1. Do not commit to a long-term, regular fitness plan.
2. Have no fitness plan, or one based on guesswork, or designed with the gym, not you, in mind.
Two Keys to Fitness Results
Fitness goals are as different as people. And two particular persons, even if they have the same fitness goals, are unlikely to reach their goals simultaneously or by following the same fitness regimen. However, there are two things that nearly everyone who reaches their fitness goals has in common:
Personal commitment. While this article is about how to bring the latest technology to bear a maximum impact on your pursuit of fitness goals, you can only reach them if you are committed entirely to the process. Fitness can be hard work, mentally and physically. We’ll write more about this in a future post.
Effective coaching. An effective coach recognizes and takes account of your current physical abilities, your needs and goals, your typical level of exercise/exertion, your age, weight, diet, experience and sleep habits. A good coach can contribute to your success, but gone are the days of “gut feel” about your progress. Actual data about every aspect of your workouts can help make a good coach into a great coach.
Fitness Technology
There is more fitness technology available today, and the quality and usefulness of that technology exceeds that at any point in the history of fitness. There are also a lot of gadgets that simply do not provide benefits (it’s the same as with many fitness facilities!)
If your fitness goals include getting stronger, moving faster, recovering more rapidly, building muscle mass or shedding weight, deploying the right technology not only enhances the effectiveness of each workout but can also provide useful measurements along the way. Measurements suggest adjustments to your workouts and can help motivate you toward better results and progress toward your goals. (These analytics also happen to be extraordinarily interesting to, say, college recruiters.)
Tracking and Measuring
Workouts. You can’t really be sure if your workout plan is as effective as it could be if it isn’t measured. First, we bring MyZone and TeamBuildr technology to the table. MyZone tracks cardiovascular endurance and helps motivate with a point system. If you know your heart rate during a workout, you can self-monitor your effort during that workout. TeamBuildr prompts you through each workout, exercise, and rep; it’s an easy way to help you focus. If your gym has an effective way to help lead you through a workout designed for you and to track your measurements, then we’re getting somewhere.
Strength, Speed and Agility. Don’t settle for “it feels like” I’m getting stronger/faster. Measure it and measure the most important things to your goals and/or your sport. If your goals include becoming more explosive when jumping or moving laterally, using the Vertimax system can help you overcome resistance and jump higher and farther. The Gym Aware is also a tool we utilize to measure the efficiency of our barbell movements to enhance explosiveness. The Hawkin Dynamics force plates gather data on jump mechanics, height, landing and how athletes react and redirect force when jumping. If your goals include getting faster, the Free Lap Timing System can accurately measure your sprint times without the use of inconsistent handheld stop-watches and can detect where you are at your highest speed, etc. If your goals include agility training, we have BlazePod technologies too. These are light up pods that flash in different colors, speeds, sequences, and frequencies, challenging the mind to be more accurate and driving the body to be faster. It combines cognitive training that teaches the brain to think better with physical training that pushes speed to the max.
Body Composition. Our clients love our InBody tech. InBody measures and tracks weight, body fat mass, lean muscle mass and total water weight, among other things. Using this information not only helps you better understand your body composition, and thus, better understand the number on the scale. Coaches can use this data to help problem-solve potential hurdles in a client’s fitness journey, such as an improper diet or ineffective workout habits. Regular use of InBody can help you stay on track.
You can use this technology to establish a measurable baseline and to see improvement over time. Measurements over time are used to identify areas that need improvement and to adjust your program based on your changing needs.
A Couple of Final Thoughts
Mental Health. More and more, you hear about the importance of mental health: whether you are an athlete or not, reducing stress and anxiety and improving focus can only help you on or off the field. Method is ready to help. We have partnered with a company called Restoic. Restoic is a mental health training app for athletes. The main goal is to increase confidence, decrease anxiety and help our athletes perform better overall. It achieves that by providing breathwork, soundscapes, binaural beats, meditation, and sports psychologists. Train the mind. The body will follow.
Nutrition/Water/Sleep. No fitness plan will work if you do not take care of yourself. Drink water, eat right, and get enough sleep. It isn’t rocket science, and there is no magic formula, dietary supplement, etc., that will work for everyone. Beware that claims about supplements are often more marketing-based than science-based, and some can have side effects. Follow available guidelines and eat a balanced/healthy diet. Stay hydrated, and get solid sleep.
Our fitness technology benefits athletes of all ages, experiences and needs and helps our clients set measurable and attainable goals. Method Unlimited Members have FREE access to all of our fitness technology. Now is the time to see how you can enhance your own workout with our technology. Schedule an evaluation with us today; take a step and gain The Method Edge.