes for competition I can indulge. Like anyone there are times when it is a struggle but I have been consistent (theres that word) with my food and shakes to the point where I feel guilty or will even go as far as to double up so as to ensure I get in the same amount every day. This means, for the most part, breakfast followed by an 11am shake, 2pm lunch, 5pm shake, 8 pm supper and 10pm shake.
Rest
I'm both very fortunate and not a little selfish that I can rest and catch up on my sleep. I am a light sleeper at the best of times so overnighters when away tend to mean less sleep than usual. I am now at the age where I LOVE my own expensive and cosy bed above any other.
But I also understand the massive variation people have in this area. That said by reading, reading and reading some more I have noticed that from Jay Cutler on down (Ronnie is an exception as he seems to need 4 hours a night) most pro athletes and those aspiring to get to that level REST. This can mean a nap or siesta in the afternoon, 40 minutes post workout with their feet up or similar but it also includes the minimum they need at night (as stated from 4 in Ronnies case to 9 in Jay Cutlers. There IS such a thing as too much rest (I think my bad back agrees with me on that score) and so I'll look at that in a future 'Active Recovary' article.
Sufficent to say you need to keep an eye on ensuring you get the rest you need.
Roids
This is not gonna be an paragraph or two on making sure you take your drugs on time but more back to the basic tenet of consistency. I know more than a few lads that will happily spend a fair old few quid (£100 up) on an 8 weeks or longer cycle and it's the only time of year they apply all of the above parts together and properly. The mentality is that they don't want to waste their £100 or more but what about the other 44 weeks?
Why only live right for 8 weeks cos of the £100 when you could have been progressing all of the rest of the time. One very bad habit and not a little frustrating I'd imagine is making some great gains on and then losing 90% or worse off - due to the silly bad habits people have.
Fini
It might be difficult and expensive to do what the late Paul Borreson called '100 day wars' where the freezer has 100 days of perfect food, the stash of gear is ready and you've gone over your training with a fine tooth comb but you can SO improve many neglected aspects so as to keep gains trickling in and better so that you can look back and see that not a day has been wasted or thrown away.
BE CONSISTENT IN EVERY APSPECT.
