If I had a pound for every time an elite coach or athlete told me that consistency is the #1 habit for successful people, I'd be a wealthy man.
My teachers probably reminded me of this on a regular basis but as I didn't really pay attention much at school, more than likely it went in one ear and out the other.
My first memory of the significance of the phrase was at a tri training camp with Bernie Shrosbree in 1989. In fact, I wrote the phrase in my training diary at the time:
I've heard many an athlete say that a good season followed a consistent winter of training. Most recently in chatting with GB triathlete and Olympic gold medallist Jess Learmonth for an upcoming podcast, Jess said:
I'd be flopping over my ankles, and I was just so slow, because I literally just absorbed all of the ground. And then he (Malcom Brown) used to just say to me, "Just come every Saturday. Doesn't matter what you do, just make sure you're here next week. And if you're here next week, you'll be consistent. And don't worry about being the best or the fastest, just make sure you're here every week!"
As you begin your winter training, perhaps these 2 questions are worth some consideration.
- What was your consistency like from November to April last year?
- How can you make yourself more consistent this winter?
Here are a few ideas:
- Choose a lower volume than you are tempted to, and aim to complete all of the sessions.
- Emphasise sleep and nutrition as diligently as you do your training.
- Pay more attention to warm ups and cool downs.
- Make sure you have 1 'no training' day each week.
- Include daily mobility (5-10') and at least 2 strength sessions each week.
- Try a polarised approach to your training. I like the 90/10 option.
Dan John stated in a recent podcast that if you have 5 sessions in a week, only 1 will be great, 1 will be rubbish and 3 will be average. Over 5 months (24 weeks) you'll have completed 120 training sessions with 24 great workouts. That's what consistency looks like, and it will have a positive influence on your fitness and long term performance.
What was your training consistency last winter? If you managed more than 80%, that's awesome! Feel to share your thoughts on my Facebook page.
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I really appreciate you being part of my tribe and I look forward to helping you achieve better health and better performance.
Simon
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