Phase 2

February marks Phase 2. In this phase, the third block will emphasize volume with body weight or lighter weight versus low # of reps going heavy. Use this block as a different way to challenge yourself. Achieve the prescribed number of reps in the least amount of sets possible.

A quote from the founder of Thrive, Mike Boyle. Strength and Conditioning Coach and Author.

“I think if you look at the last decade, the biggest leap has been functional training. Slowly but surely, people are coming around. Exercises that were laughed at 10 years ago are now accepted as normal. Things like the rear-foot-elevated split squat and one-leg straight leg deadlift were probably laughed at by “serious” strength coaches a decade ago.

Ten years ago, I was still seeing programs where unilateral training involved doing leg extensions one leg at a time to isolate the quads. Think about this: Dynamic warm-ups, foam rolling, and core work have become widely accepted in the last decade. Ten years ago, most people walked into the weight room and started lifting. Core work was 100 sit-ups or crunches at the end of the workout.

Think about what we now know about breathing, core training, spine mechanics. Ten years ago, coaches were telling athletes that flexion was the key to preventing back pain. Now we know it’s the cause. Ten years ago, most coaches had never seen a foam roller or thought about any type of soft tissue intervention.

I love this quote: “All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.”

The body strives for homeostasis, its natural desire to maintain normal ranges. To change strength, speed and/or power, we have to train appropriately and place stress on the body. Training is a form of stress management. If you want to lose weight, gain strength or run faster, each of these goals requires investment.

Any workout can burn calories, but improvement in strength comes from progressive overload.

Thrive provides a methodical way to apply stress to result in adaptation. Just doing high-intensity work for the sake of doing high-intensity work is a waste of time without figuring out where it falls in the grander scheme of overall development.