Developing & Redevloping Habits

Bounce back after a rough patch
Written by Marcus Smith
Tom Walker
Mar 1, 2022
-
5
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
Developing & Redeveloping Fitness Habits

We all hit rough patches. When life gets busy, something has to be sacrificed to make up the time. Instead of cutting out binge watching a TV show or waking up early, they’ll choose to sleep in and skip their workout.

This article is not about avoiding the rough patches – if you’re reading this, chances are that ship has already sailed. What I want to do is help you come out the other side armed with ways to stick to your fitness goals.

Whether you’ve been in a funk for two weeks or two years, these principles will help you out!

How small changes deliver big results

Have you ever heard of the ‘Mosquito Effect’?

It can often be tricky to see your way out of a rough patch. You look for significant actions that can make a big difference… but these can seem daunting and often unreachable.

Men and women stood next to a white board in a gym planning a workout
Small, consistent changes lead to big results. Make a plan and stay on track!

The trick is to break things down into smaller, more achievable goals – these actions then add up to make a huge difference overall. This idea helped David Brailsford turn British cycling and team Ineos into a world-conquering powerhouse and it can do the same for you, too.

What does that have to do with a mosquito? Well, think about this: a mosquito is less than 1% the size of you, yet it can keep you up all night, torment you with itchiness and even kill you.

If you think that small things can’t make a big difference, think about the Mosquito Effect!

Redeveloping Habits: 1% Gains and 1% Losses

When developing and redeveloping habits, we want to not only look at what 1% gains we can make but also what 1% losses we can remove.

How to identify bad habits

If you ask most people what bad habits they have, they may find it hard to answer.

An excellent place to begin looking is around how you start and finish your day. Screen time habits? Eating habits? Exercise habits? Believe it or not, they’re all connected.

Stressful situations often have us hooked to a screen, desperate to know what’s happening. In this case, ask yourself what you’re monitoring and if you need to be doing it right now.

Mobile phone next to a kettlebell and fitness bands.
Constantly checking your phone is a bad fitness habit we’re all guilty of.

So many people are hooked to the news to know the following headline. Is it helpful to see before you head out on the run you’ve been putting off all week, or is it better to have a clear head? Should we check what’s going on just before going to bed?

The answer to both questions is: probably not, so the 1% move here is to not look at your phone upon waking or 60 mins before sleeping. Remove the phone from your view!

That’s a small change that’ll make a big difference.

Why do we develop bad habits?

Rough patches usually come with a need to elicit dopamine to make ourselves feel better.

One way we can do this is to eat! Food can trigger a huge dopamine response before eating a mouthful, but be careful – with big ups comes big downs.

Planning out your week of food can remove the 'surprise' our dopamine-hungry brains love and keep levels much smoother. Seeing food as your fuel and not your emotion controller is vital. 

People who love food gifts don't actually love the food (or they would already have it in their house). They love the fact they weren't expecting it and now have it. Make a plan that you are in charge of.

Don’t over-commit to unachievable goals

Exercise can also trigger many emotions along the same lines as food and news flashes. Usually good ones!

When emerging from a patch of nothing or even a patch of chaos, be hyper-aware of how you might be thinking. We can get ourselves into trouble repeatedly by setting goals out of our reach or the exercise bar a little high.

3 Principles to make fitness habits easy

If you are a little stuck at the moment or are emerging from a difficult time, try to focus on these three things:

  • Small differences can make big changes
  • Make a plan that you are in charge of
  • Avoid comparisons

How to develop realistic habits

“I’m going to go to the gym every day this week” is not an exercise goal. Nor is “I’m going to complete an Ironman in 2 months’ time” if you’re just returning from an injury.

Seeing exercise as your partner in getting better is far more productive in these situations. Do you prefer exercising alone or with a friend?

Male and female athletes doing weighted sled pull exercise outside in the sun
Working out with a friend can help you stay accountable!

If you prefer working out with a friend, then be willing to try what they are doing and go to the workout with an achievable goal – either spending time with your friend or simply getting out of the house.

Don’t focus on burning Kcals or working so hard that you’re too sore and stiff to workout the following day.

If you enjoy exercising alone, then do just that: avoid crowded sessions that may increase stress or data-focused workouts that you can compare with others or your previous self.

All these are possible slip-ups that could set you back again. Exercise is about raising your heart rate above baseline and stressing the muscular system, which has positive knock-on effects on your metabolism, hormones, and cardiorespiratory system.

It doesn't need to be about numbers, winners, losers, or selfies!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Specialty Class #25-3

ENGINE

8 min AMRAPS with some different dance moves for Engine this week!


GYMNASTICS

We will go upside down again, but this time with HSPU, followed by pull-up progressions. We will finish with some strength work.


HYROX

This week, we hit Half a Hyrox broken down into intervals, with rest!


MOBILITY

Mobility is Back! We will improve on the positions we need fixing from end-of-year testing. Simple hip & ankle mobility & glute stability/activation were big. With overhead stability being much needed, we will start to focus on this.


PURE STRENGTH

On Monday in Pure Strength, we have banded deadlifts and some Bulgarian split squats. On Wednesday, we hit the banded bench press and progress the loading on this and the banded row.


WEIGHTLIFTING

This week in Weightlifting we are focused on the Hang Snatch, with some snatch balance, a Heavy Snatch complex and some Pulls.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Endurance #25-3

Monday Ride

A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB

Track Tuesday

Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6

Wednesday - Brick Session

A brick session consisting of 60mins of cycling with 20 - 30mins of running. Great for all levels of triathlete.

Start time: 05:59 am

Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8

Friday - Coffee Run

Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons.  Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.

Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time
: 05:59 am

Start Location: Common Grounds

Saturday - Long Ride

Saturday long ride is usually 100km long or around 3 - 3.5hrs. It's a ride catered for moderate to advanced cyclists. Please reach out to rf@innerfight.com if you have any questions.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8


Sunday - DCS Half Marathon

https://dubaicreekstriders.com/dcs-half-marathon/

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Ladies Run Club #25-3

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Mobility and Tempo

AM Session:
Please note there is no Morning session this week.

PM Session: This evening we will have our Tempo Run, which will be 8 mins at 7/10 and 3 mins recovery.
x3. Aim to keep a 7/10 effort on each block of work.

Tuesday

Time: 5:59am

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6

Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/

Session: Track Tuesday

This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. The session today will be 800m repeats that build in pace.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. The session is 100m efforts through the park with a 300m recovery.

Friday

Brief time: 5:54am

Start Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

This week we will be looking to dial into
2mins @ 8RPE, followed 9mins @ 6RPE. Repeating the sequence 3x gives you plenty of opportunity to find your rhythm.

Sunday

Time: 06:00

Session: Dubai Creek

Location: TBC

This week we will be at the DCS 10km and half marathon race. Warm-up location and details will be shared in WhatsApp.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
Daily Workout #25-3

This week at Innerfight, we start working on those overhead squat positions, followed by lunging and rowing in the workout.

On Tuesday, we have some clean and jerk barbell cycling, a pair of short, sharp, classic CrossFit-style workouts, and then some assault

bike intervals. We are back squatting heavily on Wednesday before some tough single leg in the workout. Thursday, we have a nice

gymnastics skill session followed by a partner workout, and on Friday, we finish the week with a Long Therapy WOD!


Monday:

Strength:

Over Head Squats


Conditioning:

Every 4 mins x 5 Complete

10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)

20/15 cal Row

10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)


Tuesday:

Strength:

Complex Power Clean + Push Press + Push Jerk


Conditioning:

15-12-9

Chest to Bar

Power Clean (60/40)

rest 3 mins

21-15-9

Pull Ups

Push Press (45/35kg)

Wednesday:

Strength:

Back Squat

Conditioning:

In a 4 Minute Window with 2mins rest x 4

1 Lap Car Park KB Farmers Carry

10 KB Box Stepovers

15 Burpee to Target

AMRAP

Goblet Squats

Thursday:

Strength:

A) Double Unders

B) Toes to Bar

C) Russian KB Swings

Conditioning:

21 min AMRAP with a Partner

6 Wall walks

30 Deadlift (60/40)

30 Cal Ass bike

30 Cal Ski

Friday:

Strength:

A) Ring Rows

B) Wall Balls + Goblet Wall Sit

Conditioning:

30min AMRAP - 4 movements that when put together make an epic workout!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Developing & Redeveloping Fitness Habits

We all hit rough patches. When life gets busy, something has to be sacrificed to make up the time. Instead of cutting out binge watching a TV show or waking up early, they’ll choose to sleep in and skip their workout.

This article is not about avoiding the rough patches – if you’re reading this, chances are that ship has already sailed. What I want to do is help you come out the other side armed with ways to stick to your fitness goals.

Whether you’ve been in a funk for two weeks or two years, these principles will help you out!

How small changes deliver big results

Have you ever heard of the ‘Mosquito Effect’?

It can often be tricky to see your way out of a rough patch. You look for significant actions that can make a big difference… but these can seem daunting and often unreachable.

Men and women stood next to a white board in a gym planning a workout
Small, consistent changes lead to big results. Make a plan and stay on track!

The trick is to break things down into smaller, more achievable goals – these actions then add up to make a huge difference overall. This idea helped David Brailsford turn British cycling and team Ineos into a world-conquering powerhouse and it can do the same for you, too.

What does that have to do with a mosquito? Well, think about this: a mosquito is less than 1% the size of you, yet it can keep you up all night, torment you with itchiness and even kill you.

If you think that small things can’t make a big difference, think about the Mosquito Effect!

Redeveloping Habits: 1% Gains and 1% Losses

When developing and redeveloping habits, we want to not only look at what 1% gains we can make but also what 1% losses we can remove.

How to identify bad habits

If you ask most people what bad habits they have, they may find it hard to answer.

An excellent place to begin looking is around how you start and finish your day. Screen time habits? Eating habits? Exercise habits? Believe it or not, they’re all connected.

Stressful situations often have us hooked to a screen, desperate to know what’s happening. In this case, ask yourself what you’re monitoring and if you need to be doing it right now.

Mobile phone next to a kettlebell and fitness bands.
Constantly checking your phone is a bad fitness habit we’re all guilty of.

So many people are hooked to the news to know the following headline. Is it helpful to see before you head out on the run you’ve been putting off all week, or is it better to have a clear head? Should we check what’s going on just before going to bed?

The answer to both questions is: probably not, so the 1% move here is to not look at your phone upon waking or 60 mins before sleeping. Remove the phone from your view!

That’s a small change that’ll make a big difference.

Why do we develop bad habits?

Rough patches usually come with a need to elicit dopamine to make ourselves feel better.

One way we can do this is to eat! Food can trigger a huge dopamine response before eating a mouthful, but be careful – with big ups comes big downs.

Planning out your week of food can remove the 'surprise' our dopamine-hungry brains love and keep levels much smoother. Seeing food as your fuel and not your emotion controller is vital. 

People who love food gifts don't actually love the food (or they would already have it in their house). They love the fact they weren't expecting it and now have it. Make a plan that you are in charge of.

Don’t over-commit to unachievable goals

Exercise can also trigger many emotions along the same lines as food and news flashes. Usually good ones!

When emerging from a patch of nothing or even a patch of chaos, be hyper-aware of how you might be thinking. We can get ourselves into trouble repeatedly by setting goals out of our reach or the exercise bar a little high.

3 Principles to make fitness habits easy

If you are a little stuck at the moment or are emerging from a difficult time, try to focus on these three things:

  • Small differences can make big changes
  • Make a plan that you are in charge of
  • Avoid comparisons

How to develop realistic habits

“I’m going to go to the gym every day this week” is not an exercise goal. Nor is “I’m going to complete an Ironman in 2 months’ time” if you’re just returning from an injury.

Seeing exercise as your partner in getting better is far more productive in these situations. Do you prefer exercising alone or with a friend?

Male and female athletes doing weighted sled pull exercise outside in the sun
Working out with a friend can help you stay accountable!

If you prefer working out with a friend, then be willing to try what they are doing and go to the workout with an achievable goal – either spending time with your friend or simply getting out of the house.

Don’t focus on burning Kcals or working so hard that you’re too sore and stiff to workout the following day.

If you enjoy exercising alone, then do just that: avoid crowded sessions that may increase stress or data-focused workouts that you can compare with others or your previous self.

All these are possible slip-ups that could set you back again. Exercise is about raising your heart rate above baseline and stressing the muscular system, which has positive knock-on effects on your metabolism, hormones, and cardiorespiratory system.

It doesn't need to be about numbers, winners, losers, or selfies!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Endurance #25-3

Monday Ride

A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB

Track Tuesday

Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6

Wednesday - Brick Session

A brick session consisting of 60mins of cycling with 20 - 30mins of running. Great for all levels of triathlete.

Start time: 05:59 am

Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8

Friday - Coffee Run

Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons.  Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.

Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time
: 05:59 am

Start Location: Common Grounds

Saturday - Long Ride

Saturday long ride is usually 100km long or around 3 - 3.5hrs. It's a ride catered for moderate to advanced cyclists. Please reach out to rf@innerfight.com if you have any questions.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8


Sunday - DCS Half Marathon

https://dubaicreekstriders.com/dcs-half-marathon/

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Ladies Run Club #25-3

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Mobility and Tempo

AM Session:
Please note there is no Morning session this week.

PM Session: This evening we will have our Tempo Run, which will be 8 mins at 7/10 and 3 mins recovery.
x3. Aim to keep a 7/10 effort on each block of work.

Tuesday

Time: 5:59am

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6

Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/

Session: Track Tuesday

This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. The session today will be 800m repeats that build in pace.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. The session is 100m efforts through the park with a 300m recovery.

Friday

Brief time: 5:54am

Start Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

This week we will be looking to dial into
2mins @ 8RPE, followed 9mins @ 6RPE. Repeating the sequence 3x gives you plenty of opportunity to find your rhythm.

Sunday

Time: 06:00

Session: Dubai Creek

Location: TBC

This week we will be at the DCS 10km and half marathon race. Warm-up location and details will be shared in WhatsApp.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
Daily Workout #25-3

This week at Innerfight, we start working on those overhead squat positions, followed by lunging and rowing in the workout.

On Tuesday, we have some clean and jerk barbell cycling, a pair of short, sharp, classic CrossFit-style workouts, and then some assault

bike intervals. We are back squatting heavily on Wednesday before some tough single leg in the workout. Thursday, we have a nice

gymnastics skill session followed by a partner workout, and on Friday, we finish the week with a Long Therapy WOD!


Monday:

Strength:

Over Head Squats


Conditioning:

Every 4 mins x 5 Complete

10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)

20/15 cal Row

10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)


Tuesday:

Strength:

Complex Power Clean + Push Press + Push Jerk


Conditioning:

15-12-9

Chest to Bar

Power Clean (60/40)

rest 3 mins

21-15-9

Pull Ups

Push Press (45/35kg)

Wednesday:

Strength:

Back Squat

Conditioning:

In a 4 Minute Window with 2mins rest x 4

1 Lap Car Park KB Farmers Carry

10 KB Box Stepovers

15 Burpee to Target

AMRAP

Goblet Squats

Thursday:

Strength:

A) Double Unders

B) Toes to Bar

C) Russian KB Swings

Conditioning:

21 min AMRAP with a Partner

6 Wall walks

30 Deadlift (60/40)

30 Cal Ass bike

30 Cal Ski

Friday:

Strength:

A) Ring Rows

B) Wall Balls + Goblet Wall Sit

Conditioning:

30min AMRAP - 4 movements that when put together make an epic workout!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Specialty Class #25-3

ENGINE

8 min AMRAPS with some different dance moves for Engine this week!


GYMNASTICS

We will go upside down again, but this time with HSPU, followed by pull-up progressions. We will finish with some strength work.


HYROX

This week, we hit Half a Hyrox broken down into intervals, with rest!


MOBILITY

Mobility is Back! We will improve on the positions we need fixing from end-of-year testing. Simple hip & ankle mobility & glute stability/activation were big. With overhead stability being much needed, we will start to focus on this.


PURE STRENGTH

On Monday in Pure Strength, we have banded deadlifts and some Bulgarian split squats. On Wednesday, we hit the banded bench press and progress the loading on this and the banded row.


WEIGHTLIFTING

This week in Weightlifting we are focused on the Hang Snatch, with some snatch balance, a Heavy Snatch complex and some Pulls.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Developing & Redeveloping Fitness Habits

We all hit rough patches. When life gets busy, something has to be sacrificed to make up the time. Instead of cutting out binge watching a TV show or waking up early, they’ll choose to sleep in and skip their workout.

This article is not about avoiding the rough patches – if you’re reading this, chances are that ship has already sailed. What I want to do is help you come out the other side armed with ways to stick to your fitness goals.

Whether you’ve been in a funk for two weeks or two years, these principles will help you out!

How small changes deliver big results

Have you ever heard of the ‘Mosquito Effect’?

It can often be tricky to see your way out of a rough patch. You look for significant actions that can make a big difference… but these can seem daunting and often unreachable.

Men and women stood next to a white board in a gym planning a workout
Small, consistent changes lead to big results. Make a plan and stay on track!

The trick is to break things down into smaller, more achievable goals – these actions then add up to make a huge difference overall. This idea helped David Brailsford turn British cycling and team Ineos into a world-conquering powerhouse and it can do the same for you, too.

What does that have to do with a mosquito? Well, think about this: a mosquito is less than 1% the size of you, yet it can keep you up all night, torment you with itchiness and even kill you.

If you think that small things can’t make a big difference, think about the Mosquito Effect!

Redeveloping Habits: 1% Gains and 1% Losses

When developing and redeveloping habits, we want to not only look at what 1% gains we can make but also what 1% losses we can remove.

How to identify bad habits

If you ask most people what bad habits they have, they may find it hard to answer.

An excellent place to begin looking is around how you start and finish your day. Screen time habits? Eating habits? Exercise habits? Believe it or not, they’re all connected.

Stressful situations often have us hooked to a screen, desperate to know what’s happening. In this case, ask yourself what you’re monitoring and if you need to be doing it right now.

Mobile phone next to a kettlebell and fitness bands.
Constantly checking your phone is a bad fitness habit we’re all guilty of.

So many people are hooked to the news to know the following headline. Is it helpful to see before you head out on the run you’ve been putting off all week, or is it better to have a clear head? Should we check what’s going on just before going to bed?

The answer to both questions is: probably not, so the 1% move here is to not look at your phone upon waking or 60 mins before sleeping. Remove the phone from your view!

That’s a small change that’ll make a big difference.

Why do we develop bad habits?

Rough patches usually come with a need to elicit dopamine to make ourselves feel better.

One way we can do this is to eat! Food can trigger a huge dopamine response before eating a mouthful, but be careful – with big ups comes big downs.

Planning out your week of food can remove the 'surprise' our dopamine-hungry brains love and keep levels much smoother. Seeing food as your fuel and not your emotion controller is vital. 

People who love food gifts don't actually love the food (or they would already have it in their house). They love the fact they weren't expecting it and now have it. Make a plan that you are in charge of.

Don’t over-commit to unachievable goals

Exercise can also trigger many emotions along the same lines as food and news flashes. Usually good ones!

When emerging from a patch of nothing or even a patch of chaos, be hyper-aware of how you might be thinking. We can get ourselves into trouble repeatedly by setting goals out of our reach or the exercise bar a little high.

3 Principles to make fitness habits easy

If you are a little stuck at the moment or are emerging from a difficult time, try to focus on these three things:

  • Small differences can make big changes
  • Make a plan that you are in charge of
  • Avoid comparisons

How to develop realistic habits

“I’m going to go to the gym every day this week” is not an exercise goal. Nor is “I’m going to complete an Ironman in 2 months’ time” if you’re just returning from an injury.

Seeing exercise as your partner in getting better is far more productive in these situations. Do you prefer exercising alone or with a friend?

Male and female athletes doing weighted sled pull exercise outside in the sun
Working out with a friend can help you stay accountable!

If you prefer working out with a friend, then be willing to try what they are doing and go to the workout with an achievable goal – either spending time with your friend or simply getting out of the house.

Don’t focus on burning Kcals or working so hard that you’re too sore and stiff to workout the following day.

If you enjoy exercising alone, then do just that: avoid crowded sessions that may increase stress or data-focused workouts that you can compare with others or your previous self.

All these are possible slip-ups that could set you back again. Exercise is about raising your heart rate above baseline and stressing the muscular system, which has positive knock-on effects on your metabolism, hormones, and cardiorespiratory system.

It doesn't need to be about numbers, winners, losers, or selfies!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Ladies Run Club #25-3

Monday

Time: 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Mobility and Tempo

AM Session:
Please note there is no Morning session this week.

PM Session: This evening we will have our Tempo Run, which will be 8 mins at 7/10 and 3 mins recovery.
x3. Aim to keep a 7/10 effort on each block of work.

Tuesday

Time: 5:59am

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6

Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/

Session: Track Tuesday

This is your chance to run fast with the wider IFE community and coaches. The session today will be 800m repeats that build in pace.

Wednesday

Time: 5:59am & 5:59pm

Location: InnerFight

Session: LRC Intervals

If you didn't run track, today we have some speed work for you. The session is 100m efforts through the park with a 300m recovery.

Friday

Brief time: 5:54am

Start Time: 5:59am

Location: Common Grounds

Session: The Coffee Run

This week we will be looking to dial into
2mins @ 8RPE, followed 9mins @ 6RPE. Repeating the sequence 3x gives you plenty of opportunity to find your rhythm.

Sunday

Time: 06:00

Session: Dubai Creek

Location: TBC

This week we will be at the DCS 10km and half marathon race. Warm-up location and details will be shared in WhatsApp.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Mainline Class
Specialty Class
Endurance
Ladies Run Club
Daily Workout #25-3

This week at Innerfight, we start working on those overhead squat positions, followed by lunging and rowing in the workout.

On Tuesday, we have some clean and jerk barbell cycling, a pair of short, sharp, classic CrossFit-style workouts, and then some assault

bike intervals. We are back squatting heavily on Wednesday before some tough single leg in the workout. Thursday, we have a nice

gymnastics skill session followed by a partner workout, and on Friday, we finish the week with a Long Therapy WOD!


Monday:

Strength:

Over Head Squats


Conditioning:

Every 4 mins x 5 Complete

10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)

20/15 cal Row

10 DB Overhead Alt Reverse Lunges (50/35)


Tuesday:

Strength:

Complex Power Clean + Push Press + Push Jerk


Conditioning:

15-12-9

Chest to Bar

Power Clean (60/40)

rest 3 mins

21-15-9

Pull Ups

Push Press (45/35kg)

Wednesday:

Strength:

Back Squat

Conditioning:

In a 4 Minute Window with 2mins rest x 4

1 Lap Car Park KB Farmers Carry

10 KB Box Stepovers

15 Burpee to Target

AMRAP

Goblet Squats

Thursday:

Strength:

A) Double Unders

B) Toes to Bar

C) Russian KB Swings

Conditioning:

21 min AMRAP with a Partner

6 Wall walks

30 Deadlift (60/40)

30 Cal Ass bike

30 Cal Ski

Friday:

Strength:

A) Ring Rows

B) Wall Balls + Goblet Wall Sit

Conditioning:

30min AMRAP - 4 movements that when put together make an epic workout!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Specialty Class #25-3

ENGINE

8 min AMRAPS with some different dance moves for Engine this week!


GYMNASTICS

We will go upside down again, but this time with HSPU, followed by pull-up progressions. We will finish with some strength work.


HYROX

This week, we hit Half a Hyrox broken down into intervals, with rest!


MOBILITY

Mobility is Back! We will improve on the positions we need fixing from end-of-year testing. Simple hip & ankle mobility & glute stability/activation were big. With overhead stability being much needed, we will start to focus on this.


PURE STRENGTH

On Monday in Pure Strength, we have banded deadlifts and some Bulgarian split squats. On Wednesday, we hit the banded bench press and progress the loading on this and the banded row.


WEIGHTLIFTING

This week in Weightlifting we are focused on the Hang Snatch, with some snatch balance, a Heavy Snatch complex and some Pulls.

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Endurance #25-3

Monday Ride

A skills and fitness based ride at the BikeDXB track in Dubai. Some simply structured intervals to enhance cycling ability.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location: The Loop Cafe, Bike DXB

Track Tuesday

Our weekly on track speed session! For any level of runner looking to build their run speed, threshold and Vo2max fitness and run with the best running community in Dubai.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Entrance fee: https://isddubai.com/athletics-venuehire/

Location: https://goo.gl/maps/oomJAa31vKy3hQNG6

Wednesday - Brick Session

A brick session consisting of 60mins of cycling with 20 - 30mins of running. Great for all levels of triathlete.

Start time: 05:59 am

Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8

Friday - Coffee Run

Our weekly tempo run. This run is currently gearing run fitness towards the incoming half marathons.  Sessions are built on an RPE scale and accessible to all levels of runner.

Brief time: 05:54 am
Start time
: 05:59 am

Start Location: Common Grounds

Saturday - Long Ride

Saturday long ride is usually 100km long or around 3 - 3.5hrs. It's a ride catered for moderate to advanced cyclists. Please reach out to rf@innerfight.com if you have any questions.

Start time: 05:59 am

Session Length: 1.5 hour

Location : BOTS - https://goo.gl/maps/6AwtJXW8nA45Cy9H8


Sunday - DCS Half Marathon

https://dubaicreekstriders.com/dcs-half-marathon/

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Developing & Redeveloping Fitness Habits

We all hit rough patches. When life gets busy, something has to be sacrificed to make up the time. Instead of cutting out binge watching a TV show or waking up early, they’ll choose to sleep in and skip their workout.

This article is not about avoiding the rough patches – if you’re reading this, chances are that ship has already sailed. What I want to do is help you come out the other side armed with ways to stick to your fitness goals.

Whether you’ve been in a funk for two weeks or two years, these principles will help you out!

How small changes deliver big results

Have you ever heard of the ‘Mosquito Effect’?

It can often be tricky to see your way out of a rough patch. You look for significant actions that can make a big difference… but these can seem daunting and often unreachable.

Men and women stood next to a white board in a gym planning a workout
Small, consistent changes lead to big results. Make a plan and stay on track!

The trick is to break things down into smaller, more achievable goals – these actions then add up to make a huge difference overall. This idea helped David Brailsford turn British cycling and team Ineos into a world-conquering powerhouse and it can do the same for you, too.

What does that have to do with a mosquito? Well, think about this: a mosquito is less than 1% the size of you, yet it can keep you up all night, torment you with itchiness and even kill you.

If you think that small things can’t make a big difference, think about the Mosquito Effect!

Redeveloping Habits: 1% Gains and 1% Losses

When developing and redeveloping habits, we want to not only look at what 1% gains we can make but also what 1% losses we can remove.

How to identify bad habits

If you ask most people what bad habits they have, they may find it hard to answer.

An excellent place to begin looking is around how you start and finish your day. Screen time habits? Eating habits? Exercise habits? Believe it or not, they’re all connected.

Stressful situations often have us hooked to a screen, desperate to know what’s happening. In this case, ask yourself what you’re monitoring and if you need to be doing it right now.

Mobile phone next to a kettlebell and fitness bands.
Constantly checking your phone is a bad fitness habit we’re all guilty of.

So many people are hooked to the news to know the following headline. Is it helpful to see before you head out on the run you’ve been putting off all week, or is it better to have a clear head? Should we check what’s going on just before going to bed?

The answer to both questions is: probably not, so the 1% move here is to not look at your phone upon waking or 60 mins before sleeping. Remove the phone from your view!

That’s a small change that’ll make a big difference.

Why do we develop bad habits?

Rough patches usually come with a need to elicit dopamine to make ourselves feel better.

One way we can do this is to eat! Food can trigger a huge dopamine response before eating a mouthful, but be careful – with big ups comes big downs.

Planning out your week of food can remove the 'surprise' our dopamine-hungry brains love and keep levels much smoother. Seeing food as your fuel and not your emotion controller is vital. 

People who love food gifts don't actually love the food (or they would already have it in their house). They love the fact they weren't expecting it and now have it. Make a plan that you are in charge of.

Don’t over-commit to unachievable goals

Exercise can also trigger many emotions along the same lines as food and news flashes. Usually good ones!

When emerging from a patch of nothing or even a patch of chaos, be hyper-aware of how you might be thinking. We can get ourselves into trouble repeatedly by setting goals out of our reach or the exercise bar a little high.

3 Principles to make fitness habits easy

If you are a little stuck at the moment or are emerging from a difficult time, try to focus on these three things:

  • Small differences can make big changes
  • Make a plan that you are in charge of
  • Avoid comparisons

How to develop realistic habits

“I’m going to go to the gym every day this week” is not an exercise goal. Nor is “I’m going to complete an Ironman in 2 months’ time” if you’re just returning from an injury.

Seeing exercise as your partner in getting better is far more productive in these situations. Do you prefer exercising alone or with a friend?

Male and female athletes doing weighted sled pull exercise outside in the sun
Working out with a friend can help you stay accountable!

If you prefer working out with a friend, then be willing to try what they are doing and go to the workout with an achievable goal – either spending time with your friend or simply getting out of the house.

Don’t focus on burning Kcals or working so hard that you’re too sore and stiff to workout the following day.

If you enjoy exercising alone, then do just that: avoid crowded sessions that may increase stress or data-focused workouts that you can compare with others or your previous self.

All these are possible slip-ups that could set you back again. Exercise is about raising your heart rate above baseline and stressing the muscular system, which has positive knock-on effects on your metabolism, hormones, and cardiorespiratory system.

It doesn't need to be about numbers, winners, losers, or selfies!

Introduction

Mi tincidunt elit, id quisque ligula ac diam, amet. Vel etiam suspendisse morbi eleifend faucibus eget vestibulum felis. Dictum quis montes, sit sit. Tellus aliquam enim urna, etiam. Mauris posuere vulputate arcu amet, vitae nisi, tellus tincidunt. At feugiat sapien varius id.

Eget quis mi enim, leo lacinia pharetra, semper. Eget in volutpat mollis at volutpat lectus velit, sed auctor. Porttitor fames arcu quis fusce augue enim. Quis at habitant diam at. Suscipit tristique risus, at donec. In turpis vel et quam imperdiet. Ipsum molestie aliquet sodales id est ac volutpat.

Image caption goes here

Dolor enim eu tortor urna sed duis nulla

Elit nisi in eleifend sed nisi. Pulvinar at orci, proin imperdiet commodo consectetur convallis risus. Sed condimentum enim dignissim adipiscing faucibus consequat, urna. Viverra purus et erat auctor aliquam. Risus, volutpat vulputate posuere purus sit congue convallis aliquet. Arcu id augue ut feugiat donec porttitor neque. Mauris, neque ultricies eu vestibulum, bibendum quam lorem id. Dolor lacus, eget nunc lectus in tellus, pharetra, porttitor.

If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

Tristique odio senectus nam posuere ornare leo metus, ultricies. Blandit duis ultricies vulputate morbi feugiat cras placerat elit. Aliquam tellus lorem sed ac. Montes, sed mattis pellentesque suscipit accumsan. Cursus viverra aenean magna risus elementum faucibus molestie pellentesque. Arcu ultricies sed mauris vestibulum.

Conclusion

Morbi sed imperdiet in ipsum, adipiscing elit dui lectus. Tellus id scelerisque est ultricies ultricies. Duis est sit sed leo nisl, blandit elit sagittis. Quisque tristique consequat quam sed. Nisl at scelerisque amet nulla purus habitasse.

Nunc sed faucibus bibendum feugiat sed interdum. Ipsum egestas condimentum mi massa. In tincidunt pharetra consectetur sed duis facilisis metus. Etiam egestas in nec sed et. Quis lobortis at sit dictum eget nibh tortor commodo cursus.

Odio felis sagittis, morbi feugiat tortor vitae feugiat fusce aliquet. Nam elementum urna nisi aliquet erat dolor enim. Ornare id morbi eget ipsum. Aliquam senectus neque ut id eget consectetur dictum. Donec posuere pharetra odio consequat scelerisque et, nunc tortor.
Nulla adipiscing erat a erat. Condimentum lorem posuere gravida enim posuere cursus diam.

Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep
Developing & Redeveloping Fitness Habits

We all hit rough patches. When life gets busy, something has to be sacrificed to make up the time. Instead of cutting out binge watching a TV show or waking up early, they’ll choose to sleep in and skip their workout.

This article is not about avoiding the rough patches – if you’re reading this, chances are that ship has already sailed. What I want to do is help you come out the other side armed with ways to stick to your fitness goals.

Whether you’ve been in a funk for two weeks or two years, these principles will help you out!

How small changes deliver big results

Have you ever heard of the ‘Mosquito Effect’?

It can often be tricky to see your way out of a rough patch. You look for significant actions that can make a big difference… but these can seem daunting and often unreachable.

Men and women stood next to a white board in a gym planning a workout
Small, consistent changes lead to big results. Make a plan and stay on track!

The trick is to break things down into smaller, more achievable goals – these actions then add up to make a huge difference overall. This idea helped David Brailsford turn British cycling and team Ineos into a world-conquering powerhouse and it can do the same for you, too.

What does that have to do with a mosquito? Well, think about this: a mosquito is less than 1% the size of you, yet it can keep you up all night, torment you with itchiness and even kill you.

If you think that small things can’t make a big difference, think about the Mosquito Effect!

Redeveloping Habits: 1% Gains and 1% Losses

When developing and redeveloping habits, we want to not only look at what 1% gains we can make but also what 1% losses we can remove.

How to identify bad habits

If you ask most people what bad habits they have, they may find it hard to answer.

An excellent place to begin looking is around how you start and finish your day. Screen time habits? Eating habits? Exercise habits? Believe it or not, they’re all connected.

Stressful situations often have us hooked to a screen, desperate to know what’s happening. In this case, ask yourself what you’re monitoring and if you need to be doing it right now.

Mobile phone next to a kettlebell and fitness bands.
Constantly checking your phone is a bad fitness habit we’re all guilty of.

So many people are hooked to the news to know the following headline. Is it helpful to see before you head out on the run you’ve been putting off all week, or is it better to have a clear head? Should we check what’s going on just before going to bed?

The answer to both questions is: probably not, so the 1% move here is to not look at your phone upon waking or 60 mins before sleeping. Remove the phone from your view!

That’s a small change that’ll make a big difference.

Why do we develop bad habits?

Rough patches usually come with a need to elicit dopamine to make ourselves feel better.

One way we can do this is to eat! Food can trigger a huge dopamine response before eating a mouthful, but be careful – with big ups comes big downs.

Planning out your week of food can remove the 'surprise' our dopamine-hungry brains love and keep levels much smoother. Seeing food as your fuel and not your emotion controller is vital. 

People who love food gifts don't actually love the food (or they would already have it in their house). They love the fact they weren't expecting it and now have it. Make a plan that you are in charge of.

Don’t over-commit to unachievable goals

Exercise can also trigger many emotions along the same lines as food and news flashes. Usually good ones!

When emerging from a patch of nothing or even a patch of chaos, be hyper-aware of how you might be thinking. We can get ourselves into trouble repeatedly by setting goals out of our reach or the exercise bar a little high.

3 Principles to make fitness habits easy

If you are a little stuck at the moment or are emerging from a difficult time, try to focus on these three things:

  • Small differences can make big changes
  • Make a plan that you are in charge of
  • Avoid comparisons

How to develop realistic habits

“I’m going to go to the gym every day this week” is not an exercise goal. Nor is “I’m going to complete an Ironman in 2 months’ time” if you’re just returning from an injury.

Seeing exercise as your partner in getting better is far more productive in these situations. Do you prefer exercising alone or with a friend?

Male and female athletes doing weighted sled pull exercise outside in the sun
Working out with a friend can help you stay accountable!

If you prefer working out with a friend, then be willing to try what they are doing and go to the workout with an achievable goal – either spending time with your friend or simply getting out of the house.

Don’t focus on burning Kcals or working so hard that you’re too sore and stiff to workout the following day.

If you enjoy exercising alone, then do just that: avoid crowded sessions that may increase stress or data-focused workouts that you can compare with others or your previous self.

All these are possible slip-ups that could set you back again. Exercise is about raising your heart rate above baseline and stressing the muscular system, which has positive knock-on effects on your metabolism, hormones, and cardiorespiratory system.

It doesn't need to be about numbers, winners, losers, or selfies!

Introduction

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If you want to swim faster on race day, it’s no secret you’ve got to swim fast in training.

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Conclusion

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Triathlon
Swimming
Race Prep

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