The Workout - A Means to an End

Last week I talked about it being more than an exercise, we also need to remember it is more than the workout. I can go online right now and download an infinitesimal number of workout, so what. I get at least one email a week from someone sending a link to a workout, usually with a comment like – What do you think? My answer is almost always is not sure what to think. The magic is not in the workout, the magic is in the plan. What is the context of the workout? Who are you doing the workout with? What are you doing? When are you doing it? Most importantly why are you doing it? Context is the key! What effect will this workout have on the subsequent workouts, what workout led up to this workout? I have learned the hard way that one workout cannot make athlete or a team but one workout can break an athlete or a team. We need to get away from the idea that because a workout is hard and you end up barfing that it is a good workout, this is the ethic being promoted in the commercial fitness”industry.” Believe me it is easy to bury someone, much harder to train someone. Each workout should have specific objectives that are measureable and observable; those objectives must be in support of the microcycle and the block themes. Anyone can work, but training is work with a specific propose. I read the other day that John Wooden used to spend up to two hours a day planning his practices. Roy Williams plans each of his practices to the minute. I know I spend up to twenty minutes a day planning training for that particular day for volleyball, when I was coaching track it was at least an hour. That does not count the time setting up the training session. In summary training is a long term proposition, it is about continual adaptation leading to optimal performance in the competitive arena. Train athletes who thrive on training, not survivors.