October 1, 2017
Change Is Good
New “Phases”: Why (the) Change?
Let me start by telling you we Like “Change”. It can be Disruptive, Uneasy, and Volatile. It comes at Imperfect Times, with no regard for your Life or Circumstances, and it never is Easy. These Negatives may actually be the Reasons why we Love it. Change comes and we are forced to Adapt as Positively as we can. Change comes when you are Tired and Beat-Up from Life, and we Learn to Roll with It or be Run Over. Change comes and Makes Things Hard, yet, we still Get Things Done. History is littered with those who fought change and failed. History remembers those who embraced Change and thrived.
When it comes to IPF, We Implement Change often, and for many reasons. Here are a few…
We want to keep Learning
As Teachers before Coaches’ we bring New Information to the Gym all the Time. Much of what we Teach is Built upon the previous layer. We start “Stationary”, before we “Move”. We Crawl before we Run (literally), and we start Slow before we Speed Up. Once we demonstrate Success or begin to Master a Skill, we add another Layer. A simple Variation, Ripple or Derivative of what has been done so that Learning can continue. How “Long” this Process takes will vary, but the Concept will not.
We want to stay “Fresh”
We all get Bored, grow Weary, or become Accustomed to the “Same”. Life, Great food, Great Training can all grow stale through a variety of Factors. This is true for Coaches as well. Change helps us look at the same Picture through a new Lens, and the same Exercise through a new Stimulus. When Prisoners in a Boston Prison rioted in the 1700’s, it was because they were forced to eat the same “rotten” food day after day. They were sick and tired of the same Lunch and Dinner and it cost many their Lives. Their complaint? Too much Lobster. Imagine learning that Prisoners in any Jail now were eating Lobster? But in any situation, things can grow Stale quickly. Not at IPF Baby!
Adaptation occurs quickly
Most of our “Phases”, for Athletes and Adults, last 3~ Weeks. We may go shorter or longer based on circumstances that we can’t control, like Holidays, Patriot Games, etc. Or we may extend a Phase based on Success and the Population using it, i.e., Brand New Client, 8yr Veteran of our Facility, etc. The Body adjusts very quickly, and although we want enough Repetitions to Demonstrate Technique and Improvement, we are trying to Improve Focus as well. Your Focus is an ongoing engagement of Fitness, Awareness, and Learning New Information. We are always attempting to find the right Balance, and it is never easy.
You “Under Stress”
There is a Chinese Proverb that says: “Tension is who you think you are. Relaxation is who you really are”. We Teach the Physical and the Mental aspect of “Training”. It is almost impossible to separate the two. Helping put People in “Learning Mode” requires Relaxation and Focus, which many initially struggle with. Sometimes simply Breathing is the key. For others, it is using a Check-List to “Reset” Mentally before Reps (or Life). We use many examples, some from in the Gym, our 20yr+ history of Training, and Everyday Life, to make sure People are “Aware” of Tension. Work and Life Patterns, History of Sport, Emotional State, and General Fatigue all directly contribute to Stress, and thereby (Muscular) Tension. Awareness of Who We Are, What we Do, and How we Move goes a long way to Improving all three. Helping reduce your Tension, in Movement and in Life, is one of the Greatest Changes we Can Make…
Change for the Better
We all want to Improve, and doing the same things rarely finds Success, and never more than once. Concepts will stay familiar, Principles will be consistent, but we will continually “Wrap the Gift Differently”. The Same Leg Exercise, with one DB, two DB’s, a Sandbag, a Med Ball, A Bar, a Val Slide, an Elevated Leg, a different Tempo, etc makes the “Same” seem, and feel, very different. At IPF, our “Different” will help bring about your “Best”….
