Stay in the Game

It’s almost two weeks after my big day in the mountains. I took 5 days off from training, and for the past week or so, have been getting into a new routine. It’s one of my favorite times of year for training. I can bask in all the aerobic fitness I built all summer and start tuning up in order to break some PRs in the winter.

I think of my training in big, year long chunks. Last year, at this time, I spent a lot of time doing rope climbs, ring dips and handstands. This year, I dusted off my kettlebells and am sharpening old skills with focus. Basically, I ride the momentum of what’s fun to do in the gym before stating a more regimented plan in September or October.

May, June and July were spent building up my running and hiking fitness. I rarely touched weights. In April, before starting all the running, I did a lot of biking and rowing to get my musculature and lungs ready for long repetitive workouts. Now, in August, I’m prepping my body for some heavy lifting this fall and winter.

My kettlebell workouts focus on moving with intention, getting my body connected while breathing and bracing. After a summer of wearing a heart rate monitor and really pushing myself on a variety of running workouts, these sessions feel chill. And they should, that’s the goal, to move around and make sure things are firing on all cylinders.

It’s hard, and actually detrimental to your progress, to go at full effort year round. When I used to try and go full speed all year round, I always missed more workouts than I finished. Try to zoom out of your training plan and realize there will be peaks and valleys, periods of higher effort and lower effort, and that’s all part of staying in the game.

Justin Miner

@justinminergain