This week on Barbell Shrugged we chat with Joel Jamieson, leading
expert on combat sport training and founder of
8WeeksOut.com.
If you’re interested in performance then you really should be
considering HRV. Why not?
Great programming is all about balance. You have to know when to
push forward, and when to back down so you can live to fight
another day. Keeping the balance that makes extraordinary results
and sustained progress possible. But that’s easier said than done.
Without a clear measure of readiness it’s really easy to push too
hard, too soon.
Any coach or athlete worth their weight in chalk expects to see
great results. They are driven to succeed, they are quickly drawn
towards high intensity and fancy tools because that’s what the best
use, right? Right, but rushing towards that result is the easiest
mistake to make. The only thing it gets you is a weak and unsound
foundation, poor mechanics, probably injury, and inevitably, a
quick and messy exit from the sport you enjoy.
We can do
better than that.
The coach
and athlete have to communicate and understand all the gaps in the
game up front. They have to take the time and cultivate the base
before things get intense and the fancy toys come out. From there
the push can build and build, but not without careful
monitoring.
Every stress has to be considered, every addition to the training
program must be accounted for. That’s what makes measures such as
heart rate variability so damn useful. It’s an early warning to
correct course before the rush takes hold, before the wear, tear
and bad habits really start to set in.
Without
that data programming is only educated guesses and serial
assumptions.
Be honest, assess status, progress slowly, get all the data you
can, then regulate the plan. Be honest, quantify it. That’s the
quickest path to improved performance.
Cheers,
Chris Moore