Goals 2021 update 4/16 - Create a training schedule

I wanted to do this one for a long time and bring some structure to my training so I can get the most out of my training sessions.

Content

---

Why create a training schedule?

I am a big fan of good planning, structure, tracking and reviewing results. To achieve the goals I set for myself, I need an actionable plan. It will help me to keep track, evaluate and adapt to the results I see in my training and whether they are aligned to my goals.

Also, by having a schedule I can narrow down the possibilities of what will I focus on each training session. I can choose a training spot based on that. And, if something unexpected happens that day, I can switch things around and adapt.

What are the challenges?

The challenges for me around training for the last couple of years have been manifold.

The obvious one is lack of time. As a father you have less time for yourself and more errands you need to take care of. That is why I am reducing and optimising the time I spend on training sessions. To be able to successfully do that, I need a training schedule to keep me on the right track.

The next one is basically the unpredictability of my days. Although one can see a usual pattern of work days or weekends, things do not always go as planned. Things change, stuff gets shifted around both in time and priority, so I have to adapt. By having a schedule and a plan for what I am working towards I can quickly react and adapt to the situation.

One other challenge that I have a big problem overcoming is basically managing the energy levels. It is one of those things that are hard to explain and quantify. The decision to skip a training session can come from various different aspects, for example:

• Tiredness
• Bad sleep
• Stress
• Unexpected change in meal times (which then affects your ability to train)
• Bad whether
• Bad mood
• Knowing you do not have enough time for the training session you planned to do

All of these things together make up for a lot of energy needed just to go out and train. It used to be way easier to keep the discipline, but this now needs more attention. That is why the framework I create with the training schedule should help me battle this successfully.

The schedule

For the actual schedule, I would like to keep things simple and flexible to be able to overcome all the challenges I have mentioned above. The idea is to train each day, and adapt to the situation. Even a 15 minute stretching, or a 30 minute run is better than doing nothing and then feeling bad about not having a session that day. For this to work, I would need to make compromises each day.

Having all of that in mind here are the 7 big groups I identified and intend to assign a day in the week for:

1. Climb up exercises (grip, various surfaces, etc.)
2. Stretching (full body, muscle groups, yoga)
3. Core (just core exercises, exercises connected with other types of conditioning)
4. Running (biking, etc.)
5. Upper body (various muscle groups, gymnastic rings, etc.)
6. Parkour (free)
7. Rest (possibly with stretching)

Of course, there will be weeks where not every group gets a training session. Also, there will be days where, for whatever reason it is not possible to train. The key here is consistency. I want to get into the habit of doing something each day and push myself not to miss the training session that day.

As for the intensity, my idea is to do one low to mid intensity session one day and a mid to high intensity session the next day. Depending on the circumstances (time, energy) I can shift this around but the basic idea is to have one day of training and one day of rest.

Conclusion

To be able to effectively use my time spent on trainings I believe it is essential to have a plan. Also, to be able to measure the effectiveness of the plan and whether it brings results I believe one should keep track of what he is doing. Therefore, I will keep a daily diary of sessions. After a few months I can evaluate the results and adjust.

Having a schedule is essential in bringing structure to my training, in my opinion. It should help me work towards the goals I set for myself.

What about you? Have you created some schedule that works for you?