elitefts™ Sunday Edition

The end of the year always brings me to the fourth review of my yearly goals and objectives.

As I write this, it is the final days of the final week of the year 2012, and I am right on target to hit the number I’ve stated in other articles. Ninety percent is the success rate I’ve had since beginning this over two decades ago.

If I were to give title to this past year, it would be “The Year of Extreme.” I won’t go into very much detail about my political stance, but from my observation, either you were at one end of the Bell’s Curve or the other. You were far left if backing the Democrats, or you were far to the right if you were backing the Republicans. I wasn’t happy with either of the two candidates, and I was less happy about the way people forgot that there was a “middle,” and that middle had candidates as well. We had choices, and we chose not to break the status quo.

Likewise, when I looked over my nutritional plan, I again see the wide swings in what is popular and what I use now. If I were to stay in the theme of the curve, to the left we would have the Vegan diet with 2.2% utilizing a Carb-only plan, and far to the right we would see the 2.2% “Paleo” diet, being the carnivore-only option. Here again, I see myself somewhat in the 68 percentile, leaning a bit more toward the 14% right. I’ve maintained my body fat percentage while improving strength or recovering from TWO serious muscle strains.

This brings me to the “Training.”  If I were to plot my program, it was definitely in the middle 68% range, combining a balance between Strength and Conditioning and leaning a bit more to the right (where I will say the Power/Strength training is done) than to the left (where it is more Aerobic-based with Oxygen delivery type training). Towards the end of the year (now), and since incurring the $500 fine for Prowler®-ing in the business parking lot, I have put most of the conditioning on “HOLD.” I have added more sprints and longer runs, but nothing too serious to post or write about.

Looking over the “Curve” as a way to plot out 2013, the 68% is where I need MY training to take place for the goals I have—a balanced approach to Strength AND Conditioning. If  my goals were more like they were in the '80s, and I was Triathloning every weekend, I would gear my training more toward the left. In the '70s, when I was still playing GAMES as a sport, the middle would have made sense as it do now. If I were to get up on the platform, then I’d move my type of training over to the right.

Similarly, if I wanted to lose fat, disregarding muscle loss, I would skew my plan to the right.  If I were to help a “Hard Gainer,” then I would move that person’s diet plan to the left.  If I were to bodybuild, or cut weight to compete in a lighter weight class, I would take aim at the right side (14%).

I think that I am going to give this approach a GO for 2013. I’ll keep my training in the 68% as well as my nutritional plan. My “Battle Cry” has already begun with the motto, “Train like a linebacker, Eat like John Meadows.”

By no means should one confuse the “Middle of the Bell’s Curve” as a Middle of the Road approach. I am simply drawing some visual conclusions from a proper plan.

“Prior proper planning prevents piss poor performance” ~ The 7 P’s of Performance.

I’ll let you know how this rolls. If you do a similar approach, write me! Tell me what it is, and how you are doing.