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One of my goals last year was to get a lifetime PB on some sprints.
100m, 200m and 400m.
Thankfully, I wasn’t very sporty at school so it’s challenging, but doable.
I didn’t get there last year for various reasons.
Weather, injury, confusion over session availability with the local athletics club and just losing enthusiasm for it.
This year I intend to do it and have put a simpler but, hopefully, more effective plan in place.
I have a membership at the Leisure Centre.
Mainly for swimming with the kids.
But I sometimes use the gym there when they’re in lessons.
Or outside of normal RISE hours and for a change.
My plan is to run 400m on the treadmill at least a couple of weeks.
Just 400m.
Doesn’t take long.
Started at a pace I knew I’d be ok with.
Then, for the first few weeks, increased it by 0.5k/h each time.
Until it got to the point where I didn’t feel I could make that much of a jump the next time.
When I dropped it to a 0.2k/h increase.
And, more recently, 0.1k/h.
It may get to the point where I can’t increase every time and alternate the increase.
It’s not really getting harder.
Just stopping it getting easier.
As I get a little fitter and faster, the same version would get easier.
And, therefore, less effective.
And it’s the same with any exercise.
Yesterday’s “challenging” workout is today’s “ok” one.
And tomorrow’s “easy”.
Little, incremental increases in what you’re doing.
That you barely notice.
But that add up.
Over time.
To significant changes.
That’s the key to any results.
In any field, but particularly exercise.
Remember how sore you felt when exercising for the first time in a while?
Doesn’t need to be that bad.
But if you carry on doing the same and it gets to the point where you can’t even feel it after, it won’t really be doing anything.
Moves from being exercise to just “movement”.
Just that little bit more each time.
An extra rep.
And extra kilo.
Or whatever else the measure.
Barely noticeable.
Not getting harder, just stopping it getting it easier.
And, over time, magic will happen 🙂
Much love,
Jon ‘Tenth’ Hall
