Persistence Pays Off

One of my clients has been having difficulties with the vault since we started training together months ago. We've been working on jumping over the bar versus simply trying to step and lunge over it. There was a few months though where we didn't even touch the vault, as I wanted to focus on improving her strength and her cardio.

Recently I reintroduced the vault into training. One of the ways I get clients to gain confidence with the vault is I use a step and a couple risers to jump off of. I'm effectively making the vault a lower height to jump over when using the step. As they gain confidence, the step goes lower.

It's been a few months but yesterday we were working on the vault and her first few approaches weren't bad; she was getting over the bar, albeit awkwardly. In the early days when we tried this method, she played mind games with herself and had trouble going over the bar, even with the steps.

Then finally she had that "Aha!" moment.

She had that pop off the step and sailed over the bar like a pro, no awkwardness at all. And she was able to replicate it several more times.

It was amazing to see, especially the confidence it instilled in her.

What seemed impossible became possible.

If you've been having trouble with your training and not seeing results, don't give up. It just means you have to try different strategies to reach your goals. If one method doesn't work, try another method. Keep trying until something clicks.

All else fails, hire someone to help. They can come in with a fresh perspective and see things you don't see.

How To Simulate The Push (PARE/POPAT Test, Push/Pull Simulation)

Without a doubt, the push is a very difficult thing to simulate. It is so specific, you can only truly practice on the push/pull machine itself. Still, I've found way to simulate it as closely as possible. Check out the video:

This simulation does require a partner though, preferably a strong partner. You'll also need some free space by a wall. And although optional, I suggest holding onto an implement between partners, something like a small bar. Otherwise clasping hands works too.

Here's how to set up:

- One partner ("partner 1") sets up against the wall. This partner will act as the machine.

- The other partner ("partner 2")  will set up in front of Partner 1 and both will hold onto the bar (or clasp hands).

- Partner 1 will provide resistance and push back. Partner 2 should be pushing Partner 1 into the wall.

- Partner 2 will work on the rotations, while continuing pushing Partner 1. Partner 1 will continue providing strong resistance, and try not to get pinned against the wall

The simulation doesn't give a true representation of the read deal, but it's pretty damn close. If anything, it gets you to focus on footwork and to continually be aggressive and push into the machine.

Got any questions? You can email me at redline.conditioning@gmail.com, or leave a comment below.

Pacing, Pacing, Pacing, and yes, Pacing

Pacing is one of those topics that will never get old, because it's something that everyone forgets about. I've talked about it before, and I'll continue to do so. And today is no different.

This time I have some numbers to help illustrate, and underline, the importance of pacing. Take a look at the chart below:

This is from a Redliner who ran two practice POPAT tests one week apart. Take note of her lap times, the  time after 6 laps, her push/pull times, and her overall time.

You'll see after 6 laps, the times are nearly identical, with a slight 2 second edge to the first practice test. Now compare the two push/pull times: 23 for the pull on the first practice versus 19 on the second, and 32 seconds on the push for the first practice versus 25 on the second practice. That's an 11 second difference. In the end, she still improved her overall performance by 8 seconds.

She accomplished this by pacing herself. You look at her lap times from her first practice and you will see a large gap between her fastest and slowest lap times (8 seconds). Compare that to her second practice, where the gap is now 4 seconds. The time after 6 laps is slower (albeit only 2 seconds), but because she was more evenly paced, she had much more energy to tackle the machine.

Yes she lost time on the laps, but she gained more than enough of it back on the machine. The even pacing allowed her to attack the machine like she was still fresh.

If you struggle on the machine, running the 6 laps faster than you're capable of is the common but not smart strategy. You take away the energy you could have used for the machine. Instead be even keeled and go slow enough to still have the energy and the focus to pull and push as fast as you can. As demonstrated in the above chart, time was lost on the laps but was most definitely made up for on the machine.

3 PARE/POPAT Conditioning Mistakes

On the surface, the PARE and POPAT tests look easy. When you watch it, most people look like they're jogging through it and the obstacles don't look difficult. That's why many people underestimate it. That's why when they train, they don't train the right way.

When test day arrives, they figure they got it in the bag. Before they hit the halfway point, reality bitch slaps them.

Now they realize what they were doing wasn't enough, so they go the other extreme: balls to the wall don't stop til you drop conditioning. It helps to a point, but soon they discover their body is broken from so much intensity.

Conditioning training is a funny thing sometimes. And conditioning training for the physical tests is often done wrong.

Below are 3 common conditioning mistakes people make when preparing for the PARE or POPAT tests.

#1 Not Enough Intensity

Lack of intensity will bite you in the ass when you test the first time. You'll soon learn the error of your ways for always training at low to moderate intensity. Don't let the simplicity of the tests fool you. Remember, simple does not mean easy.

If you go in underestimating the test, which many do, you will pay the price. Jogging 3, 4, 5, or even 6 times a week isn't going to cut it, especially if they're all the same intensity.

Typically by lap 3 or 4, you'll be sucking wind because you failed to infuse intensity into your conditioning training. Don't fall into this trap.

#2 Too Much Intensity

On the flipside, too much intensity in your training can be detrimental, in another sense. It will boost your fitness, but if you rely on it exclusively, you will hit a plateau very quickly.

What's the typical response when this happens? Train harder of course!

But again, that gets you nowhere fast, and you end up spinning your wheels feeling like you have to go hard or go home. I'll give you an example where this commonly occurs.

The 1.5 mi run is a popular assessment police agencies use to measure one's aerobic fitness. The most common benchmark is to hit 12:00 or faster. So for those who can't hit 12:00, they will run 1.5 mi once or twice a week, and they will run it as fast as they can each time.

They will see progress within weeks, and they continue with the same strategy: run faster each 1.5 mi. But by week 4, maybe 5, they hit a ceiling. They're no longer improving, or heaven forbid, they're getting slower.

Why would that be?

It's because they're always going hard, always making their training high intensity and neglecting the other aspects of conditioning training (ie aerobic training).

#3 Not Learning How to Pace

I find this point is related to mistake #2. People tend to go too fast too soon when they do conditioning training, and they end up gasping for air much faster than they should be. They make it hard on themselves from the get go vs building up to a certain pace.

Pacing is a skill, and like any other skill you have to practice it often and in different conditions. Learn to pace for long distances, learn to pace for short distances, and learn to pace everything in between. The more you learn to pace in different conditions, the quicker you can adapt to changing environments.

Most people will typically run the 6 laps between 2:20-2:45. That may not sound long, but to try and "sprint" for that long is a very difficult thing to do. If you blast out of the gates like a greyhound chasing the mechanical bunny, you will be in for a world of hurt.

Be conservative, realize there is more after the 6 laps, and don't gas yourself before the push/pull machine.

One Year of the Push/Pull Machine

It's been one year today since I got the push/pull machine. Over the past year it has been used and abused extensively, and it will continue to take a licking. It's one tough bastard that has been a game changer for me.

Since getting the machine, I've learned a few things about the push and the pull, and a few ideas about it have also been reinforced. I've learned how to coach it better and have found what works and what doesn't for certain people. I quickly came to realize a single exercise won't improve your push/pull performance. There are a few factors that will determine your success.

First and foremost, practice. Practice the footwork, learn how to push properly and pull properly, and learn how to utilize your body. Of course finding a machine to practice this is difficult, but there are ways you can simulate it. For the pull, any cable column with heavy enough resistance (I suggest anything over 100 lbs or the equivalent to 100 lbs) can be used. Just make sure there's enough room to operate within. You can even use resistance bands or tubing to simulate the pull.

For the push, it's best to have a partner so you can practice the footwork and focus on constantly pushing forward. If you can't do that, something I've been playing around with is to use a corner of a wall (corner going out), or even a metal pole, and practice your technique. It's not ideal, but it's better than nothing.

If you do have the machine, focus on technique and control first, don't worry about speed. Only when you learn control can you focus on speed.

Second, get stronger. Don't focus only on chest and arms, focus on total body strength: upper body (both pushing and pulling movements), core, and lower body. I would argue lower body strength and core strength/stability is more important to develop than upper body strength (although it's still good to have upper body strength). Tackling the machine is a whole body affair and you can't rely on upper body alone. I have clients who can barely do a floor push-up, and they still perform well enough on the push because they learn how to utilize their legs and their entire body to push.

Third, improve your conditioning and pacing skills. In some cases, strength is not the issue, nor technique. The issue is conditioning and/or pacing.

If it's conditioning, you need to learn how to push your limits and be comfortable with discomfort. If conditioning is not up to par, then you won't be able to use your strength on the machine.

If pacing is the issue, you need to learn not to lay it out all on the line at the beginning. You need to learn how to hold back at the start and spread out your energy levels. It's no good wasting all your fuel at the beginning and run on reserves at the end. There's just nothing left and you will suffer.

Remember to keep those points in mind when it comes to improving your push/pull performance. It's not a single factor that will make you better.