As I mentioned in the last installment of Microblog Monday, I’m a student of the Westside Barbell Conjugate Method. Earlier in my training career, this apprenticeship was much more pronounced than it is now.
While training “conjugate” I was able to make improvements rapidly, partly because of the efficacy of that particular training style, and partly because of my meticulous note keeping. On my max effort training days I might do a 3-Rep Max on Box Squat against light band tension, I might do a 1-Rep Max on a 3-Board Press, or a Low-Handle Trap Bar Deadlift for a 1-Rep Max. These names and exercises may not mean a whole lot to you as a non-powerlifter, but what should matter to you, regardless of your sporting background is that even if you think you are at a “plateau” or if you think some nonsense like you’ve reached your “genetic limit” (by the way, you haven’t), you have dozens of ways to find a personal best, even if it isn’t obvious to you.
As my training has really begun to round out, I’m not looking as much at weight/rep maxes–not quite as much anyway. But now I’m more interested in new types of personal records, and in some form or fashion, I’ve hit a personal record at least once a month for at least the past decade without fail.
I’m going to list off a handful of metrics that I use to think about achieving personal bests, some of which we utilize with our athletes and some of which I utilize personally.
Achieving Multiple Personal Records while Running One Particular Route:
- Fastest Time
- Overall (duh)
- With Music
- Without Music
- While Fasted
- Without Caffiene
- In temps below freezing
- If the route is a loop, running the opposite direction (i.e. counterclockwise vs. clockwise loop)
Fastest Times for a Swimmer:
- Fastest Time
- In a post-season (championship meet)
- In-season
- In different pools, setting personal records from one year to the next
- In a particular month (i.e. fastest 100 yd freestyle in a December swim meet)
- AM Swim Meet vs. PM Swim Meet
- With/ without a tech suit
For a Lifter looking for Maxes at the Gym:
- Most weight lifted
- Varying from 1RM up through something as high as a 10RM
- With or without a belt
- Against band tension
- With / without music
- At various bodyweights
For a middle-aged person returning to the gym after years or decades without training:
- Person records in:
- Most consecutive days at the gym
- Most weight lifted on different exercises at various age markers
- i.e. Most weight squatted in your 50’s, 60’s, or 70’s
- Best 1000m row time on a concept 2 rower.
There are thousands of possibilities…
Your ability to hit a personal best is only limited by your imagination and creativity. This may seem like a cop-out, but in fact, having more opportunities for achieving and setting a personal best can increase the intensity and focus that you may put towards a particular workout, competition, or training session.
I work with so many athletes who, at times, feel as though they don’t want to put more than 90% into an event because they know they are so far off of their best. BUT they may be far off of a lifetime best, and if they (or you) change the way that they are thinking about personal bests, you may have more enthusiasm for your next workout, run, or competition.
If you want a lifetime best, setting and appreciating smaller achievements will put you on the path. If you want to climb Mount Everest, you’ll first need to make it to base camp.
Just something to think about,
-John