We've all heard the saying "if you fail to plan, your planning to fail". But, a plan is only as good as it's execution.
Plans have to be made with conviction. The method I use when signing up for an event is that, in my mind, it's already done. We need that type of conviction with our training regime. If we decide Monday, Wednesday, Friday are our training days, we train on those days. We don't get to Monday afternoon and go oh I'll just do it tomorrow.
Where I see people go wrong is they give themselves such a loose structure that it's too easy to put things off. No one is holding them accountable and they allow themselves the freedom to even make it a choice. It's not today or tomorrow, it's today! We can see how effective planning is with an example from the nutrition world. Meal prep is a plan put into action. The work is done. We know that Monday is Beef Stir Fry and Tuesday is Meatballs, Veges and Rice. You've taken the choice out of it, it limits the self sabotaging choices we all make and voila, you see progress. Sadly, we can't pre-cook our workouts but we can use that same mindset. So, to put this into action we need to look at our schedule and pick times during the week we are less likely to make bullshit decisions or even have a choice to. This is a process I do with almost all my clients, you need to find the easiest times of the week for you to get your training done. And FUCKING. BOOK. IT. IN. If you're reading this, do this now. Unfortunately though, this isn't enough. That voice will come. You know the one, we all have it. That little voice that pops up and thinks it can give you a choice. "Sleep in, do it later", "10km will be hard today, just go for a ride". David Goggins calls this process "Taming Your Inner Bitch". I like to call them mental reps. Every time that little voice pops up and offers you a compromise and you say "uh uh, not today motherfucker" and then go and execute the plan is another mental rep and another little win against yourself (your inner bitch). Each time you do this makes the next time easier. Unfortunately, the converse is also true. So acknowledge that little voice, understand that it is definitely coming and stack those little wins.
There's an argument to make that we need flexibility in our programs. I'd say that's valid, but you should earn the right to have flexibility. Until then.....
The plan is the plan and it's already done!
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