Sprinkle in the Volume

Over the past couple of months something that I think has been a great addition to the gym is the Sweaty Swag Board (Thanks Nabil!). Every time I look at it there is something new added. Whether its extra credit burpees, a PR, or someone writing a personal goal, that thing is filled by the end of the month. I think the board is a great way to not only celebrate accomplishments, but also to to keep ourselves and others motivated.

One of the great things about the Sweaty Swag board is it can motivate us to add extra volume to movements we are not so great at. Doing things like extra pull ups, push ups, farmers carry’s a little bit at a time can help us attack our weaknesses. In order to truly attack a weakness we need to put in extra time outside our normal workouts. While this task can seem daunting and very time consuming, it can be manageable and sustainable if you break it up into very small chunks.

Don’t be afraid to put extra work towards your weaknesses….even if its bicep curls!!

Lets say you struggle with strict pull ups, but want to get better at them. An easy way to add extra pull-up volume is just to add-in some reps after, or before class, a couple days a week. It doesn’t need to be anything monumental just a couple of sets with a challenging rep scheme that will allow you to get the work done in small amount of time. If you did 3 sets of 5 pull ups, 3 days a week over the course of a month, you will have done 180 strict pull ups over the course of that month! Even though the work doesn’t seem like a ton on a day to day basis, you will still get better from the cumulative volume. And if we are being honest, that was 180 strict pull ups you probably weren’t going to do! Just to hammer the point home a bit further, if you spent 5 minutes after class to get your 3 sets of pull ups in 3 times a week, you would have only spent one hour over the course of a month to get a lot of extra strict volume! 

Sticking to goals is always tough but a great way to keep yourself on track is to record your progress on the board. Every time you sprinkle more volume in for your desired movement, write it down! This will give you a way to see your progress and motivate you to stick with it. Who knows it may even inspire some other people to attack some of their weaknesses! If you need ideas on things you should or can add extra volume to please ask myself, or any of the other coaches. We are more than happy to help you attack those weakness!