This style entails training beyond the demands that life and sport require. By blending as many varied and strategic methods as possible, we can build excess capacity showcasing physical readiness for any task. If training is not purposefully mixed enough, whatever is neglected, will leave a deficit in that area of total fitness.
We don't want to be strong without having good cardio. In real life tasks and sports, only having one of these attributes will result in poor performance. By training both in combination, our real life ability to accomplish work and athletic acheivments will be greatly bolstered. For example, a firefighter who is strong enough to pick up a person, but does not have the cardio and stamina to carry them to safety, is only a fraction of the hero they could be. Similarly, a motocross racer who has enough stamina to handle a 30+ minute race, but cannot sustain the intensity of an all out battle, will surely be bested by an opponent who has trained to handle that level of intensity.
Functional movements are unavoidable in any enjoyable life:
Picking something up off of the ground
= DEADLIFT
Sitting down and standing up from chair or toilet
= SQUAT
Getting up and down off of the floor
= BURPEE
Reaching up to put something into a cabinet
=OVERHEAD PRESS
Taking groceries from your car to inside your house
=FARMERS CARRY
ect. ect....
Any athlete lacking or underdeveloped in any of these essential movement patterns will have performance potential unmet. Equally important, these movements directly transfer and mimic all basic daily functions. When we lose our ability to complete these tasks, it is called a loss of functional independence. For example, when we can no longer squat down to the toilet by ourselves, we will eventually have to live in an assisted living facility. So our goal is to build a buffer and have excess capacity, that way when we inevitably do begin to lose function, we decline from excess fitness down to a much higher baseline of functionality.
We see fitness as not just being good at one thing. If you show me someone who is elite at long distance running, or only weight lifting, I can tell you with near certainty where their fitness is lacking. The goal with the type of training we employ is to improve all aspects of physical prowess. We aim to improve cardiovascular endurance, strength, power, coordination, and everything in between. He or she who is most well rounded at these skills, will have the best chance at sporting success, and have little to no struggle completing any challenge life may present.
While it would be preferred that easy, low effort training delivered desirable results, that is just not the case. Results and adaptations to training are purely driven by effort and intensity. This does not mean we need to smash ourselves with high volume or maximum intensity daily, but it does mean we need to appropriately stress our systems to gain favorable adaptations...aka results. How do we produce the most power from our bodies? By riding or rowing faster, lifting more weight for more reps, completing more bodyweight movements...ect. ect. Put another way, increasing our power output means asking our body to accomplish more work in less time, AKA more intensity. This is not an opinion, this is a mathematical equation, and it is driven through intelligent intensity.
We all have our own threshold, or current limit, to our physical capacity. Said another way, we all have a limit to how fast we can run around the track, how much weight we can lift from the floor, and how many pull-ups we can do ect. The method of threshold training has us find ways to push ever past those limits just enough to elicit an adaptation response. When we push past these limits, a form of progressive overload, our body responds hormonally and neurologically predicting that it will be asked to perform these tasks again. This method requires careful attention to not reach beyond what we can recover from, so a minimal effective dose is tactically sought after. While soreness and fatigue will occur, we do not believe more is better, we truly commit to quality over quantity.
Once again, whether you are an athlete looking to maximize your performance, or a person simply wanting to live an adventurous, long life, these for attributes are key to success. Races and competitions are decided by inches and tenths of seconds. Similarly, avoiding slips, trips, and falls in any active life comes down to the closest of margins. Sadly we cannot eliminate risk of sport and life, but we can develop the above components that can greatly reduce the risk. For example, in life we will have mistakes that lead towards falling and injury, but with the agility and balance we develop through taining, these falls can be stopped mid flight! It was stated by the GOAT of motocross, "You are only as good as the crashes you can save." Basically stating that mistakes will happen, but being coordinated, agile, and accurate enough can assist us making it just a close call, not a fall.
The only reason we do what we do is for the results. And while the training can be tailored to the clients specific goals, the results are universal:
Increased physical capacity: Our ability to accomplish tasks.
Increased bone density.
Improved cardiovascular, metabolic, and respiratory health.
Lowered body fat percentage.
Higher strength and muscle mass.
Increase in sport, work, and life performance.
Gains in flexibility and range of motion.
Better cognitive acuity and mood.
The ultimate subject of differing opinions and debate. We want to make it as simple as possible: Eat enough to fuel your activities, but not so much that the body stores and carries anything extra. What to eat? Real food. If it was alive, and will not last long on the shelf, it will likely fuel you well. Considering if it had life, it will support your life. Fruits, veggies, meats, eggs, grains, ect...