Seasons of Lifts
The awkward week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is annually a time for reflection, sleeping in, getting confused over what day it is, looking back at journal entries, and last-minute goal completion. Certain Broadway show lyrics also come to mind.
525,600 minutes. How do you measure…measure a year?
No matter how you spend that time, we all have the same amount of time (unless you’re a physicist with another explanation of how time works). If you spend just 30 minutes per day every year on your fitness goals, it’s only 10,950 minutes (182.5 hours) of the year. That equates to 2% of your year to feel and move better.
Every person can spend 2% of their time on their fitness goals. You don’t have to be an athlete. You don’t need to look like or desire to look like a fitness model. You don’t have to train for an endurance event if it’s not a life goal. However, you can move your body with intention for 2% of the year.
How should you go about it? How do you sustain that consistency over the course of the year?
One strategy I use for my own consistency is breaking up my training by season. To the tune of “Seasons of Love” I use “Seasons of Lifts”.
In dumbbells, in barbells, in pullups and tough conditioning
In swinging, and stretching, and mobility drills…
You get the idea.
Changing up my fitness seasonally goes back to when I played sports year-round. In fall I kicked soccer balls and ran around the soccer field for extended periods of time on defense. Winter involved lots of quick sprints, jumps, and lateral movements in basketball. Spring lacrosse season involved more endurance running and a strong core from trunk rotational movements to cradle the ball. I was strong by summer and my joints were most mobile from trying to swim like Michael Phelps in butterfly and the individual medley.
I was glad I played different sports throughout the year because by the last few weeks of each season I was bored and would have quit if I played the same thing year-round. Hyperfocus only lasts so long.
Since I don’t play on any team anymore, aside from the occasional adult league, I created my own seasons of lifting.
In winter I focus on getting lots of rest; my normal 7 hours of sleep turns into nearly 10 hours thanks to the lack of sunlight and cold weather. It’s my “lazy” season where I work on maximal strength in the gym. I lift very heavy loads for low reps, with long rest breaks between, and if I have time I hop on a stairclimber for light cardio recovery. I’ll go for a short run or two during the week to maintain some running fitness, and I make sure I take walks outside every day for fresh air and meditation.
My spring training focus is on increasing intensity and conditioning. The barbell loads aren’t as heavy, but I’ll be in the high hypertrophy rep range and have less rest between. My workouts are a lot more sweaty and I start increasing my outdoor mileage if I’m training for some spring races. I get leaner at this time because of the consistency over the past few months.
In the summer I like to be outdoors as much as possible. If I’m training for a marathon, those miles increase week over week and I make sure I maintain my muscles in the gym. I’ll swim laps in the pool, waterski on weekends, and go on long hikes to keep active. I enjoy the occasional bike ride and I walk everywhere. I don’t like to sit still unless I’m reading a good book on the beach. I did all the hard work in the winter so that I can enjoy all these outdoor activities in-season.
Fall is my last chance to sneak in a few more races and hike among the foliage as much as possible. I take in the fresh air while I can and on those rainy days to maintain my strength and mobility. I also like adding new skills to my toolbelt so I can teach them to clients, so I will often be taking continuing education courses in the fall and experimenting with the new movements and modalities.
These are the general themes for my fitness seasons. I create my own individual program for each season based around my active lifestyle that includes the weights I should be using, the rep ranges, and intensities. My program will not be the same as my clients’; I write out the gameplan and workouts based on the client’s lifestyle, their wants, and their needs.
If you want your own fitness gameplan that only takes up 2% of your year so you can spend the other thousands of minutes on other things that you love, contact me to get started on a training program.