Training Do’s and Don’ts #7 – Priority Training

Too often when we begin a new training program or a new training phase, we look at the exercise menu and try to include too much. Too many exercises or too may sessions with the result a diluted training program that does not achieve the desired training effect. It is preferable to use what I call the Priority Training concept. Have a well-defined global theme for the phase of training regardless of the length. This should be very general and nonspecific. This is followed up by detailed objectives that are very specific and measurable. From your objectives you determine your priorities. Separate your choices into need to do and nice to do activities. Obviously, the need to do exercises and sessions take precedence over the nice to do. The need to do is where the positive training results will come from. The next step is to lay out your plan based on the priorities. The priorities receive major emphasis – they should show up more frequently, on the average three times in a seven-day microcycle. The nice to do are considered a minor emphasis, so those activities occur less frequently, on average two times per microcycle. I have found that planning and implementing training in this manner maintains the necessary focus. It also eliminates the density issue of trying to fit too much into too short a time.