Observable, Measurable, Repeatable

Do you need your workouts to floor you to feel like they went well? How do you know if a workout was a “good one?” When you really sit down to think about this, especially if you aren’t a coach or trainer by profession, it becomes a curious topic.

If you’re sore, is that a good thing? How do you decide to stay with it or try something new? 

I find that most people care about things that don’t necessarily contribute to improved fitness. These misguided points of evaluation can impede progress and, in some cases, force athletes to deviate from a perfectly good plan.

The real question is, would you know a good strength and conditioning program if you saw it?

Luckily, our training is largely observable, measurable, and repeatable. A press today can be quantified with range of motion (ROM), load, and time such that it’s the same a press tomorrow or next week or next year. In that way, we can evaluate our training in accurate, responsible ways.

I find that many students want to be flat on their backs after training to consider the training day successful. While that’s not always a bad idea, we can measure the effectiveness of our training in a better way.

If you keep a training log that will tell you everything you need to know about your training. If you’re moving loads further, faster, and/or longer, things are going well. Even if you’re dripping in sweat and on your back after a “good workout,” you’re mistaken if your numbers aren’t improving.

If you don’t write it down, it never happened.

 

Logan Gelbrich

@functionalcoach