What Systems Can Do for You

I love systems. My life is full of spread sheets, tables, and lists. This is probably because I am a perfectionist and organization whore. I need a guide for how to do things efficiently or I will over think everything. I have been known to take an eternity to complete simple tasks like folding laundry. Seriously, my wife can fold like three loads before I get done with one. Nobody likes sloppily folded t-shirts right?

Systems allow one to maintain structure in times of chaos. You probably already use several systems at work and at home. These systems ensure that things continue to run smoothly and efficiently. Without them, you can encounter situations like forgetting to complete payroll, missing garbage pick-up day, or forgetting to pick up the kids from school.

Systems surround us in every aspect of our daily lives. The human body, Earth's ecosystems, and the flow of traffic on your daily commute are all systems essential to our survival. If one of them fails, it could spell certain disaster. The bottom line is: Systems are Important.

I feel that the fitness industry is lacking in this regard. Many have no system for assessment or program design. They just sit down at the beginning of the day, write up a few random workouts, and begin training. I know this because that's what I was taught at the beginning of my career. Now we have a system for assessment, program design, and nutrition that ensures the client gets the right programming to fit his or her needs. This allows for minimum chaos and maximum efficiency. Our clients move well, are injury free and more satisfied as a result.

We have all these systems we use at home and work that allow things to run smoothly and make our lives easier, so why aren't we using systems in our own training and nutrition programs? Consider how many other obligations you have in your life. Work, kids, home improvement projects, angry mother in law etc. All these things take away the free will we need to devote energy to other things we love. That's why you need a system to fall back on. Here's a few systems you can implement to keep your training and nutrition on track:

Training

Strength and Conditioning doesn't have to be complicated. Just think of all the basic human movements that you need in your daily life. You need to be able to pick up heavy objects for yard work, push a car out of a ditch, pull yourself up from a cliff to avoid plummeting to your death, sprint to grab your child if they are in danger, or carry your friend into a volcano so he can throw a ring into it and save the world.

 
Train these movements consistently and you can accomplish any goal. The examples below are meant to be kept as simple as possible for you busy folks out there. The topic of specific reps and sets is subject for a different post.

Squat	Hinge	Push	Pull	Carry	Self-Limiting
Goblet Squat	Deadlift	Horizontal Press	Row	Farmer’s Walk	Get Ups
Front Squat	Swing	Vertical Press	Pull Up	Suitcase Carry	Jump Rope
Back Squat	Good Morning			Waiter’s Walk	Climbing
Overhead Squat				Sandbag Carries	Chops and Lifts (Half or Tall Kneeling)
					Single Leg Work

Rule #1 - Lift

Pick three to five movements from the above table (one from each category) and perform them in your training session. You can perform them as straight sets, supersets, or in a circuit. Do this a minimum of twice per week.

Rule #2 - Sprint

Sprinting is relative. A sprint for me is going to be much different than a sprint for a 40 year old mother of three who has not trained for two years. It is an excellent activity that involves using your whole body. It could be an all out run or a fast walk. Just move your feet quickly and pump those arms! You can use a treadmill or go outside. Shoot for an effort of 20-30 seconds and rest for 1-2
minutes in between each one.

Rule #3 - Foam Roll and Dynamic Warm Up

Most people's idea of a warm up is walking on a treadmill for five minutes before they get ready to lift heavy things. How does that prepare your body in any way to do that? You might as well go bang your head against a wall for five minutes. Spend a few minutes rolling out some restricted areas with a roller, then get on the ground, roll around, do some lunges and jump rope and get after it. One of the best ways to maintain optimal tissue quality is through soft tissue work with a foam roller and lacrosse ball. Spending five minutes per day working on common areas of restriction like the hip flexors, lats, and calves will do wonders. My favorite roller is The Grid (now available in the camouflage redneck version!).

Here's an example of a typical training day:

Foam Rolling Series and Dynamic Warm Up

Deadlift - 4x5
Pull Up - 4x8
Split Squat - 3x10 each leg
Feet Elevated Push Up - 3x10
Turkish Get Ups - 3x3 each hand

Sprint - 5x100 yards walking back to start as rest

Nutrition

I don't consider myself a nutrition expert by any means. I like to keep things pretty simple. Eat whole foods, drink plenty of water, and limit your alcohol intake. This is a simple blueprint for nutrition success.

Rule #1 - Eat protein with every meal and snack.

Approved sources of protein include: Lean Meats, Eggs, Nuts, Dairy, and Protein Supplements.

Rule #2 - Eat fiber with every meal and snack.

Approved sources of fiber include: Fruits, Vegetables, and Whole Grains. Bread products should be used sparingly.

Rule #3 – Strive to make fats a part of your diet

Healthy fats can be found in nuts, dairy, egg yolks, avocados, and fish to name a few. Fat is not the enemy so don’t be afraid to make it a part of your diet!

Rule #4 – Eat at least three meals per day.

There is all kinds of information out there stating that you need to eat six meals per day and eat every 2 hours, but I find that in the real world, things just aren't that black and white. You need to do what works for you and your schedule. Do you think a brain surgeon has time to take a break in between an eight hour surgery to go have a snack? If you can eat every four hours, that's fantastic, but in the end I think that at least three meals per day is a more realistic goal.

That's It!

I know the above information is far from groundbreaking and it might even have been written about somewhere else already, but in times of chaos one needs a simple system designed around effective elements that have stood the test of time. I challenge you to write out three or four different workouts of your own and stick to them for a month. Then plan out your week of nutrition using the rules above. If you follow these guidelines, you should be able to make steady progress no matter what life throws at you.