The Training Habit by Brooks Kubik

"To be successful your training must be a HABIT." 

  A long-time reader sent in an order for Gray Hair and Black Iron, and included the following note:

“Hi Brooks, Hope all is going well. Can you please autograph the book? Hopefully, the book will give me some motivation to get back into training. If you have any ideas on how to get back after a 15 month lay off for a 48 year old extremely busy professional with a demanding career, wife, and two teenage boys it would be greatly appreciated.”

Well, that’s a fair question. And it’s a pretty common question. I get variations of it all the time, from readers of all ages – who have, for whatever reason, gotten out of the training habit and are having trouble getting back into it.

And if you focus on one word the previous sentence, you’ll see that I’ve answered your question.

HABIT!

To be successful your training must be a HABIT.

It must be something you do on a regularly scheduled basis – like clockwork – come heck or high water.

Your problem is, you’re jammed for time, and you have a million other things you need to do, and you’ve gotten OUT of the training habit.

So we’ve got to get you back INTO the training habit!

Here’s what I want you to do.

STEP ONE

Make up your mind RIGHT NOW that you’re going to get back into regular training – and that you’re going to follow the program I give you religiously for the next 30 days.

And make no mistake about it. You ARE going to get back into training. Why? Because at age 48, you can either stop training and become a slug – or you can keep on training –
the right way! – and keep it up for the next 30, or 40 or even 50 years. And training is just too important not to make it a regular part of your life.

 STEP TWO

Pick THREE exercises:

(1) An upper body pushing movement.

(2) An upper body pulling movement (e.g., barbell or dumbbell bent-over rowing, pull-ups, whatever).

(3) A leg, hip and lower back exercise (e.g., back squat, front squat, bent-legged deadlift or Trap Bar deadlift).

STEP THREE

Now pick three days per week to train. If weekends are good training days, schedule a workout for the weekend and two for the week – or if your weeks are really hectic, schedule two workouts for the weekend and one for the week.STEP FOUR

In each workout, do ONE exercise for five progressively heavier sets of five reps. Start out light and easy. Warm-up, put some weight on the bar, and go at it. Work fast, with minimal rest between sets. Just change the plates, take a sip of water and
get back to it. You can finish in 10 to 15 minutes.

For example:

Warmup

Trap Bar deadlift – 135 x 5, 155 x 5, 175 x 5, 195 x 5, 215 x 5

There – you’re done. Fast, quick, easy – there’s no reason in the world why you can’t fit that into your schedule.

The idea is to get back into the HABIT of training – not to take super hard and demanding workouts. You’ll start training harder later on – but for right now, your job is to get back into the training habit. So keep your workouts short, fast and easy.

STEP FIVE

Make every effort to stick to your schedule and get your workouts in.

If for any reason you miss a workout, double up and get back on track. You can train back-to-back days on this schedule – or you can do two exercises in one workout to get caught up – or you can train in the morning and evening one day to make up for the missed session.

STEP SIX

Keep a training diary and record every workout in detail. If you miss a workout, write it down and note the reason – and schedule your catch-up session. Putting it on paper helps keep you honest.

STEP SEVEN

After 30 days, pick any of the workouts in Gray Hair and Black Iron. There are more than 50 of them. Choose one of the easier, shorter programs. Follow it for 6-8 weeks, using the simple cycling system outlined in the book.

At that point, you’ll be 90 days down the road, and training will be a regular habit for you once again – and at that point, it will be something you keep doing for the rest of your life.

Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik

Brooks Kubik has been training for over 40 years. He was an Illinois state champion in Greco-Roman wrestling. Today he is one of the most respected names in strength training. He has written several books including the classic, Dinosaur Training: Lost Secrets of Strength and Development, and a new book about serious strength training for older lifters, Gray Hair and Black Iron. Required reading for all lifters over the age of 35.
"It’s not easy being an older lifter – but it sure as heck beats being older and not training."
By permission of the author.

Brooks' advice on establishing a fitness training habit applies equally to beginning Aikido training. Decide which training classes you are going to attend at your dojo; then show up for class consistently and do your best. No need to over-complicate things.