Over a year since I last posted. Hardly ideal. I could make excuses, but, as you’ll see below, that’s not my style. So, I’ll simply say – I’M BACK!

Lately I’ve found myself questioning my training. Not so much in the ‘I’m not sure I want to do this’ way, but in the ‘why do I enjoy this’?

All too often (it seems) a new client will say they ‘hate’ the gym. As someone who loves they gym, I have always found it difficult to understand how they could hate something I love (and think is pretty freaking cool). Then it occurred to me, maybe they hate the gym for what it represents to them?

Is the gym a place in which they see themselves as unfit, weak and/or over/underweight – whether in terms of the other gym users or some other imagined ideal?  If the gym is a venue and time to be reminded of their perceived failings, then yeah, I guess I can understand how they would hate it.

Alternatively, what if the gym could be viewed as a place to work on being ‘better’ (whatever that means to the individual)? Not better than everyone else in the gym, but better than you were before? No doubt it all sounds terribly clichéd, but just putting in the effort to improve has got to be a good thing!

Put in the effort on a consistent basis and you’ll be ‘better’. Get better and you may come to view the gym in an entirely different way. It’s not about being the strongest, fastest, leanest, etc (if you think you are any of those, I’d suggest you might be somewhat deluded to think there isn’t someone somewhere stronger, faster, leaner, etc), it’s about working consistently to improve and be better. What’s not to love about getting better?

 

 

During the month of May I decided to include (at least) 100 press ups (aka ‘push ups’ for my North American friends!) a day. End result? 4080 press-up completed by 31 May. Unsurprisingly, I got a lot better at press ups.

Having enjoyed the “Press up Project”, I decided to do (at least) 50 chin ups a day for the month of June (well at least as much of June as I have access to a pull-up bar; holidays will likely mean no bar access (well at least not of the pull up sort)). As of today 16 June, I have completed 930 chins. Am I enjoying it? Yup, I quite like having a set piece of work to get done every day, not to mention getting better at chins!

Dan Gable, a U.S. Olympic gold medalist and wrestling coach once said:

“If it is important, do it everyday. If it’s not important, don’t do it all.”

While this definitely applies to the training context (ie warming up, mobility, hydration and nutrition strategies, etc), by no means is, or should this be limited to the training realm.

Slightly amending Gamble, I would suggest “If it is important TO YOU, do something to NURTURE AND DEVELOP it everyday.”

Equally, I would further revise Gamble’s second remark to say “If it’s not important, OR UNDERMINES WHAT IS IMPORTANT, don’t do it at all”.

Take a moment to think about those things that are important to you. What do you do daily, to recognise and acknowledge that importance? Similarly, what, if anything do you do that undermines those things you deem important?

* * *

KWOW 5

Ascending & Descending Ladder of

Double KB C&P

Chin ups

1. Using double KBs of the same weight, do 1 double C&P, followed by 1 chin up. 2x double C&P, followed by 2x chin ups. Continue ‘climbing’ the ladder until you reach the number which is half of your max reps for strict chin ups. That is, if you can do 10 strict, unbroken chin up, you would climb until you were doing 5x C&P and 5x chins. Descend the ladder without repeating the top number (ie in the example used, 5 is the top and done only once, then 4, 3, 2 and 1). Rest as required. Form and technique trumps time.

2. Scaling: make this easier by scaling chin ups (eg bar in rack, ring rows, bent over rows); using lighter KBs; completing fewer reps with light KBs. Make this harder by doing weighted pull ups; 2 chins for every 1 C&P; multiple ladders, completing fewer reps with heavier KBs.

3. The number of reps completed will be the top number of the ladder. That is, if you climbed to 5 reps, 5×5, meaning 25 reps!

4. Look to add a ‘rung’ to the ladder as you progress. If you can climb to 5 now, work to climbing up and down to 6, etc. I’ve got my eye on climbing to 10 before the year is out!

 

A bit of a weird week. Not bad weird, or good weird, just weird weird. It’s probably fair to say the weird theme applied to just about everything this week. Training sometimes felt good (in terms of repeat 400s getting better, conditioning, and gymnastics work), but sometimes felt terrible (in terms of strength, fatigue and motivation). Equally, I found myself getting worried and stressed over things that quite frankly don’t matter that much in terms of ‘big picture’. In terms of nutrition, some days saw me eating and hydrating really well, while others saw me eating far too many biscuits, not to mention dipping pretzels in Nutella (if you haven’t tried it, you are missing out – which may, or may not be a good thing).

Despite my all too natural inclination to analyse the past week to try figure out what it all ‘means’, I have opted not to. Instead of engaging in an exercise that typically ends in little more than frustration at not being able to make sense of everything, I decided to think/say ‘whatever’. At the end of the day, all the different aspects could be rationalised to mean pretty much absolutely anything. Instead of worrying about what the past week means, or doesn’t mean, I’m just letting it be, it simply was a week full of different things. If I start to see recurring themes or patterns in the coming weeks, THEN I’ll think about and work on figuring out what it all means. For now, it’s a week that was and is, full of pretty much absolutely anything.

* * *

KWOW

“Triple 5 AMRAP”

1st AMRAP 5minute couplet (2mins rest after this and before 2nd AMRAP)

10x Kettlebell swings (“KBS”)

5x KB Clean & Press (each arm)

2nd AMRAP 5minute couplet (2mins rest after this and before 3rd AMRAP)

10x KBS

5x KB Goblet Squats

3rd AMRAP 5minute couplet:

10x KBS

        5x Burpees

1. Use a KB which will be challenging, but will allow you to complete all 10 KBS (Russian style) unbroken.

2. Alternate between the two exercises in each AMRAP for the full 5 minutes. Your score is the number of rounds (and reps) completed in each 5 minute AMRAP. Aim to find a pace that will enable you to continue moving throughout the 5 mins – ie a sustainable paced effort.

3. Although we are looking to maximise reps, in the usual way, reps must be technically sound. Good reps yield good results, poor reps yield poor results (and/or injury).

4. Scaling – all sorts of ideas and options – (a) increase the number of reps; (b) use a heavier weight; (c) increase the time of AMRAP; (d) decrease rest periods between AMRAPs; (e) combine AMRAPS – 10x KBS, 5x C&P (ea), 10x KB Goblet Squats, etc.

5. Train hard, train smart, train safe and enjoy!

The past week or so I’ve been trying to move fast (ie greater focus on conditioning) while managing just how furious I get (at what I’ve seen going on in the non-CF gym (just so nobody thinks I’m bitching about my home box, CrossFit Central London)).

In terms of conditioning work, I’ve been rowing, running, some skipping as well as high volume KB swings. Although I’ve definitely found this focus very different to my usual training, and there have been a few ‘maybe I should just give it a miss’ type thoughts/sessions, I have been enjoying the change in focus. Working to beat a previous best time feels SO different to beating a previous lifting PB. A heavy barbell isn’t going anywhere, but time waits for no one!

In terms of things I’ve been seeing in the gym that make me furious (to put it politely):

1) People sweating all over equipment and not bothering to wipe it off. Gross, just gross. Great that you’re working hard and sweating, but rest assured, nobody else wants your ‘hard work’ on them. I’m a big believer in the gym being ‘judgement free’ but if you’re going to leave your sweat all over everything, I’m judging – you’re a dirty, nasty, inconsiderate, self-absorbed loser. Simples.

2) People who can’t put equipment back. You found the bar and rack nice and empty, so leave it that way when you’re done. The dumbells you found in the rack? Just put them back where you found them. At the muscle head gym I trained at years ago, if you left anything out, they’d find the biggest member of staff on duty (and trust me, there were lots of options!) who would tap the offender on the shoulder saying ‘do I look like your mother’? The offender would look puzzled, whereupon the member of staff would say ”cause I’m not and I’m sure as shit not here to clean up after you. If YOU can’t be bothered to put the equipment back, don’t bother coming back’. Fair to say most people got the message quickly. Bottom line, if you can pick it up, you can put it back.

3) Trainers acting unprofessionally. Unfortunately it is not just gym users that haven’t been wiping or replacing equipment. Try setting an example for your clients, showing them not only how to train, but how to respect the facility and other users. Slagging off one client to another client. Absolutely blew my mind. If you don’t think the client your talking to will wonder/think you also talk about them, you’re pretty dim. If a client asks you a question about some of their training, it’s your job to answer it. I fully appreciate you may not immediately know the answer (ie you’ll have to go do some reading, pretty positive nobody knows everything), but telling them to ‘just do the work I tell you to do’ isn’t an acceptable answer. Not being able to discuss the clients past training/weights used because you have no records. All of the above are, in my opinion, qualities of a trainer who ‘doesn’t give a shit’ about his client, the facility, their professional reputation or the industry. Unfortunately I’ve seen a few too many of these ‘DGAS Trainers’ lately. If you want to be treated like a professional, act like one.

* * *

KWOW 3

3-5 Rounds for time of:

10/15/20/25/30 KBS

1/2/3/4/5 KB C&P (each arm (“ea”))

1. Start with 10 (Russian) kettlebell swings (KBS) followed by 1 Kettlebell clean and press (KB C&P (“ea”)).

2. Next, 15 KBS and 2 KB C&P(ea) 20 KBS and 3 KB C&P(ea); 25 KBS and 4 KB C&P (ea); 30 KBS and 5 KB C&P(ea). 10 to 30KBS and 1-5 KB C&P is 1 round.

3. Use one KB. Yes, this may mean you’re swinging a much lighter bell than you would ordinarily. Equally, the KBS’ are high volume, you’ll probably find a lighter than usual KB more manageable (at least initially). In terms of KB weight, use something challenging, but not so heavy that it’s impossible to do the KBS reps unbroken (not all swings, but the sets of 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30). If there’s a big discrepancy between your upper and lower body strength, go ahead and use 2 KBS if you have the option AND (most importantly!) work on improving upper body strength!

4. Scaling – (a) decide on the number of rounds (within this you can decide if it’s going to be ‘short and sharp’ (fewer rounds) or endurance based work capacity (more rounds); (b) reps – feel free to scale down from as written (ie 100 KBS per round) to 5/10/15/20 (50 reps).

5. Rest – when and where needed. I’ve been taking a timed (long 1-2 minute) rest after each round (after the set of 30 and 5s).

6. Credit where credit is due – this WOD is based on the 10,000 swing protocol devised by Dan John.

Please, please forgive me the reference to an Olsen twins movie (NO, I have not seen it)! During the past few weeks I’ve noticed an increasing number of people looking and talking about how to ‘get ripped’, ‘lose the lard’, etc. With summer only a few months away and holidays looming large, I totally get the desire to be lean and look great when exposing the flesh poolside, on the beach or elsewhere (not that ‘elsewhere’ is only a ‘summertime thing’ – least I hope not!). I’ll be the first to admit I know how many weeks until holiday and have modified my training and nutrition a bit in a desire to ‘lean out’ a bit. I guess you could say I am switching goals (temporarily).

While I’m not giving up my beloved strength training, given the nutritional and training changes (slight calorie deficit, changes to carbs, fats and protein and more cardio) I’m not expecting to be seeing big improvements in strength numbers.  In fact, it’s fair to say I’ve been feeling weaker (not entirely surprising). That said, I’m feeling ‘better’. Maybe it’s taking away the relative ‘stress’ of needing to hit certain weights, maybe it’s just doing different stuff in the gym (‘a change is as good as a rest’ and all that); either way, better is better.

Equally, when I switch back to focusing on strength improvement, I know my nutrition and training will need to change to support THAT goal. Switching goals isn’t a problem (arguably any periodized training plan sees you switching goals depending on training block), but switching nutrition and training in ways that do not support your goals IS problematic.

Pick your goal, plan YOUR process to achieving your goal (what will work for YOU, not just copying what someone else did because it worked for them), do work (ie implement and execute the process), achieve your goal. Repeat as required.

* * *

KWOW 2

For time:

25 KBS

20 KB Clean & Press (10 each arm)

15 KB Goblet Squats

10 Press Ups (aka ‘push ups’)

5 Pull ups

20 KBS

16 KB C&P (8 each arm)

12 KB Goblet Squats

8 Push ups

4 Pull ups

15 KBS

12 KB C&P (6 each arm)

9 KB Goblet Squats

6 Push Ups

3 Pull Ups

10 KBS

8 KB C&P (4 each arm)

6 KB Goblet Squats

4 Push Ups

2 Pull Ups

5 KBS

4 KB C&P (2 each arm)

3 KB Goblet Squats

2 Press Ups

1 Pull Up

1) As always, good technique is paramount. Good reps are good, fast reps aren’t necessarily ‘good’. Similarly, if you need to scale the press ups and/or pull ups, please do so.

2) Use a single KB. Yes, this will mean your KBS’ (Kettlebell swings) are light. Pretty positive you’ll appreciate this as you work your way through the workout.

3) In terms of KB weight, if you’ve got a choice, aim to use a weight that will allow you to do the 10 KB C&P on each arm unbroken. That said, if you have to break up the reps to preserve technical integrity (ie good, technically sound reps) do so.

4) Should you want to mix it up, or, horror of all horrors find yourself without KBs, why not try this with a barbell or dumbells? Simply substitute DLs for the KBS. Yes, you can ‘swing’ a DB, but I’m not a big fan…I have actually seen people ‘lose’ a DB…😳

5) Enjoy!

I will be the first to admit that patience is not something that comes easily to me. If you want something, isn’t it better to have it now rather than later? Maybe in some instances, but when you set your sights on having something now that in all likelihood will take time to achieve, I think you’re setting yourself up to not only  fail in achieving your ultimate objective, but also fail in achieving your true (long term) potential.

By way of example, say someone wants to achieve a 1.5x BW squat. I think it’s fair to say that with consistent, focused effort and injury free training, this is something which is for a large number of trainees achievable. However, if someone new to training were to be convinced (whether on their own, by a magazine article or a PT/coach) that this could be achieved in 2 weeks, I suspect it would be highly unlikely they would achieve the desired 1.5x BW squat in 2 weeks, the end result instead being disappointment and perhaps disillusionment. Although some trainees may question the agenda underlying the “2 weeks to a 1.5BW squat’ (ie sell magazines, training sessions, etc) others may very well question and ultimately doubt their own abilities, leading them to abandon their training – effectively ensuring they will never squat 1.5x BW.  How much more could this athlete achieve if they understood that increasing their squat will be a long, ongoing process? Although their progress may be slow, slow progress is better than no progress.

Much like impatience can kill progress, so to can ego. A friend of mine (and no ‘friend’ is NOT code for ME) went through a phase of trying to hit new 1RMs in squat, bench, press and DL on a weekly basis. Yes, I said WEEKLY! Despite chatting through how draining this would be (both mentally AND physically) he was insistent that chasing new 1RMs was really satisfying and showed he was ‘succeeding’ – his definition being able to add more weight to the bar. Although he had a few weeks of success (I suspect in a large part down to him not having done much 1RM training previously) in less than a month he was worn down, complaining of various niggles and how he really didn’t enjoy training any more. Didn’t enjoy it, didn’t want to do it, so he didn’t. Progress killed. While I’m sure it felt great writing down all the new PBs in his training diary for a few weeks, I can’t but wonder if he would have ultimately achieved more (ie bigger 1RMs) if he’d been less ego driven and more patient? Four weeks of adding 5kg per week sees a 20kg increase, versus 1kg per week for 52 weeks more than doubles the increase. Although 1kg per week may very well not be sustainable for a year,  I suspect more would be gained (ie patience) than lost (ie ego).

* * *

KWOW (Kim’s Wod of the Week)

EMOM 10

Minute 1: 10x Kettlebell swings (KBS) and 1  Burpee

2: 9x KBs and 2 burpees

3: 8x KBs and 3 burpees

 4: 7 KBs and 4 burpees

5: 6 KBs and 5 burpees

6: 5 KBs and 6 burpees

7: 4 KBs and 7 burpees

8: 3 KBs and 8 burpees

9: 2 KBs and 9 burpees

10: 1 KBs and 10 burpees

Notes:

1. First and foremost, please ensure you have good, safe technique.

2. Each of the above rounds are done ‘on the minute’ for 10 minutes. All work (ie KBs and burpees to be completed within the minute).

3. For KBs, I mean Russian style swings (ie just above shoulder, NOT ‘American’ where the KB is overhead).

4. Use a KB weight that is challenging, but allows you to maintain good form and technique throughout. It’s far better to err on the side of going too light the first time and progress the weight as you progress. Resist the temptation to ‘be a hero’.

5. To make this more challenging, try starting from 15 and/or increase KB weight. To make this easier, try starting at something less than 10 and/or decreasing KB weight.

6. Helpful hint – if starting from 10, each minutes work will add up to 11. Remember only the top number (ie KBS) then do as many burpees as required to add up to 11.

7. Enjoy!!!

Long time, no posts. Ive been busy, but we all know ‘I’m too busy’ is often more along the lines of ‘it’s not a priority’ and/or a lame attempt to justify not doing what you should have. So, I’ll spare you the lame excuses and simply say ‘I’m baaaack'(NOT meant to be said in the creepy way Jack Nicholson did in The Shining; I’m hoping I’m not that creepy or scary)!

During the past few weeks a few personal truths (as opposed to universal truths, to the extent there truly are any…gee, is it obvious I studied philosophy????) have revealed themselves to me:

1) I like competing, but it isn’t the ‘be all and end all’ nor perhaps as important as I’d once thought. I went into this year’s Open at what I’d probably describe as 60-70% prepared in terms of overall fitness, skills development and conditioning. I did ok, not as well as last year, or as well as I’d like, but most importantly, me and my knee survived intact. Could I have trained harder, smarter, etc? Probably, but in the context of various circumstances, I did the best I could with what I had. Did finishing 25th (Masters 40-44 in Europe) see me beating myself up, getting upset or questioning the competition? No. Simply went in, got the WODs done and moved on. I enjoyed returning to competition and getting back to WODing, but it didn’t and doesn’t define me.

2) Nutrition is a lot more important to my feeling good and training well than I’d realised. Although it now seems far too obvious, but, by and large eating REAL foods yields real results! Eat well and I train and feel well. Similarly, by eating well I don’t mean never having chocolate, pizza or the like; I’m not banishing any food to the ‘I will never eat’ pile. Equally, what works for me isn’t ‘labelled’ (as in it’s ‘paleo’, ‘low carb’, ‘high fat’, ‘Mediterranean, etc.) or dogmatic; I’ve worked out what (currently) works for me. Depending on how I feel, I’ve begun to understand how this is and can be influenced by my nutrition.

3) There’s a lot more to training than just strength training. Yeah, it’s fair to say most people probably think of me in terms of strength stuff, but I can honestly say the last few weeks have seen me doing more running, rowing, gymnastics and kettlebells than I’ve done in a long time. I’ve been running and actually enjoying it(though my knee may take a bit of ‘convincing’). Bodyweight circuits have featured regularly in my training. I’m beginning to think my focus on strength training was like going to an all you can eat buffet and only eating salad; that is, rather limited (not to mention limiting).

4) Injuries provide us with the opportunity to be either very smart or very stupid. Suffer an injury and you can work on finding ways to enhance recovery and train around it (assuming some form of training is possible) or you can try to keep pushing on and through the pain/discomfort. If your life or that of loved ones was dependent on gutting it out, I would totally understand and ‘get it’. When however pushing through pain in a WOD, competition or training may result in a permanent injury that could prove to be life altering, I’m at a loss to understand why anyone would do so? Assuming you’re fit to play, play hard, but play smart.

5) A lot of what I’d thought ‘impossible’ is entirely possible with the right attitude and approach. All too often ‘quick’ and/or ‘easy’ solutions are offered as the way to achieve results, whether it be weight loss, adding kilos to your squat, writing a blockbuster, revealing six pack abs or getting rich. I think it’s safe to say that in all but the very rarest of instances, very few big achievements happen quickly or easily. Typically, it’s only through consistent, persistent efforts that lofty goals are attained. Thinking you’re going to achieve big things quickly or easily is probably setting you up for little more than disappointment. Conversely, if you’re prepared to work long and hard you will likely find you’re capable of achieving and accomplishing a great deal more than you may have initially thought. Mission possible.

Last Thursday CrossFit Open workout 15.1 (and 15.1a) was announced. For some people it signalled the first ‘official’ test of their CrossFit training, for others it was an opportunity to see how they compared on the Leaderboard compared to last year, for others it was the first step on their road to Regionals.

Although different participants bring and have different agendas to and for The Open, each WOD provides an individual with the opportunity or a basis on which to measure or compare; a sort of ‘judgement day’ if you will. Unfortunately I think sometimes participants (including myself) get too caught up in comparing themselves to others, worrying about whether they ‘did well’ and reading far too much into not doing as well as they’d hoped or expected. For all but a very very few, The Open is the ‘finals’; there will be no Regionals, there will be no Games. I say this not to rain on anyone’s parade, but instead to try to encourage everyone to enjoy their parade. Do the WODs, push yourself, have fun with your friends, do the best you can, but be sure to enjoy what you’re doing. Whether or not you hit a PB will depend on the programming and your training, but whether or not you have fun and enjoy The Open comes down to you, your attitude and approach.

For me, 15.1 made me face an entirely different form of judgement. My biggest stress last week hitting 15.1 (apart from forgetting something at the Box (which I seem to have developed a particular talent for of late!)), was having to enter my weight on my profile. 170lbs. Yup, there’s a fair bit of me, and I know full well that more than a few people will think ‘geez she’s heavy’ or something to that effect. In my usual way I got to thinking, ‘so what’? It’s a number, some things would be better if it were less, but right now, it is what it is. Much like I’m going to try not to read anything good or bad into a particular WOD result, I’m trying (very) hard not to read anything good or bad into my weight. Do I think some people will? Yeah, I’m pretty sure some people will, but there’s no way I’m letting that kind of judgement interfere with the fun and enjoyment I’m having with this year’s CrossFit Open!

A week tomorrow the first workout of the CrossFit Open will be announced. Whilst we can all speculate about what movements will or won’t be included, none of us, apart from Castro, can be sure about what will be involved in the 5 workouts released across 5 weeks.

The one thing I CAN say with certainty is people are going to get nervous, and probably to some extent, stressed out about the event/process. Whether it’s someone entering their first Open, a seasoned competitor or someone returning from injury, they’re all going to think, and probably worry (at least to some extent) about how they’ll do, whether their training has helped them improve and/or whether their injury has healed sufficiently.

Being a natural born worrier (although my Mother said my first word was ‘mess’, I’m increasingly of the view that it may very well have been ‘stress’ (although mess is definitely apt too!)), I routinely try to find ways and strategies to manage my worries. For me, the most effective method to date is ‘what’s the worst case scenario(s)?’. If I identify this/these and am able to come up with solutions to address the scenario or worry, it’s no longer a big worry.

So, in the context of The Open, what happens if you don’t do as well as expected or hoped? Your pride may (at least initially) take a bit of a hit, but if for example your DUs let you down, you can work on them to be better. Same thing with pretty much all of the movements. Engine not as great as you’d hoped? Adjust your training to fix it.

Suppose you do ‘really badly'(whatever that means to you)? For some, there may be an aspect of embarrassment, and concern over what others will think of their results or performance. Ok, totally understandable, but, in the grand scheme of things, does it REALLY matter? This is exercising; competitive exercising. It should ultimately be fun and enjoyable, if not, what’s the point? That’s not to say you won’t find aspects of The Open scary and challenging (if you don’t, you’re probably not giving it your all), but you shouldn’t be scared, worried or stressed out about the result.

I’m convinced the key to enjoying The Open is giving the workouts your best effort, enjoying the challenges presented and having fun with your friends. You can spend all sorts of time and energy worrying about the impact a few more reps will have on your place on the leaderboard, or, you can keep it simple and focus on effort, enjoyment and fun. The choice is yours.

Gardening. Not really my thing; at least not in the conventional sense. My parents loved gardening and spent what as a child felt like in an ordinate amount of time dragging me from garden centre to garden centre. When not at (or on the way to) a garden centre, my parents spent large chunks of their weekends working on the gardens; planting, weeding, nurturing and maintaining what they clearly loved. As a kid, even the non-gardening me could appreciate the beautiful end result of their labours. The gardens were really very pretty.

It recently occurred to me that personal bests or records are very much like the flowers (or vegetables) found in gardens. Much like a well maintained garden will produce beautiful flowers (or vegetables), with appropriate training, recovery, nutrition and maintenance, the human body is capable of producing some amazing, often beautiful results.

Unfortunately, a 60 second clip on the Internet of someone’s PB can’t show the hours, days, weeks, months and (potentially years) of training that produced the beautiful PB; the ‘Secret Garden’ if you will. Based on some recent observations, it seems to me that many people are focusing their attention on hitting PBs as opposed to developing the ‘garden’ that will (eventually) produce the PBs. Instead of spending time training, developing and recovering, they seem to be on some sort of continual PB quest. They want their PB and they want it NOW! In part I suspect this may be down to a lack of real understanding of just how much work a top level athlete puts into THEIR PB flowers (ie the ‘Secret Garden’), in part it may be down to impatience and a desire for instant gratification.

Although beautiful flowers may be available relatively quickly by visiting a florist, the beautiful flowers living in a well tended garden will in all likelihood live much longer. Similarly, although it may be possible to hit a PB every now and then without following a training plan, the athlete that employs sound training, recovery and maintenance strategies is, in my opinion, far more likely to nurture a ‘garden’ which will produce PBs on a far more consistent (and repeatable) basis.

Looks like I actually rather like ‘gardening’!