For the sedentary individual or poorly conditioned athlete, an awareness of physical limitations may lead to a desire to modify exercise or dietary behaviors. The goal identification and program planning phase of training is often neglected by those who respond to this sudden surge in motivation by engaging in a generalist training program to “get in shape” without defining athletic goals.

The generalist approach may incorporate endurance, strength, agility, and mobility training performed daily, at random, or possibly in the same workout. Coupled with a broad dietary goal of “eating healthy,” the athlete who employs this strategy is likely to become exhausted or dissatisfied with the results and discontinue training. The frustration of excessive effort with limited results has been experienced by many athletes. The solution is to establish a highly specific goal for training and follow a systematic path to achieve it. [Read more…]