Following a proper workout ‘program” or “routine” is absolutely paramount in achieving ones goals in the gym. In fact, here’s one, and here’s another…
But, sometimes I go through phases where I simply cannot stick to a strict, traditional “workout routine” for whatever reason. Maybe I’m “in between” programs and just need a break from writing everything down, tracking my own workouts. Or maybe I just need to disconnect due to burn out but I know I must somehow make it to the gym for mental health reasons. It’s these times, that I welcome the opportunity to feel open, free, instinctive…
Instinctive Training. What do I mean by that?
My version of “Instinctive training” is, sometimes I will go through periods of time where I train what I feel needs to be trained that particular day. Of course I won’t just “show up and do whatever”, or train the same muscle groups on consecutive days. There is a strategy behind this, and you must be mindful of when certain muscles were trained last, etc. But generally speaking I will know what muscle group I’m going to train on a given day, but exactly what order/philosophy/rep range I do will largely depend on how I feel after my warmup/yoga stretches and really discover how much energy I have and what my limitations will be. There is absolutely nothing wrong with this kind of training approach in my opinion.
Now, this doesn’t mean I just show up and “do random things”, everything has a purpose, and a lot of thought actually does go into this type of instinctive training principle. I find it really allows for us to become one with ourselves in a deeper way so, if you are an advanced athlete (and advanced in age like I am), don’t let people criticize you. Most people benefit best by continuously following a specific program month in month out. With the programs that I put people on, oftentimes I suggest (depending on your goals), increasing/decreasing rep ranges (and weights) week to week, or maybe performing a full body workout in place of 1 upper and 1 lower body day that week (this is great for metabolism boosting and fat burning!). It could even mean switching up the order in which you attack a certain muscle group that day/week.
But the “Instinctive Training” I am referring to works great as kind of an “in between” for people who may be in a transitional period, or who maybe are just not able to stick to a program for whatever reason at that time. There will never be a “one size/philosophy fits all” approach to weight training. I personally am looking at a couple of different new programs for myself to start up this fall! I’ll let you know how they are coming!
All the best!
Love,
SBF