The goal of training in my very biased opinion is to create a well-rounded and fully functional athlete. This means that the parameters of fitness must be expanded to include both fitness, and performance based elements. Fitness is a fairly simple concept that encompasses
strength,
aerobic endurance,
flexibility, and
body composition. While this definition is more or less accurate it is also a very constrained and limited way to approach training.
To really achieve a trained state, it is vital that you incorporate athletic elements such as anaerobic power, speed, balance, agility, quickness, and coordinated full body strength. This means that the breadth and range of training must expand beyond the simplistic cardio and weights philosophy that dominates popular thinking.
However, it is a hard thing to accomplish these things in the limited time that most of us has to train each day. Most of us are not professional athletes, we have jobs, children, spouses, and other daily demands. It seems like a such an overwhelming task to incorporate all of these athletic elements into our measly 45-minute workout!
Luckily there are some simple ways we can start to incorporate more performance based elements into our exercise routines.
1). Play a sport! The best way to promote athletic elements and challenge your body through a complete range of physiological demands is compete in an athletic event. It does not have to be a team sport either, try squash, rock climbing, mountain biking, or tennis. Sport is the ultimate canvas in which you paint the results of your training.
2). Be intense during training. Take short breaks, work hard, and push the pace. People who are really fit and athletic usually work really hard.
3). Be consistent. Don't miss days, don't make excuses, and don't workout exclusively in a gym. Working out in a park or at home forces you to become more creative and see fitness as a life approach rather then this "thing" you do in a gym.
Anyway, I am going to throw down a beast of a workout here because I am all fired up here clacking away furiously behind my keyboard! Behold the power of the "Rager".
RAGER!Superset (2X)25 Box jumps (12-20 inch box)
25 Pushups
Superset (2X)100X Skips
20X Squat presses (moderate to heavy dumbbells)
Superset (2X)20X (each leg) / Single leg jumps (12-20 inch bench)*
20X Side shoulder raises (light / moderate dumbbells)
Superset (2X)15X (each leg)/Overhead lunges ( 0-45 pounds)
15X Pull-ups (or heavy lat pull-downs)
Have fun, this workout is
20 sets and is designed to test your aerobic capacity, coordination, and full body strength. There are only 2-sets in each superset so use as much weight as you can handle for the required reps. Move continously for the duration of the workout, rest for only as long as you need.
M
Ahhhh.....the Olympics are just around the corner. How can you not love the Olympics? The best athletes in the world gather to battle it out every four years in what is easily the most magnificent and thrilling sporting drama the world at large is entitled to see. The World Cup places a measly and distant second.
