Modelfit though of the day- The importance of progression

When it comes to learning about fitness, one thing that always amazes me is that incredible amount of great information available for both trainers and fitness seekers alike. From strength gurus like Michael Boyle to Jillian Michaels, there are literally thousands of great ideas diet and workout program for virtually any goal-- and there in lies the problem.

With so many options to choose from, how does one possibly filter this knowledge in to practical application? From my perspective in the trenches of fitness, the fundamental concept that I always refer back to when designing programs is the concept of progressive resistance.

Whether we are talking about strength training, cardiovascular fitness or even diet, the program must become progressively more difficult-- in terms of heavier weight, longer intervals and/or caloric variation-- to yield physical adaption. With this concept in mind, designing the metabolic workouts for the Modelfit program begins long before plugging in the exercises:

Step #1: Choose a format:

Each month,we choose between intervals, timed circuits, ladder workouts, rounds for time, complexes or whatever other craziness we decide to throw at our clients. But regardless of which weapon we choose to attack fat, we ensure there is a variable of some sort that progresses from week to week. In the case of timed circuits, a progression may look like this:
Day 1
Week 1 12 minutes
Week 2 14 minutes
Week 3 16 minutes
Week 4 18 minutes

While this is but one example of how to progress a metabolic program, my point is that you have to work harder each workout to continue to progress. In terms of recording workout totals, this responsibility is also with the client to achieve a better workout time and/or performance numbers during each week.

Explained from this prespective, this is usually all the incentive we need to push through our limits. So the next time you decide to exercise, grab a timer and perform three sets of as many reps of an exercise as possible in sixty seconds. Push yourself to your limit and regardless of how soon you "fail" you will always succeed.

Beyond Modelfit- Hit the ground running or just running my mouth?

As an athlete, one thing that has always motivated my training is setting specific goals. While childhood dreams of competeing against the top competitors in sport remain a distant memory, I have watched the the sheer thrill of completing a task-- and believe it or not, competeing against yourself--once thought of as unachieveable motivate even the most reluctant weekend warrior to push past their barriers.

In Modelfit, this is a major reason why we regularily time workouts and test performance. If you see and experience the satisfacation of self improvement, improved body composition goals-- which are a natural result of getting in better shape-- become secondary to performace. And behind all of the grueling workouts, weight lifted and sprints run, this is the overall goal of the program from Day 1.

After meeting my initial goal of signing with my chosen modeling agency after the first three month cycle, the question I have asked myself is "where do I go from here?" For me, the answer came on New Years' Eve after too many shots of vodka (one is more than enough as I rarley drink) led me to a rather hastey promise to a friend" "Sure, I will run a 15k with you if you take your shirt off" and the rest is history.

Being a man of my word (even though I dont remember these words), the question now becomes how I will train for a nine mile run (The Gasparilla in Tampa FL) having not run over a mile in several years. Conventional wisdom would suggest it would be time to hit the road with a training schedule of increasingly longer runs to build an aerobic base.

But because I value the physique I have built through the Modelfit program (and I fear overuse injuries associated with running), I have no intention of doing that. In fact, I have decided to limit myself to one true run over one mile per week.

One mistake I see many runners make in their training is to stop strength training all together in the lead up to the event. By contrast, if the idea is to build an aerobic base, what better way of doing so than metabolic workouts which cause the heart to race for 45-60 minutes?

In looking over 15k times of experienced runners, it seems the event lasts anywhere from 45-60 minutes with a decent pace. By matching the length of my metabolic workout to the demands of the event, my hypothesis is that I will be able to maintain strength and build event specific aerobic endurance.

Besides keeping things interesting, I feel this type of training will vastly improve localized muscular endurance thru full body workouts focused on the movements and muscles in involved in running. Some specifics of the progam will include:

- focus on pulling motions to retract the shoulders during the run
- Including short and moderate distance sprints in workouts to improve the ability to build that burst of speed at the end of a race
- Greater strength training volume for the upper body to allow for unloading and recovery for the lower body
- Focus on single leg movements for lower body training to build running specific strength

What I like about this type of training is that it will require massive amounts of calories to simply maintain performance. While most Modelfit cycles involve dieting of some sort, this means I will only include one fasting/rest day to achieve improved body composition while keeping my overall calories high.

To prove whether this experiment is a success, I will test the following at the beginning of Feb and again right before my race:

- Bodyfat levels
- 15k performance time
- Foundation workout times
- Strength lifts- Chin up, Bench press, Rear foot elevated split squat (5RM)

In the meantime, I will periodically post my progress with the program, what I am eating and how I am feeling throughout this month. Maybe I will even schedule a photoshoot to document my progress after the run. In the meantime, keep checking back in for more updates and progress on the program, as well as more info on Modeling specific strength training.