Managing Your Time | Training Over 40
Time management for training over 40 with Tom Randall.
As we get older, we generally have less free time than in our younger years.
Most of us get busier with growing families, thriving careers and finding lots of hobbies and exciting ways to spend our time.
So how do we get the best results when training over 40 with the limited time we have?
1. Acceptance
The first step to be able to effectively manage your time and focus is to accept that you are busy!
Sometimes, it’s all too easy to hit your head against the wall and keep trying to do it all, which ultimately leads to you being able to give less focus overall.
2. Plan Quality
Learning how to plan in quality sessions should be high on the list.
Start your week by intentionally looking at exactly what you are doing and how you can fit in quality training sessions.
E.g. I will look at my week, see that Mon and Fri are least busy, and plan x2 quality sessions there. Knowing that I will be well rested, properly focused and not trying to multitask through the sessions.
Then I will plan the right type of session within that space…
For example…
For me, I often have sessions such as low end rehab work, or aero cap volume work to complete. It probably wouldn’t be best to use my planned ‘focused’ time on these types of session.
So think about your time and plan quality, high intensity work in those focused sessions.
Personally, it would be sessions like: board climbing, hard redpointing/projecting days into those quality sessions.
3. Volume Creep
Being careful about not letting total volume or duration of time across the week or month slowly creep down too much over the years. In other words, you might be climbing 10+ hours in your 20’s/30’s and this could be closer to 2+ hours in your 40’s.
To some degree it’s inevitable, we can’t focus wholly on climbing forever. But it’s a good thing to be aware of this decline over time.
In some cases, the best way to mitigate this change could be a change in focus or, perhaps, discipline.
4. Split Sessions
When you are super busy, this can be a great way to be efficient with your time. Split certain sessions across a day or a week, into smaller blocks making sure that things that are convenient and easier to manage.
What I mean here is, where you see 10-20 minutes spare here and there, use the time efficiently.
For example…
Spend 10 minutes a day visualising the moves on your project.
Spend 20 minutes focusing on rehab.
Plan this in where it works and is most convenient, and so that it doesn’t clash with your pre-planned quality sessions.
Conclusion: How to manage your time when training over 40…
- Accept that you have less time.
- Plan quality by prioritising focused high-intensity sessions for the days when you have the most time, space and/or energy.
- Be conscious of volume creep as the years pass
- Split sessions across the day, using a spare 10-20 minutes whenever you have the available.
If you want help managing your time and planning the right training for your schedule, our 100% customised Performance Coaching Plans could be exactly what you need!
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