Topic: napkin training plan

[Shaun Le Conte]

While at university I used to train with the throwing team in the gym, one of them in particular who towered over me and wrote a lot of the lifting programs for other athletes on the track team. I'll always remember something this person said to me once when we were talking about training programs. He said, if you can't write up a new program on a napkin while waiting at a restaurant, it's too complicated. Not in those exact words, but that was the gist of it. I had always been in the habit of writing highly elaborate plans trying to incorporate everything I thought I understood, with #lifts, intensity zones, distributions, charts, graphs, even when primarily doing snatch, clean & jerk and squats. He had better results scribbling on a napkin. It's just a story I wanted to share. Especially since I am sitting here at work twiddling my thumbs, waiting for clients.

[Matt Erdman]

I agree. I went from percentages and calculating volume to more simple weight cycles and just writing out how much work I know is optimal for me. I think that good goal setting is the number one priority, the rest is details (which are still of importance).

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

I'm sort of in the middle...and these two quotes, to me, sum it all up:

"Failing to plan is planning to fail."

"No Plan Survives Contact With The Enemy."

I keep a general plan, that I alter almost daily.

[Stephen Georgiou]

"No Plan Survives Contact With The Enemy."

or Hemingway's version..."paper bleeds little"