You would think that the harder you go the better for increased sports performance? Yes, and No. I don’t believe in over training, just under resting and under fueling. If you can find a balance that allows your body to fully recover and stay properly fueled after your training, go for it! If you are constantly run down, susceptible to every sickness to hit your area, and injured all the time…. you are not balanced.
Diminishing returns; when your training has gone toooooo far. You pushed past a point you are capable of recovering from in a reasonable amount of time. You went so hard you need a week off which leads to a decrease in performance due to overuse injuries and/or exhaustion. You didn’t build anything, you simply broke yourself.
Fighters are a pain in the ass. They are scared out of their minds because another human being is training to kill them. They will have to get up in front of thousands of people and lock horns with another person in 1 on 1 combat. This pressure leads to over training and diminishing returns. Lots of go go go and little rest. Its the stress that does it.
The impatient act in many ways like fighters. They ignore science in favor of what their mind tells them. Miss a workout or eat too much; go 3 times as hard at the gym tomorrow! Want to hit a certain number on the scale; starvation, little rest, and tooooo much work to follow.
I have reams of data to support balanced training and more people then I have time to mention that have trained less and eaten more to get the results they never could while killing themselves day to day. Once you break down and actually trust me, we can get to serious work and get you some results.
I am working with a young fighter right now who is the classic example of “Panicked Fighter”. He was killing himself on a daily basis with Crossfit workouts and starvation diets to “make weight”. We dropped the random Crossfit training for combat sport specific training, worked out a rest cycle, and got him eating again. He is now more muscular, faster, with better cardio, and able to drop a full weight class with no loss in physical ability. Crazy! Eat more, Sleep more, train less = World Class Performance.
The key to success in training is high intensity work that matches your goals balanced with rest and fuel. We all need sleep and we all need days off. Every day can’t be heavy. I prefer 3 days heavy and explosive combined with 2 hard cardio challenge days and a mid week workout that is what I refer to as, active rest, plus one day off completely. Your diet must provide hydration, calories, and nutrients to support the work. Food over pills and powders. Lots of protein to repair and maintain muscle breakdown and growth.
No matter what your goal is, you need to train specifically for your needs. Variety in training is not random. A pile of motions that breaks you down and makes you feel like you did great work is not necessarily good work. You need goals and markers to judge your training’s success. Improved overall performance and health should be part of every one’s focus when setting goals. Hitting a number on the scale is a shitty goal. It can lead to a decrease in performance and health. Forget about the scale and work on making your clothes fit better while increasing your energy output, de-stressing, sleeping better, and improving your overall health.
Train with people that have produced sustainable results. Just because someone works you hard, does not make them a good trainer. Safety and skill are paramount. Look at a room and see if the people in it are like you and represent what you want to be. Make sure the trainer cares about you more then his or her own rep. Training isn’t about the system, the name, or the trainer; its about you and achieving the goals you need to. The strength of any gym is in the bond created through the mutual success of its members.
Most people don’t eat enough to lose weight. Most people don’t rest enough to get the full benefit from their work. Work, eat, rest….. Simple formula to success. Now go do work!
Brian Wright
Real Elite
www.realelitetraining.com