Fit Tip Friday #70

📃Drifty Fitness

Welcome to this week's Fit Tip Friday.I want to share a story.--------------------------------In college, I started High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), and I gobbled up every online HIIT workout I could find.  The burn was great. The results seemed fast.However, I developed a terrible habit with my fitness training that persisted for years. Drifting.I drifted from one HIIT workout to the next, following the burn, but never following a specific programming system. Over time, I felt completely aimless in my training and my motivation tanked. Have you ever felt that way? Drifting from one workout to the next, but never really focusing on the principles that lead to results? The results of drifting are... well... no results. Or at least stunted ones. I did this. For years. And I did it publicly. If you go to my YouTube channel, you'll see over 30 home workout videos where I drifted from one HIIT workout to the next. There's a reason I haven't posted another HIIT workout on YouTube since April.It's because my entire training philosophy has changed. And here it is in a word. Diligence. This word is all over Proverbs (see Prov. 21:5). The Hebrew word carries the idea of using a sharp tool to chop or chisel through an obstacle, one swipe at a time. So, a few months ago, I stopped drifting from one burn to the next, and focused on diligently working on just a few movements.The results have been crazy. In just four months, I went from 70lb kettlebell get-ups and swings to 106lb kettlebell get-ups and swings.  The system is so simple... but it works. And I want to share the resource that got me started on this journey. 

💪Diligent Fitness

When I started to experience this shift from drifting to diligence back in April, I wrote a post about the program that influenced me down this path. 📃A Minimalist Exercise Routine that Works

Pavel Tsatsouline, founder of StrongFirst and often credited with popularizing the kettlebell in the U.S., put together his "Simple and Sinister" program that focuses on just two movements:  

• The Kettlebell Swing

• The Kettlebell Get-Up

The article has more details about the program and how to purchase it (which I certainly recommend). In the last four months, I've picked up these principles again but applied them to heavier kettlebell weights. This program applies something called "step-loading", which is a strength-building strategy that systematically moves you up through heavier weights by repping weights under your 1-rep-max.With this strategy, you never really exert 100% of your energy or strength with your workouts. You regularly operate somewhere between 60% - 80%, but systematically move up in intensity over time. This seems counter-intuitive to build strength... "Give it 110%" is the popular mantra of fitness motivation.This 110% exertion is typically the pace of HIIT training. It's a go-all-out, all the time, "if you're-not-smoked-at-the-end-you-didn't-really-workout" method to exercise.But step-loading wisely applies the "chopping" principle of diligence (Proverbs 21:5).  

When splitting wood, you can swing with 110% of your effort with each thud. Your wood will still split, and you'll get a great burn from your session. But what if you have to split wood all afternoon?Or for a full summer?Or every summer for the rest of your life? The longer your time horizon, the more you need to pull back and steward your strength through rhythmic and consistent execution. I.e., diligence. That's the secret sauce of step-loading. And this is the reason that this diligent method works over the long term. We steward our bodies for God's glory for as long as we live on earth.That's a long time horizon.We would do wisely to take a note from Proverbs and focus on using our strength diligently by steadily swinging the axe.  

📃Resources 

----------------------------------------------------

📃The Redeeming Productivity AcademyThe RPA is an online membership program that equips believers with the plans, tools, and support they need to get more done for the glory of God. I have been a member for several months now and I have really enjoyed the community and resources available through the RPA. Registration is about to open up next week to new members, so be sure to join the waitlist and grab your spot if you're interested. 

----------------------------------------------------

📃StrongFirst for CrossFitThis article documents an experiment with HIIT training. Two groups of 20 CrossFit athletes were tested over six weeks, following different training methods. Group 1 followed the "burn" and "train-to-failure" approach, typically prevalent in the HIIT variety workout. Group 2 followed what's called anti-glycolytic training (AGT), where you don't "train-to-failure", but work under your 1-rep-max with well-timed rest and work intervals. The result?Group 2's training times for CrossFit staple workouts (Fran and Karen) were faster than Group 1, and Group 2 also added more weight to their clean-and-jerk than Group 1. The takeaway? There's a better alternative to HIIT training for strength and endurance. The tortoise continues to beat the hare.     

----------------------------------------------------

📃Recommended Home Gym EquipmentAs always, this is my recommended list of home gym equipment.1a. Kettlebell Kings - The Quality Purchase1b. Lifeline Kettlebell - The Budget Purchase2. Pull-Up Bar3. Headphones 4. An Ab Roller5. Exercise Mat6. A Jump Rope7. A Watch Pedometer8. SafeRingz - A Silicone Wedding BandThese are affiliate links, and as an Amazon associate I earn on qualifying purchases. But these are all equipment that I have personally used or highly recommend!

----------------------------------------------------