January 26th, 2010
Do you workout or do you train with a purpose?
By Amy Kasden
Is there a distinction you ask? Is it just semantics? I say there is a difference. Someone taking spinning twice/week is not necessarily a cyclist while a cyclist might take spin twice/week. Running for cardio does not make you a runner while a runner does run for cardio. Playing basketball with your buddies does not mean your training is geared for a basketball player trying to get better. However, a dedicated basketball player might play with his buddies.
There is a huge difference between training for purpose and merely going to the gym and working out with no rhyme or reason. While almost everyone going to the gym has a “reason” to be there and a goal in mind, they have not necessarily thought through their training and organized it in a manner conducive to reaching their goal. If you ask the average Joe at the gym if he has a goal, I am sure he will tell you “Yes”. But if you inquire about his method and really prod deeper than the “I’m lifting to maintain my strength but eating at a caloric deficit so I can lose weight” and ask how he sets up his sets/reps, exercises choices, why cardio is done on an elliptical instead of the stair master, he will respond with a blank stare.
In last week’s athlete’s highlight, when asked what I was currently training for, I said I was in between sports. That answer got me thinking about how I have changed my workouts based on previous sports/athletic events/goals. My training has changed tremendously over the last 10 years. Training for a fitness competition and training for a half marathon are notably different. The only thing they have in common is that every workout I did was geared toward my goal. Yes, I still lifted, did cardio, had sport specific days and practiced yoga, but the specifics of those workouts were like night and day. That specific tweaking is what changes you from merely exercising to training for an event. That change is what makes you an athlete.
But how do you make that change? What does it entail? Training for my week long rock climbing trip in Mexico is a perfect example.
When I started climbing I was fortunate enough to have a good friend teaching me, we will call her J. On an average week J and I lifted 4-5 days/week, did cardio, went to yoga (I introduced her to yoga), and went to the rock gym. After I had been climbing indoors for about a year, J and I planned a week-long trip to Mexico and that is when our training really developed a purpose. (That and the fact that we had finished our half marathon and could now dedicate our training to something else). J tweaked our workouts to supplement and complement our climbing. She was meticulous in making sure we were dotting all our Is and crossing all our Ts to prepare for the trip while not slacking on the rest of our training.
Rock climbing involves endurance, balance, lower body dexterity, lower body strength, grip strength, and body awareness. J broke down our climbing workouts and gym workouts to take into consideration the specialized training we needed for climbing outdoors. We tweaked each workout to focus on the above skills.
Climbing Workouts
One of the major differences between climbing indoors and climbing outdoors is the duration of each climb. Indoor you are limited by the height of the gym while outdoors, the sky’s the limit. We needed to increase our climbing endurance, specifically, how long we could climb before fatiguing. Additionally, outdoors you climb with gear attached to your harness, which is not necessary in an indoor gym. Thus, we needed to learn to climb with added weight on our bodies. Finally, there is no approach to an indoor gym. Outdoor climbing typically includes hiking to the base of the rock, while carrying all your gear. (This list of differences is by no means all inclusive. There are a myriad of other differences from type of holds and the feel of the rock to weather and multi-pitches, etc. However, the above are the ones for which we could modify our training).
About 8 weeks prior to our trip we increased the number of days we climbed from two to three. One day we dedicated to endurance and chose an easier route to climb up and down repeatedly for a set amount of time. In addition, we wore a 20 lb weight belt to simulate the weight of our gear. The second day we used to work difficulty, climbing more challenging routes and perfecting our technique. The third day was a mixture between the first two and we added in some regular, semi-challenging but not too difficult climbs.
Cardio
I don’t remember how much cardio I was doing back then, but we modified it to prepare for our trip. At least once/week we walked on the treadmill at a high incline wearing a backpack stuffed with a 25-45 lb (plate wrapped in a bunch of towels to keep it from moving). This cardio session simulated the approach. During another session we used either the stairmaster or the revolving staircase. We added the weight belt to these sessions to get our bodies used to the weight the gear added to our harness. While it would have been better if we were able to get outdoors and hike, it was the middle of January and the ground was covered in snow. Thus we tweaked our cardio as best we could.
Lifting
We had been lifting 4-5 times/week. Changing our lifting split was less important than modifying our exercise choices. Back, legs and grip were our lifting focus. I say “focus” because we never neglected an area of the body, but merely highlighted some more than others. For example, when climbing, it does not matter how strong your back is if your fingers give out; you don’t have the luxury of gripping a barbell, you might only have the tip of a few fingers on a hold. Thus, when doing a lat pull down, instead of performing every set with an overhand grip, for half the sets we only placed our finger tips on the bar. Instead of doing straight sets of pull-ups we performed pull-ups to failure then hung on the bar as long as we could; until our grip failed.
When it came to our leg workout we focused on single leg exercises. I’ll never forget our step-up variation. Wearing the weight belt, we started at the bottom of a flight of stairs and began step-ups. We skipped every other step, or every third step, all the way up. We never used our entire foot, instead, we did everything on the balls of our feet. To make it harder we stepped up and out to the side instead of straight up. We also modified walking lunges. We never came up from the lunge but instead walked across the gym in a deep lunge position
Mobility and Balance
Mobility and balance work rounded out our week. We met with our trainer once/week in the aerobics room where she set up a mini obstacle courses, primarily with pods (small rubber half tennis ball shaped things) along the floor. We started with something physically and aerobically taxing, such as a round of burpees or a minute of jump rope and then made our way through the course. Each foot stepped on a pod and while there, we would squat down and pick something up. Sometimes each foot would be on a pod, necessitating a squat, other times we would only have one foot on a pod, necessitating a single leg squat, all while maintaining balance. The course challenged our mobility and balance in a winded fatigued state, just as we would find ourselves during a climb.
So that, in a nutshell, was our training for the 8 weeks up to our trip. Was it radically different than what we had been doing before? No. But everything we did had a purpose. I was prepared for that trip to Mexico and had an unbelievable time.
So, what about you? Do you workout or do you train for a sport? How do you tweak your training to focus on your sport? Are you a triathlete, competitive dancer, mma fighter or a basketball player? How does your training differentiate from that of the average Joe in the gym? What do you do that makes that average Joe look at you like you are crazy?
Tags: athlete, structure, training for per4mance
Awesome article!!
I was just talking about this yesterday with someone. Great timing! This is so important because this is what the majority of folks do. They continually *move* so they think they are getting somewhere for their sport when really all they are doing is moving. This goes beyond sets, reps and loads. This is all about where your mindset is at any given time. I also think for many of us what hurts us is that we are still good *in spite of* ourselves. So we have no real incentive to ‘get it together’.
This is an excellent point, too, because this is the whole premise behind “Good to Great” in that good is the enemy of great (although I just heard someone say the opposite yesterday and they have a point there, too).
I love this article, Amy! While I’ve never hit the stage for a figure comp…I train like a figure competitor. Now that I’m actually going to train for an (tri or bike) event I know my training must change, too. And probably my diet, right? It’s helpful to see an outline of your training schedule. Thanks, girl!
Okay, that plate-loaded backpack stairclimber deal exhausted me just to read. But, oddly, I immediately started thinking of ways and reasons to do it. Nice! I could kiss you for including the “mobility and balance” section. Most oft overlooked component of training, IMO! And I’m speaking for myself here too. {hanging head in shame} Great read, keep ‘em coming!
Thanks Jodi!!!! I’m glad you like the post. Mindset is everything and when the mind is not there, boy is it really not there, despite all you may try to do to get it there! I like the “Good to Great” premise, hey, maybe you will ponder on that one day?!?
Joanna, it’s so hard to make the change, isn’t it? To start a new type of training…..but I can’t wait to see how you switch it up for your race!
Heather, I hear you on the plate loaded back-pack. Normally I am against loading yourself while doing cardio, especially on a treadmill. But this had a purpose, so we went with it. And let me tell you, carrying all that gear is HEAVY. I’m glad we did it.
Totally in agreeance (is that a word?) on the mobility also. Just like Jodi was saying the other day in class, as we age, that is the first thing to go. So not only was mobility and balance VERY important for as we age for regular functioning but add in a sport like climbing and it is a MUST!
I really enjoyed reading your post. Sooo interesting esp. since I haven’t a clue what rock climbing training entails! “Purpose” – love that!
I recently started training for a figure comp and it’s completely changed my workout mindset. I am so much more focused and enthusiastic. I have always been one to want a future goal to work towards in the gym (half marathon, duathlon, etc.) though.
This is a great post! I’d like to think all of my workouts have purpose behind them, but in all honesty I know there are definitely days where I feel like I’m doing the workout on our schedule just to “get through it” or check it off of the day’s to-dos.
It is fun to look back over the years and see how my training has changed. I remember the days when I was a runner only – no weights, no other forms of cardio, just miles and more miles. Glad I got over that
Hey Michelle, You know, I never thought there would be a way to set up a climbing program, but I think you can work your program around just about any sport! It’s great that you are training for a figure show! That def. gives you Purpose. It really is amazing, as you say, how focused and enthusiastic a goal makes your training!
Erika, I feel you on that. There are days, even when I have a training purpose, that I am just there to get it done. But I try my hardest to not let that be the norm!