Dec 8, 2011

A Practical Guide to Training Plan Construction, Part II

This is the second segment in the "A Practical Guide to Training Plan Construction" series. Part I can be found here. The next steps in the "Natural Planning Model" are outcome visioning and brainstorming.

What will the conclusion of a successful training program look like the physical world?

Outcome visioning creates your best-case scenario goal. Personally, I don't focus on long-term projects. I enjoy climbing things quickly (e.g., onsight or in-a-day) to maximize my limited time outdoor climbing time. A successful training program for me will increase my ability to quickly send a wide-variety of climbs in a wide-variety of contexts.

Your outcome might be focused on a specific climb or competence at a specific grade.

What are important questions to ask?

Brainstorming is what your mind intuitively does to connect the dots between your current state and your envisioned outcome. These are best phrased as questions. Here is a selection of my brainstorming questions:
"What is the path of least resistance to my outcome?"
"Do I want to try a different training program?"
"Should I get someone else's input?"
"Do I need access to additional training tools?"

Writing down these questions will unlock your mind's creativity.

By this point you should have the raw materials to construct a training plan. The final segment cover the nitty-gritty of transforming the raw materials into a plan by organizing and identifying next actions.