Establishing your training priority
Where to focus your energy
When I reflect on the progress I’ve made in my strength, athleticism, and physique…
It all comes down to priorities.
As I have written about in the past, my training has evolved many times over the years. From wrestling, to powerlifting, to strongman, to endurance, etc.
From the outside looking in, one might think I bounce aimlessly between training styles.
I promise…there’s been a method to the madness.
The truth is, while I enjoy having “seasons” to my training so I’m never bored…I always set my priorities based on my goals. Let me elaborate…
When I was training for my first Ironman race back in 2022, the top priority was improving my swim, bike, and run conditioning. I still lifted and had some smaller lifting goals, but I never let them get in the way of my triathlon progress.
If I was short on time during week, and had to choose between getting a lift in or doing a swim…I’d choose the swim.
If I had a big bike ride scheduled for Saturday morning, my lift on Friday was at a lower intensity so my bike performance wouldn’t be hindered the following day.
Setting priorities allows me to train different disciplines at the same time and STILL make progress.
So…why does this matter? Because people LOVE to try and do it all…
One of the most common statement I hear as a fitness coach:
“I want to lose weight and gain muscle at the same time”.
This is known in the fitness space as body recomposition. While it can be done in select cases…it’s inefficient.
When trying to put on muscle, you want to give your body ALL the tools needed to do the job. Which means lifting heavy & recovering with enough high quality food.
When trying to lose fat, you need to achieve a caloric deficit. Which means limiting your food intake.
For the untrained, overweight individual this can happen at the same time. But for everyone else, you’re actions are counteracting one another.
Think of it like trying to start a fire in a rainstorm. It’s going to be extremely difficult…and extremely frustrating. The effort can be there, but the results won’t be as grand as you desire.
You’re better off choosing one as your priority (for now), and whatever progress happens for the other is a bonus. Then once you make the progress you want, you change gears and prioritize the other.
Example:
You’re currently 200lbs, ~23% body fat…
Ideally you want to get up to 210…but your current physique is a little “soft”. You’re better off starting with a cut…get yourself down to sub 15% body fat…then switch gears and bulk back up slowly.
So for 3 months, your priority is fat loss…any muscle/strength gain is a bonus.
Once your on a bulk, the priority can shift to muscle/strength gain…and any “fat loss” is a bonus.
This is just one example…but I see the “lack of priority” be the downfall for a lot of individuals.
The more goals you try to achieve at the same time, the slower your progress will be toward each.
So as you're setting your 2024 goals, I highly recommend you narrow your focus & establish your priorities. If you want to be a better runner (like me)…focus on running! You can still lift, but don’t set massive lifting goals that will counteract any running progress.
Once you reach that goal in 2024, you can reassess your priority and adapt your training to match.
Hope this helps
-Mike
p.s. If you have big fitness goals for 2024 but are unsure how you’ll hit them…I can help!
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