Tip of the week: Intention Matters.

Intention Matters.

The way you go about your training - not just the planning - the act itself is important. A little example:

Scene 1 - it’s a tough training day, the weights just feel heavy, you can’t focus, and you feel like quitting. Scene 2 -  it’s a normal training day - you’re following your plan and the weight feels fine. Not too heavy, not too light. You go through the motions according to your plan, and call it a day. 

The second one probably sounds a whole lot better than the first; but they’re both missing a crucial component. 

Intention. 

As strength athletes in weight-class sports, we’re always pushing for more weight - on the bar, not necessarily on our frame. 

According to the SAID (Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demand) principle, one of the key underlying principles of strength and conditioning, you’ve got to do what you want your body to do to get better at whatever that is. For strength athletes, this means force production. Moving more weight faster. 

Studies show that intending to move faster, even if the weight doesn’t actually move faster, actually creates more stimulus for increasing force production. In other words, trying harder actually makes the work more effective. 

Neither slogging through a tough session or simply going through the motions will pull the most out of your plan… intention does. Make the most of every rep, even if that means backing off a little or taking a few minutes to focus in. 

For all the other training variables, we can help. We’ve got coaches with years of experience training high-level athletes and beginners alike. Interested? Shoot us a message, an email, or leave a comment below.

Curious about the science? Start here for more info: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32034703/