We all know having a game plan for your workout is key to setting yourself up for success.
Programs are designed with specific intentions, and each section has a specific purpose. It takes into account your goals, physical capacity, past injuries, training history, and many other things. Every persons program will probably look a little different in terms of different exercises, different sets/reps, and a few different active rest exercises to help affect certain parts of your body.
However, the format(structure) of everyone’s program is the same. Everyone starts with a warm up, works on power, then gets strong in the strength section, and finally gets the heart rate up in the conditioning section.
Today I want to dial in on the power and conditioning sections and talk about one huge mistake that could be detrimental to your health.
In previous blogs and coaching I have mentioned as we age, power is the first thing we start to lose. That does not mean that we can’t get it back though, if we train properly.
As you may notice a lot of the exercises in the power section may also come up in the conditioning section and vice versa. You may say to yourself “Well if they are the same exercise I’m working on the same thing in both sections.”
Wellllllll, not quite!
The similarity to both sections is we want to move things quick, however, the way(intent) of how we move things quick is the underlying difference.
Let’s talk about power a little more explicitly.
If you remember back to 6th grade science class the equation for power is Work/Time.
If we take this equation and apply it to the gym we want to do as much work as we can in the least amount of time possible.
This has to be a fine balance, if you choose a weight (Medicine Ball) that is too light you may be able to move it really fast however, you are not really doing that much work because it is too light.
Pick a medicine ball that is too heavy and you might be doing a lot of work but it is going to take you a long time to move the ball.
You want to find a middle ground. Pick a weight that is challenging but that you can move as fast and explosively as you can.
Where we want to slow things down during the power section is in-between each rep. You want to make sure you allow your body to rebuild that explosive energy, and get in the best possible position to create a lot of power.
Ok, now that we have a sense of power, let’s briefly talk about conditioning.
Now when we get to the conditioning section we can be a lot more flexible with form and explosiveness. The goal of the conditioning section is to get your heart rate up and get a good sweat in. Here your body should already be a little tired, so we are not going to get any benefit from trying to be powerful. The goal here would be to move a little faster between each rep.
Next time you are in the gym try out these tips to help you get the most out of your workout.
If you are still confused as to what to do that’s where we come in. Shoot us an email at info@coreprinciples.com or call us at 203-914-6396.
-Coach Pat
