Performance Enhancement for Recreational Athletes

What are you training for?

If you are training to compete in powerlifting, by all means hit the bench press, the squats and the deadlifts. Because bench presses make you better... at bench pressing!

If you want to be a 360° athlete, you need to do something different. And if you are a recreational athlete, with a job, debts, family and a myriad of other obligations, you need to do your training in a way that is going to keep you healthy and ready for daily life.

So you can't use the training programs of star athletes plucked from the pages of popular magazines. They are a recipe for overtraining and injury. You are a recreational athlete and need protocols designed to fit your life and the time you can devote to training but especially to recovery.

Circular Strength Training® is the training system developed by Coach Scott Sonnon, COO of RMAX International. Visit the RMAX website to explore the world of CST, the most efficient and effective training method available today.

Prime
The first priority in your session is to prime the body for the type of activity you will be engaging in. This means locking in muscle memory for good structure in the coming training as well as moving through the ranges of motion which will be required. We also want to create a safety valve by working slightly outside the scope and range of the coming session. See Intu-Flow Joint Mobility and Prasara Body-Flow Yoga for great examples and ideas.

Heat
Raise overall body temperature and local muscle temperature. Benefits include:
1. Increased blood flow/supply to the muscle.
2. Increased sensitivity of nerve receptors.
3. More oxygen available (increased disassociation of oxygen from hemoglobin and myoglobin due to increased blood temperature).
4. Increased speed of nerve impulse transmissions.
5. Reduction in muscle viscosity.
All this adds up to reduced risk of injury and increased performance.

Practice
Now the body is ready to practice the skills which will be involved in the training. At this point we are focusing on solidifying mechanics rather than creating a training effect. Focusing on the 7 Key Components of structure (explained in the "Epitome of Power" section of my Clubbell Lens) will ensure proper focus at this phase of the session.

Train
This is where we push our edge and create a training effect. We need to train at a Rate of Perceived Effort (explained in the "Intuitive Training" section of my Circular Strength Training lens) of 8 or higher in order to challenge our homeostasis.

Recover
We need to bring the body back down from the hightened metabolic state of the training phase through movements which lengthen and open the tissues worked. We also want to flush out toxins and promote nutrient repenishment. Flexibility and mobility work can also be included here if needed.

Relax