Recently I needed a butt kicking. When you are a coach it is easy to write your own workouts, but sometimes the best thing you can do is find other coaches to shake things up a bit. One thing I know is that I only know what I know.
One reason I started this whole project was to learn from other coaches to see what was similar and what was different. I am always looking for new things to apply. But sometimes you just need someone else to push you harder than you can push yourself.
With race season approaching, this was a perfect time to check in on SGX Coach Nicole Kifer and her Platinum OCR Ranch in Fallbrook, CA. I have been hearing about Nicole and her outdoor training facility for quite awhile, so it was time to check it out.
I was not disappointed. The first thing I noticed was the great community she has established. I was welcomed right away and could see the relationships that had been established. This always makes for a good training environment.
The morning started with a skills sessions, which unfortunately I couldn’t make, but many of the clients there had done both the morning skills workouts and stayed for the endurance challenge.
This workout was exactly like a race setting. We had 7 acres of tough terrain and challenging obstacles you will see in the race.
I always believe that you must establish foundational strength and endurance first. It is important to work on general strength, endurance, power, agility, and mobility. Once you are an overall well conditioned athlete, you can move on to the skill portion of combining endurance and obstacles.
Many focus too much on this area, but I could tell Coach Kifer did a great job getting her athletes prepared so they could perform these challenging workouts.
Here were some take aways I received from this experience.
- Work out with others- Whether it is in a class setting or just with a workout buddy, it will dramatically improve your workouts and ultimately your results. Yes working out by yourself sometimes is the best option and better than no workout, but when you can, get with a group. They keep you motivated, accountable, and energized.
- Hire a coach- Yes I am biased here, but when you have a coach you are on the fast track to results and progress. I saw quite a few participants (men and women) take on the arch way monkey bars on the course (see video below). Not one person failed. They all had a plan and followed it. Plus, I saw quite a few get over the 8ft wall with no help.
- Simulate a race on a regular basis- While I don’t think that should be your only form of training, it is critical to practice your skills and practice them in a race-like setting. It is great to practice monkey bars or climbing a rope. But can you do it right after a bucket carry or 30 minutes of hill climbing. This type of training fully prepares you for what you will see in the race.
Check out the short video to see some of the course.
To learn more about Coach Nicole and Platinum Personal Training check out the links below:
