[For Hikers] "Go Hard Or Go Home"

One training belief that needs to die is the concept of 'go hard or go home'.

This approach has been instilled in so many people, quite often from an early age.

And SO many hikers have the idea ingrained in them that if they don't push a session to an uncomfortable level of difficulty or finish a workout exhausted, they feel like it was a waste of time.

But let me tell you, that belief is wrong.

There is nothing wrong with pushing hard in your training. But that is only one way to approach a training journey.

And you can get incredible results in your fitness, strength, and resilience without ever having to push yourself to your 'limit' in training.

And this is one of the core beliefs of the training we do at Summit Strength.

In fact, many hikers we work with are initially surprised at how 'easy' many of our workouts feel for them (comparatively).

But, if they stick with it and stay consistent over time, so many of them are amazed at what changes they see in their strength, fitness and performance on the trail.

Now, you might be wondering, "Okay, cool. I don't enjoy hard training. Maybe I will just dial things back, and I will still see some great results?"
Well, it is more complex than that.

Because if you are not relying on intensity for your training (and you want to see improvements), you need to ensure you are a bit more intentional with your training.

As the saying goes, you can 'work smarter, not harder'.

So, if you are taking a lower-intensity approach to training, here are three things you want to ensure you are doing:

1) Your training is targeted 

Go hard or go home can get away with the approach of 'throw mud at a wall and see what sticks.'

You don't have that luxury with lower-intensity training.

If you are taking this approach, you want to be confident that your workouts and exercises are targeted to your specific needs.

(e.g., what aspects of fitness you want to develop for hiking and/or what areas of your body you need to strengthen for the demands of the trail). 

2) You are consistent 

To see results with a lower-intensity approach, consistency is essential. You need to sustain a good level of consistency week after week, so your training can build off itself and compound.

If you constantly skip sessions, this approach probably won't work for you.

The good news here is for many people, it is A LOT easier to remain consistent with their training around the ups and downs of life when their training isn't running them into the ground each session...

3) You are progressing over time 

As you get stronger and fitter, you need to progress your training to ensure it regularly gets new challenges (to force it to adapt to improve). 

Even though the training may not be super 'hard', we still want an element of challenge.

This is a point many people miss here, and they end up just doing the same training week after week (and never giving the body a reason to improve).

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Those three things above are pretty simple, but if you can put them into action, you can get some incredible results from your training without ever having to push yourself to your limit.

So if you have been stuck in the 'go hard or go home' mentality to training...
And you are aware that either you don't enjoy it, or it isn't serving you well anymore, then know there is another way.

And if you are interested in exploring this different approach, I have something for you…

This week we are doing a big enrolment push on our signature program The Online Summit Program.

Specifically, we are looking for hikers who want to get fit, strong and resilient for the trail adventures.

If that sounds like you, and you would like to find out more, simply follow the link below to book a free call with our team.

On this call we can get to know you a bit, learn a bit about your needs and situation and find out if and how we might be able to help you.

And if we are confident we can help, we can talk you through one of our training options which might suit you best.

To find a time to chat, you can book a quick call here:

https://summitstrength.com.au/apply

Yours in trekking,

Rowan ​