Why Doing The Same Thing Works

It's been a while since the blogs been up & running due to a super busy & full on few months for me personally & professionally. But I wanted to get back to it & I felt like this topic was a good place to start afresh, especially as the seasons are changing & we're now heading into the Autumn months.

Let’s just think about McDonalds for a start.

I know, it's nothing to do with fitness but they do have a model that works well & we can replicate their system with our fitness & riding journey if you bear with me! So when you pull up at the drive-thru you probably have a go-to Maccy D’s order. You know what they do, their menu rarely changes.

The Big Mac, Quarterpounder, Chicken wraps are always on the menu & it’s always the same system.

You order your burger, then your chips & lastly your drink. Occasionally they might bring in a new variety to the menu especially at set times of the year like Easter or Christmas.

A different burger with some spicy sauce. Or a McFlurry with different toppings.

But the nuts & bolts of their menu & what’s on offer never change.

And it should be the same with our riding, our fitness & our nutrition. With the occasional McDonalds chucked in for good measure!

We should be following a system like this that works for us week in week out. In reality we probably all already do this with our horses whether we realise it or not.

With the horses it probably looks like;

• Schooling 1-2 x a week

• Lesson 1 x week

• Hack 1-2 x a week

• Lunge Day

• Treadmill or Rest Day

And when it comes to our own fitness regime & nutrition we should also have a weekly structure that we follow. But for some reason, riders get caught up in this trap of thinking that changing it up all the time is what we need.

Imagine if every time you went to McDonalds they had a completely new menu. You’d have to read through it each time, figure out what everything was, decide what you like & in reality when you know what you like & what works already it would probably be completely overwhelming especially when you're tight on time & just want a quick decision.

You might order something new & try it. Chances are it probably won’t be your new favourite. Or if you’re like me you’ll just think, nah way too many decisions I’m out.

Changing your nutrition & your fitness approach 24/7 does NOT work long term. There's a reason these huge multi-billion dollar companies have a system they follow. It keeps things simple, people know what they're getting & it works!!

Think about your riding & the work you put into your horse's structure. There might be some slight variations but on the whole it will look the same every week. 

And the same should go with your programme whether that's your nutrition or your exercise.

You stick to basing each of your meals off a protein source. You add the carbs you like in through the day & you get some good healthy fats in there too. Occasionally, you might have a McDonalds but you’re following the same system to fuel your body every day.

And training should be the same.

So today I'm going to help you with a system for your training to make sure the time you're putting into your training off horse is actually going to help your riding & directly benefit your performance in the saddle;

Weekly Plan

1. 2-4 Strength & Conditioning Sessions P/W (From home or gym)

2. 1-2 Aerobic/Conditioning Days (Run/HIIT class/Spin/Swim)

3. 1-2 Mobility or Stretch Days.

4. 1-2 Rest Days.

   
   

Strength & Conditioning Sessions

How many you do per week depends on time available & what you want to do. But I'd aim for a minimum of 2 sessions a week & up to 4 to get started.

Use an A & B Format, so Monday you do Session A, Wednesday you do Session B & you rotate these 2 sessions every week across the next 4-6 weeks. Focusing on good technique, improving your movement form & exercise control & in time increasing the amount of reps done or the resistance used to get you working a bit harder.

Session A;

Squat Variation aim for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. Pair your squat with a Single Arm Banded Row for the same reps & sets.

Single Leg Lunge for 6-10 reps on each leg. Pair with an overhead press for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps & add in 1 core movement for 30-40 seconds.

Session B;

Glute Bridge or Banded Hip Thrust as per sets & reps as squats. Pair with a banded pulldown or weighted pullover for the same reps & sets

Single Leg Step Up for 6-10 reps on each leg & pair this with a single arm chest press or a push up for 2-3 sets of 8-12 reps. Add in 1-2 core movement for 8-10 reps of each & go through 2-3 sets total.

On week 1, focus on establishing good control & a full range of motion on each movement. Week 2 aim to see if you can increase the repetitions done on your movements, if you can do that easily increase to 3 sets. Week 3 start to add a little resistance to challenge yourself a bit more, might be a heavier band, a weight just something that makes you work that little bit harder. Week 4 slow the lowers down & if you can increase the resistance again.

For 4 weeks you are going to follow a principle & structure. And when you do that in time with hard work & consistency your body adapts. It responds to the questions being asked, you progressively increase the challenge & you get stronger, more stable & fitter. Your body control improves off horse which leads to you being able to use your body more effectively on horse.

Follow the same system with your aerobic days. Start with 1 easy run a week or a walk/run if needs be, meet yourself where you're at to get going. Then on week 2 if you ran 2 mins on, 60 secs rest on week 1 for 5 rounds see if you can do 2.30mins on, 60 secs for 6 rounds. The progression sounds small but increasing things too fast can lead to injury & remember progress takes time. It's the gradual changes that happen overtime that lead to results, one workout isn't going to change everything!

You can have a bit more flexibility for sure with your mobility & stretch routines. Add in some new exercises each week but do make sure you give yourself a chance to repeat the movements at least once a week otherwise you're not going to give yourself the time to get better at them & improve! If you want some inspiration on exercise ideas or flows to follow for your mobility days you can check out this blog I wrote previously giving you a full hip focused mobility flow, read it here.

If you change things up everyday & change what you’re doing too often it’s literally like throwing spaghetti at the wall. It’s not going to stick. I agree variety is the spice of life & a bit of mixing it up now & again is a good thing for mental stimulation but the things we hear like, “The bodys clever you’ve got to confuse it” just aren’t true. That's exactly how you don't see results.

So this is your reminder to stop changing it up all the time.

I know we do it because before I found a system that worked for me I used to change it up all the time. And so did my clients.

But you know what that gets you?

Nothing. 

You don’t see results & you don’t progress.

You need a structure that you can repeat & rinse for 6-8 weeks & then if you feel like you've made good progress & are ready for a change then a little change is good, but think about why the best athletes in the world are the best?

They do the same thing, week in, week out.

Same goes for us as riders.

You don’t need to mix it up 24/7 to see results.

Katie