High frequency training as a lifestyle

A path to mental toughness

We have both followed a “normal” training schedule for years, one that has included “splits” of different types of work. These workout splits have been given many names through the years, and most of them try to assess and manage volume, intensity, and frequency. The general idea is that you introduce some kind of stimuli to your body, and then you rest—and rest was understood as days of non-training. So, train hard and rest hard. 

Years ago, there was no doubt that this approach was the best, but in later years there have been athletes that have gone in the opposite direction, and have seen great results. The academic literature is also showing promising results, and high-frequency training is slowly getting into the mainstream. The variables that you need to manage to structure a training plan are; volume, intensity, density, and frequency. We made an article on this topic that you can read, which is linked below—so, we will not go into detail about details in this article. 

https://www.coachingandcoffeetalks.com/blog/intensity-vs-volume-vs-density-vs-frequency

What we have been testing lately is to go all-in on the frequency—which means that we train every single day. This may seem a bit stupid in writing but bear with us for a moment. If you max out one variable, then you need to moderate the other three. For example, Scott starts every morning with 25 kettlebell swings with a 32 kg (approximately 70 lbs.) kettlebell and does this four times throughout the day. This is a fairly easy weight for Scott, and he does not need too much time to recover—hence, he can do this for many years to come without burning out. Lennart runs every day—but is doing longer, less intense runs. So, there is a system in place to manage stress and recovery. But this article is not intended to outline how to do it--we will cover that in a later article.

The purpose of this article is to cover the benefits of training every day. Most of these things came as a surprise for us and were pleasantly unexpected benefits of this training approach. We, and others following this approach, are still in frequent dialogue concerning the benefits and pitfalls of this style of training. But this is our experience at the time of writing:  

No need to consider/negotiating with yourself if you are training today – because you are.   

The hardest part of a workout is often to get started. The dialogue inside your head can get the better of most of us: “I’m tired, over-trained, too busy,” etc. There are many excuses, and many of them are enough to stop you in your tracks if your motivation is low. But if you have decided to train every day, it is like you are your own training buddy holding yourself accountable—it is not a rest day, because you do not have rest days. 

Mental toughness

If you are really tired, or it’s raining and you feel a bit run down—there is no way you will go for a run. But if you run every day, you do not have a choice. In behavioural psychology, there is a term called “path dependency.” It means the choices you made in the past will affect your future choices. If you run every day for a week, there is a greater chance that you will run on day number eight. 

Mental health

We have referred in other blogs to the phrase, “Move a muscle—change a thought,” and it is so true.  As soon as we move our bodies, we start to feel differently mentally.  We benefit from all the “feel good” chemicals that are released in the brain, and our mood improves.  It’s almost as if we are designed to be encouraged to move. So why fight it? Move every day, and feel better. 

Grease the groove 

When you increase the frequency, you get better at what you do. Movement patterns are best learned frequently and in smaller doses.  Anyone who has learned an instrument or a sport knows this. One of the reasons is because frequency is a critical component in learning—so the more often you practice—the better you become.

 It becomes a lifestyle 

If you know you must train tomorrow, and every day thereafter, you start making small adjustments in your daily behaviour. You start to eat better, sleep more, and so on. These are beneficial things that most of us know we should be doing, but now they start becoming a necessity for your mere survival. You start to adapt to the demands of your new daily routine, and it becomes a survival strategy. Then it starts to sink deep into the primitive parts of your brain.  

You get to eat more

Yay! Let’s go nuts! The old calories in/calories out theory! Well, no. It does matter what foods you eat—but in general, you will be able to consume more food, based on your increased energy expenditure.  We will delve into the theory of “Calories In/Calories Out” in a future blog, but for now, just know that if you eat 1500 calories of vegetables or 1500 calories of chocolate chip cookies—it has a very different effect on your body, because of the differences in insulin response to these foods.  But more on that in a future blog. 

You get more shit done 

This has been our experience: daily exercise forces you to structure your day more effectively.  There is a carryover to everything else in your day.  

In conclusion 

The benefits of high-frequency training continue to unveil themselves to us.  We are real converts. However, a note of caution is advisable. Many of us are conditioned to this idea of “progressive overload,” meaning we are always wanting to increase the weight, or the intensity, or the duration of a workout. As we mentioned in the intro—there is a give and take with all of these elements. When you increase your frequency to daily training—take it easy.  See how you feel, and adjust from there.  You should not feel destroyed every day.  You should feel excited for, and capable of, your next workout.  Listen to your body, and enjoy the benefits of high-frequency training. 

Let us know how it goes!

Scott and Lennart