The elusive 5%

Thank you for all the feedback via facebook and emails regarding the last two posts.  I had fun writing them.  Comments here are also welcome, and I promise I will try to keep my blogs down in length in future!

If you are reading this, then you are probably either an athlete, a coach, or someone looking to improve their health and/or appearance.  Chances are that you are searching for that "elusive" 5 %.  That little bit extra that will give you the edge on the opposition, or help you take an inch off your waist.  If so, let me ask you, what are you doing for the other 95%?

Football players and coaches spend a huge amount of time, effort, and money on getting that 5%:
Nutritional supplements (beyond pro., CHO, creatine)
The latest boot/shoes/equipment
Compression garments
Hypoxic tents
Cryotherapy
Infrared treatment
Massage (with or without horse placenta)

The above are all examples of methods that are not scientifically proven, yet are growing in popularity at the highest level. 

So we should all copy them right?  (said with just a hint of sarcasm)

Searching for everything that may help could be a good thing – as winning and losing is often determined by very small amounts.  Yet many coaches are still having their athletes go on long runs, do squats on wobble boards, and spend hours static stretching.  Meanwhile, the players are doing bicep curls, "sprinting" at 90%, skipping true multi-joint strength & power training, and are getting by on less that 8 hours of sleep a night.

There is no point in doing all the fancy stuff if you are not taking care of the basics!  Our focus needs to shift to the mainstays of our life and training:

Coaches & sport scientists:
How much planning is going into your day/session plan?  Your week plan?  Your month/phase plan?  How about the plan for the season?
Are you monitoring the intensity and volume of ALL forms of training?  (yes SCCs this goes beyond the weight-room!)
How did your athletes find your last session?
Does training fluxuate day-to-day, week-to-week, phase-to-phase?
Are your programs training movements or muscle groups?
Do you actually coach, and are they truly learning something?
What about assisting your athletes with setting short, medium, and long-term goals?
Are you consistently reinforcing the importance of professionalism and good lifestyle habits in everything that you do?

Athletes:
What are you eating when with your family and friends? 
Are you getting your 5+ a day? 
Do you drink enough water and fluids so that your urine is always clear and you remain hydrated?
Are you getting good quality proteins and carbohydrates from a variety of sources?
How much are you sleeping? 
Is it good quality sleep, or are you too busy frolicking with your team-mates girlfriend?
Are you applying yourself mentally and physically during all training?
Do you set performance goals for yourself, if so, how are you working towards these?
Are you working hard when you are asked to work hard, and resting when you should be resting?

The lists above are not exhaustive.  They are just some thoughts and questions that every one of you reading this should have.  There are many others.  You don’t need to live the life of a priest or a nun, but you should make more good choices if you are serious about your goals, athlete or otherwise. 

Some of these ideas above may be foreign to you.  If so, then you need to sort out the big & important 95%, before you even think about going for the final 5%! 
Sorry Mr. & Mrs. GNC salesperson…