There is a spectrum of training and nutrition that we have all been guilty of violating time and again throughout our lives. We must ask ourselves the fundamental question: What are we training for?
The answer to that question dictates everything else. However, we still allow ourselves to be disillusioned, and ultimately let down by setting goals for one category, but training for another.
There is a balance somewhere in the middle, but depending on our life’s priorities, which can change with the wind sometimes, we tend to cater more towards one than the other.
When I played football in college, I trained at an intensity and ate at a frequency that was unsustainable once my playing days were behind me. The freak athletes I played with that didn’t make the necessary adjustments after the required hours of training and practice were gone, but maintained the eating schedule we were on (eat as much as you can, as often as you can), don’t look too athletic these days.
When I moved to bodybuilding after football, while I was able to clean up my eating considerably, I left the ballistics and high intensity and long hours behind me, training a different muscle group everyday, 7 days a week. While I look my leanest, and created an amazing, proportional aesthetic, winning the overall in my 4th show, my 4.5 second 40 yard dash disappeared.
After bodybuilding, I found the method of training that facilitated my lifestyle in CrossFit, based on my life’s priorities. I am able to drive up the intensity, mix up all the training modalities (the things I love, and the things I’m not so good at but are still necessary), and I can train every day. I am able to sustain my athleticism, keep a great physique, and be a little more gracious with myself at the dinner table.
Whatever phase of life you’re in. Whatever method you choose to subscribe to, whether it be bodybuilding, bootcamp, Zumba, or CrossFit, Make sure your training is in line with the priorities of your life.
Mycal Anders, MS, CSCS (@coachderz)
