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.