On the road to a lifetime of consistency, a few “mile markers” and small personal goals may help to keep us interested and always improving.
If you haven’t already read/listened to the first 2 “Unlocked Series” Blog/Podcasts, we suggest you check those out first - Do I Need To Work Out More and Intensity > Volume.
Your very first goal should be to develop a habit and make consistency in fitness and health habits your priority. This means, of course, just moving in SOME way 4-6 days a week for a solid period of time.
After consistency has been established - it’s not by adding more TIME and more workouts into the mix that we see the most improvement. Instead it’s practicing Intensity. We need to be intentional about the effort we put into each session - and remember duration should NOT be mistaken for effort.
So when IS the right time to add in more workouts – such as adding a Street Parking Extra Program on top of the daily workouts?
Start with asking yourself these 2 questions:
1. What are my personal health and fitness goals?
Are you training for something specific or do you just want to be as fit and healthy as possible to feel great day to day?
2. What do I have going on in my life right now?
This is a big one. Life has seasons. Too often, it’s not the goal that is the problem, it’s the timing of the goal.
If you have young children and work full time, it’s not that training for an ironman triathlon is a “bad goal” - it’s that it might not be the best timing for a goal that will take that much time and commitment.
Even a goal as simple as wanting to complete a few of the Street Parking Extra Programs while doing the main programming is GREAT if we are realistic about how this will fit into our current daily life.
A third question you can and SHOULD ask yourself before you start adding in a bunch of extra training is…
3. Am I actually happy with my current level of fitness, results, or at least trajectory?
You never HAVE to do more than one workout a day to live a healthy and fit life. Remember that.
For MANY of us, one workout per day - 5-6 days a week - most of the time performed with INTENSITY is all we need! We maintain a healthy body, don’t have to spend much time working out, and feel great!
Insider info: Very rarely will you find anyone on the Street Parking Staff doing more than one workout in a day. Many of us do the Extra Programs, but often do themon their own without stacking anything else on top for the day.
Fitness is a lifestyle. We aren’t here to provide you tools to use only when the stars align perfectly for focused work. We know life has ebbs and flows.
We also know that setting specific goals along your fitness journey can be a fun way to keep yourself engaged. And there are definitely times where this high level of motivation, combined with a life stage that is set up for more, can be a great time to take your fitness to a new level!
So HOW do you add in the Street Parking Extra Programs?
First, your coaches want you to know that you can’t actually mess this up.
Each Street Parking Extra Program provides some details on how best to add it in alongside the regular daily workouts. This guidance includes whether the sessions in the Extra Program are best done before a daily workout, after a daily workout, or on their own day/during a separate session. Also provided are details about which type of workouts or movements to avoid pairing these with if they are found in the regular daily workout you are combining it with. Follow the advice there and find a schedule that works for you.
The way to be MOST successful if you have a specific goal? Don’t try to work on too many things at once.
Trying to improve your back squat, deadlift, 5k, complete the 52 week endurance program, and work through the pull up program all at once will likely lead to less than desirable results in ALL areas.
Some of the Extra Programs work really well paired with the daily workout as they are truly designed to be an accessory. We are talking programs like the 20 rep back squat, deadlift or bench press program, or some of the gymnastics skills programs. Suns Out Guns Out and Butts and Guts are also great post workout accessory type programs that can be added in easily.
However, programs like the Bro Sessions, Power 30, Diagnostics, Starting Strength, Oly Linear, 52 Week Endurance, Sandbag Sessions, etc. are better to be used as a replacement for the main daily workout and should definitely be the focus for that day.
For more robust programs like the Half Marathon, 5k, or Starting Strength follow the instructions provided on how to add it in. Complete the program. Repeat it if you love it. Or, pick your next focus!
Again, when you start exploring how and when to add in “Extras”, use the guidance provided and trust that you can and will learn how to incorporate, recover, and adapt to the training based on YOUR season of life!
Need a little inspiration? Here are some examples for how you could use some of the Street Parking Extra Programs to work toward a specific focus:
General Fitness Focus:
Strength Focus:
Endurance Focus:
