For some reason human beings always tend to take the “grass is greener” type view of the world. In athletics this “grass is greener” scenario plays itself out when discussing training protocol, most commonly – intensity versus mileage.

There are many ways to skin a cat but my experience tells us that regardless of the protocol you choose to use, the athlete that will win is always the athlete that will get out and train consistently over a long period of time.

Once you have made the decision to become one of these “consistent” trainers then the protocol starts to become more relevant.

There is a great saying by visionary coach Arthur Lydiard  who once said “Miles Make Champions” and I wholeheartedly agree. By building a big aerobic foundation, aka engine, you put yourself in a position to tolerate and benefit from the strength and speed training that comes later in the programme. Sure, speed training brings you up quickly but it is not sustainable if you want to have consistently good training through the season/year.

To read more on this, there us a great (albeit very long) article on mileage and Arthur’s principles that can be found by clicking here.

The beauty of working in the health and fitness industry and in particular exercise consulting, is that we get to work with and help many people achieve their goals. We work with people from all walks of life and it is interesting to see that the people that achieve the biggest results are the people with the most realistic expectations.

If you can begin your campaign with the understanding that success is the result of consistent effort over time and not a quick fix or easy, then you are putting yourself in the best position to reach your potential. Having goals to lose weight or set a personal best in a running or triathlon event should be about the journey. You are making a lifestyle choice that hopefully will not only help you achieve your race or weight loss goals but will help you to lead a more energetic, focused and productive life.