Consistency

I’ll let the cat out of the bag quickly! 

Consistency is KEY, and is a very important and often misunderstood concept by many. Consistency doesn’t just apply in training itself, but in all aspects of life! Consistency creates habits, which lead to improved health, fitness and overall healthy lifestyle – our goal here at E3!

In training, consistency along with patience and carefully designed training plan help you stay injury free, and lead to success.

Being consistent in training sounds simple, but just how simple is it?

At E3 we develop programs based on 5 basic pillars in all which we focus on you and giving you the best tools to stay consistent!

What are the E3 Pillars to Success and how does consistency apply?

1.   Training Program

We want to know YOU! Together we identify your needs, your goals, your limitations and create your very own periodized program. These carefully designed programs help you stay consistent over time, which in turn will help you to stay injury free, while allowing you to increase your fitness, and performance. Remember, it is not about how many yards you swam, miles/hours you biked or how many miles/hours you ran in a week, or month if you can’t stay consistent over time and allow your body to adapt to the training! This concept yet simple can be hard for most!

Social media rocks, but social media can be evil! Just because Mirinda Carfrae trains 30-40 hours week, or your fellow competitors train x hours a week, and tell you about it on facebook or twitter, doesn’t mean that’s the best approach for you nor does it mean that’s what they actually do but that’s a post for another day.

The only way to reach consistency is through an individualized training program that is designed and works for you! It allows for your fitness to develop without sacrificing your health or life balance. Being injury free = consistency! Doing too much too soon whether in distance or intensity can lead to  injury which leads to inconsistencies and setbacks. As someone that has been part of E3 for 5 years now, our approach is based on good ole’ fashion hard work. It is no magic and it works. I have lived it and it is the main reason why I was able to achieve my once long term goal of getting on the World Championship podium in Kona! It didn’t happen over night like I thought it should, but I realize now, why I was doing the training that I was even if at times I thought (key word “thought”) I could and should do more.  Regardless of winning or not, how my body felt completing 140.6 miles back in 2012 vs. 2013, 2014, and 2015 is a result of smart and consistent training, and although it never gets easier, you will feel the difference in both your body and mind when you surround yourself with consistency. 

2. Rejuvenation

Rejuvenation relates to mental and physical recovery which directly relates to consistency! We must take recovery seriously in order to stay consistent and injury free. Rejuvenations is NOT something we do when we are not training. It IS part of our training. Sneaking in extra yards or miles will not do you any good. There are various ways to physical recovery whether it be via “active recovery” or “complete rest”, but often overlooked is the importance of also letting your mind recover. 

This quote sums it up best:

Rest your body, rest your mind – Stay consistent!

3.   Nutrition

Nutrition sums up your everyday before/during/post training fueling!  Without going into too much detail, food is fuel, and we at E3 are firm believers of the “Everything in moderation” approach. Again, nutrition is very individual and what works for one athlete, may not work for another!

So where does consistency come into play? We are firm believers that “diets” – restricting or completely removing certain foods for other than medical reasons from once daily nutritional intake is unnecessary! Restricting or eliminating foods to simply reach race weight is not only unhealthy but has potential to lead to overall health issues. Finally, it’s not sustainable over time, hence far from consistent!

The “Everything in moderation” approach supports consistency, creates happiness, and is much more achievable than the alternative. It leads to improved health, fitness and overall healthy lifestyle – our goal here at E3! Instead of providing diets, we help you develop better habits, a more sustainable way to approach diet, based on Precision Nutrition principles.

4.   Functional

Even when it comes to functional strength, addressing muscle imbalances as well as skills (technique); consistency is key!  

Whether it’s improving your technique in swimming via specific drills, your cycling via better pedaling motion or improving your running economy , it’s the ability to repeat these drills/motions over time until they become our 2^nd nature!  All of this takes time, it takes patience, and take a guess - it requires consistency! 

5.   Life Balance

Balancing training with life is the last pillar on which we build our programs on at E3! It is one that requires complete honesty and objectivity, and open communication on the part both: the athlete and the coach! Life balance leads to happiness, and happiness leads to consistency! Telling your coach and telling yourself you can train 30 hours a week, when juggling a full time job, and a family doesn’t sound very objective!  There is no doubt that it can be done, but the questions remains – how consistently! In the end most of us do this for fun and not to make money, but we still crave success!

In summary, the definition of success is different for every single one of you but the definition of consistency remains the same!

The five E3 Pillars to Success as mentioned above, allow us at E3 to develop training programs that suit YOU! Programs that are adaptable and adjustable, programs that set YOU up for consistency with which comes success! These pillars are at the base of your “fitness” house! The more consistent you can be in building/maintaining every single one of those pillars, the more balanced and more successful you will  be in achieving your goals – whether it’s completing your first triathlon, your first 70.3, your first 140.6, or getting on your first podium!

If you like what you read, contact us today for more info.

I am a big believer in consistency, and I and E3 would like to help. Contact me for more info: info@e3ts.com