What's the plan?

As athletes we all have a plan. A plan of what we want to achieve, a plan of how to achieve it, and a plan of what to do once we do/ don’t achieve it. Consequently, our entire lives are governed by a ‘plan’. But do we really need this plan? Yes of course we need a training plan in order to see progression, and yes we need a plan in order achieve our goals, but it doesn’t mean we need to have every aspect of every day mapped out for us.


I am a massive sucker for this. I have a very strong ocd tendency and cannot deal without a plan or routine. Every day of mine is planned and organised and I am not one for spontaneity or randomness. Yes, it can be annoying and I do wish I had an element of randomness in my manner, but this is me and I am quite happy like it. 


It has its benefits and its detriments. Of course having a plan is beneficial. It gives you direction, helps you know where you are heading, and gives you a pathway to getting there. Even down to the small scale of reality, such as having a plan for the day helps you. It reminds you what you need to get done and ensure you get everything done. However, it is not always wise to stick exactly to a plan. This is something I have massively learnt from. I followed a structured plan, doing exactly as I was told, especially S&C wise, never too much, and especially never ever any less than I was told. This is where I suffered. Consequently I was always pushing my bones to their limit, pushing through their tiredness and foregoing my own thoughts and beliefs. My own judgement was clouded by that of others. It was clouded by those who had set my plan.


I have learnt that it is wise to follow a plan, but you must be able to adjust it and be flexible. When needs must, you need to veer from your plan. Trust yourself, and if you believe something is wrong on your plan, respond to it, don’t just keep quiet and suffer detrimentally as I did.

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