Your Exercise Training Should Fit Your Goal

          There are many approaches to exercise.; a buffet of options to pick from these days. You have the option of focusing on mobility and range of motion by participating in yoga classes. You can test your exercise capacity by joining a cycling class or by running outside. You can burn off stress and dial up your competitive nature with strength training. Either way you look at it, you have many options to choose from. Options are great but having too many exercise options can cause frustration and lead to injury down the road. Not knowing what your personal goals are, or if the exercise routine or program you’re doing lines up with your goals, can start to cause havoc on your mind and body over time. It is like a roller coaster that never ends.

            Over the year, exercise science and exercise application research have shown that there needs to be a balance of different types of modes of training based on an individual’s workout. Mode can include, but is not limited to, strength training, endurance training, and mobility training. Now, it is important to understand that the modes listed are broad modes of training and an individual’s goals will shape what these will look like. For example, an elite football player will partake in strength training like a body builder does, but the format of training (frequency, duration, intensity, volume) will align for football and not a body building competition. Both individuals need strength training and endurance training but the percentage at which they need one versus the other will change based on the individual, their environment, and their goals.

           We can take it even further by looking at position of player in football, such as a running back versus an offense tackle. Both positions have the same goal of winning the Super Bowl however, specific variables will start to creep in. The biggest is the position at which they play and their genetic make-up. The average offense of tackle is 6 feet 5 inches and a 314lbs.  The average running back is 6 feet and 215lbs. These players play on the same team and have the same team goal, yet their roles on the team and their personal goals and skillsets will alter their training program.

            If the goal is to build strength, then you must spend a higher percentage of time building in the weight room or in your home gym pushing the limits of your strength. If the goal is to improve cardiovascular endurance, you must spend time working on endurance. If the goal is to improve flexibility, then you need to spend more time allocated to mobility training. With that being said there are no absolutes in training and you can’t live on the extreme sides of one mode of training unless you are willing to suffer the injuries, turmoil, and the greatness that comes with it.  For example, if you decide you want to improve your endurance and you increase your jogging, running, or sprinting sessions and you don’t supplement some form of strength and mobility training into your routine, than there will be a break down in musculoskeletal tissue strength causing tightness, joint pain, which could become a limiting factor in improving overall capacity. The reason behind this is jogging, running, and sprinting require a certain amount of muscle strength and endurance to not only push your joints in the directions you want to go, but they aid in force absorption from every foot contact on the surfaces you decide to run on (surfaces play a big part in how much force is applied to the joints such as the knees, ankles, and hips). When the volume of stress (e.g., runs per week, time running, and the frequency of running per week) is high or increases over time, so will the amount of muscular strength/endurance needed. Which means if you focus on just endurance or just body weight strength training, you will only get so far with your endurance training before you start to have tightness and joint problems.

            If you looked at all forms of exercise, you will see that every task or goal requires a certain percentage of strength, endurance, and mobility/stability. However, the demand required by each mode of training within each individual training program will be different. Taking the time to understand what demand is required (e.g., time, strength, endurance, etc.) will be important when setting up an exercise program to parallel the goal.  

            The depth at which you want to achieve your goals will not be the same as others. This means you need to take a step back and write down what your exercise goals are. Then listen to people who have accomplished those goals, read and watch information on exercise coaches that have helped those type of individuals, or take a leap of faith and hire an exercise coach to help you. Watch any documentary about elite athletes or successful entrepreneurs like Bill Gates. They establish a goal and they put together a program that aligns with that goal. The hard part is that it will take time. The renowned strength coach Dan John Once said, “the goal is to keep the goal the goal”.  

So, take a step back and assess what your goals are and ask yourself these questions:

What is my goal?

Why is this my goal?

What will it take to reach that goal?

How will I implement the key modes of training (e.g., strength training, endurance training, and mobility training) into my weekly routine to reach my goal?

Once you have established some depth to your goal, you will be able to start to create some awareness to what it will take to reach those goals.

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