Some program design help if you please

[HereBeADragon]

After the success of my recent cycle I'm finding my head swimming with to many ideas for how to approach the next one. I want to focus on Prasara this time around as its the weakest wing of CST for me. I'm just now sure how to go about it. I know I want to make use of forward pressure and I'd like to continue my progress with RMAX Running and possible revisit my effortless swimming program but I dont know just how or where to start with this. Any ideas or advice would be useful. Thanks

[Adam Steer]

Hey Brian,

Is there one goal that you feel more drawn to? Try not to look at what "program" you want to work with but what result you would like to accomplish. This could be a specific health goal, a performance goal, a body transformation goal, etc, etc. If you can narrow down what you want to accomplish, the specific means to get you there should start to become more clear.

Cheers,
Adam

[HereBeADragon]

Yes goals I forgot to mention that. The reason I want to work with forward pressure is because I have noticed a deficite in my strength when it comes to pressing motions. I feel forward pressure is a good way to go about fixing that. I also recall reading that Spider Monkey is a good compliment to Forward Pressure perhaps it might be a good way to balance out my program?

I want to use Prasara on this cycle because as I said its the one area of CST that I have the least experience with. One of my goals is CST Instructor certification so I see every cycle as an oppertunity to move closer to that goal.

As for the running and swimming there is two parts to that. One I really enjoy doing both and I often neglect cardiovascular exercise so I feel it is important to include that in any programs I design. Two I have a long term goal of doing a triathalon and feel its a good way to ease myself into that amount of work, just adding elements of that into my programs and honing my movements until I am ready to go all out and focus on just that goal.

Thats more or less where my head is at at the moment :)

[Adam Steer]

Hey Brian,

What jumps out at me is there is a lot of "stuff" in there. However, two "goals" stand out. You want to get CST certified and you want to do a triathalon...

Why do you feel like you have a deficit in pressing strength? Is it something to do with a particular performance goal?

Which Prasara flow do you have the most trouble with? What attributes would you need to develop to get better at it?

Ask yourself lots of questions and try to narrow in on a short term goal based on your two long term goals. That's the best way to go about THP building. Short term goals which stack into mid-term goals which stack into the achievement of long term goals, all following the hierarchy of GPP to SPP to SSP to MEP (and back and forth when needed...).

I know that doesn't give you outright answers, but it is the route to take.

There are tons of neat things to do in CST, I know... :) Sometimes it is hard to resist the temptation of wanting to "play" with all the neat stuff. I agonized for a month when I got the Forward Pressure DVD because I was in the middle of something else. I wanted to jump right in. But you have to resist the temptation to try to fit everything in at once, because you just end up diluting the whole process.

Putting together THPs can be a bit daunting at first (and even for more experienced CST Athletes at times)! I ask for help from other coaches and instructors from time to time too. You might want to connect with a certified Instructor or Coach (live or online) to ensure you get set with a solid program design and broad plan of action which will move you towards concret goal achievement.

All just food for thought... ;)

Cheers,
Adam

[HereBeADragon]

your right I do have a lot of stuff there. Thats the problem to much internal chatter. I have a lot I want to do and I need to sort it out so that I can make progress instead of injuries and setbacks. As for the strength deficit it came from a fitness test I did a while back for a health class. Part of it was push ups and I scored very low. I would not consider myself weak but I know I could improve in my pressing strength or just upper body strength in general.

I want to build a plan that will allow me to meet my goals and while I feel I've come far since I first became a knuckle dragger I also know I have a long ways to go before I have it down.

[Adam Steer]

I also know I have a long ways to go before I have it down.

Hey Man, you're doin' the work! That's more than most people out there can say. :) You just need to nail down where you are headed, and the rest will become clear. That's why so many CST Athletes have trouble "putting together a program." They don't know where they are headed so they can't figure out the steps to get there.

Keep at it Brian. You are on the right path!

Cheers,
Adam

[HereBeADragon]

Last night I sat down and took a good look at what exactly I wanted to do and I think I have an idea about how to put it together.

a six week cycle & alternating two week schedule
Monday
RMAX Running/Forward Pressure
Tuesday
Effortless Swimming/Ocean Flow
Wednesday
RMAX Running/ Forward Pressure
Thursday
Ageless Mobility
Friday
RMAX Running

Monday
Effortless Swimming/Ocean Flow
Tuesday
Ageless Mobility
Wednesday
Effortless Swimming/Ocean Flow
Thursday
RMAX Running/Forward Pressure

this is not a finished plan but its an idea. It takes into account the need for recovery and varies the load so I dont think I'll be over training at this rate. I figure duration will be the base for how I set my work load.

[Nick1974]

Brian, just curious, in your programme outlined above, will you be doing daily intu flow as well, or is the intu flow dropped for this cycle?

[HereBeADragon]

Brian, just curious, in your programme outlined above, will you be doing daily intu flow as well, or is the intu flow dropped for this cycle?


yes I will be doing daily Intu-Flow® sessions. I tend not to include that in program outlines not because I dont do it but because its become so much of a back ground to everything else I do.


Brian,

A few questions…

What/how are you cycling your running? If I remember correctly you followed Coach Wilson’s 6wk THP in RMAX Powered Running for time last cycle?

Ocean Flow… Taking into account (FP, Running and Swimming) you may be better off grooving/practicing the Wind Flow as a better compensatory flow…

Looks good though. You've come a long way since your earlier blogs

I am using the same 6wk THP as I did last time for both my running and swimming. I'll start at 20 minutes and increase five minutes at a time based on my RPE, RPD & RPT. I prefer using time instead of Laps or distance as its easier to be in the movement instead of counting the distance. As for Wind Flow I will take that into account. One question though what would you say is the best method of progression? Starting at the beginning flow should I work for time or repetitions? Also how would be the best method of working from one level to the next? Upon completion of a set number of repetitions or time move to the next level and start over?

Thanks all of you for the feedback. I do feel I've made a lot of progress since I started here. My problem has always been overtraining or just difficulty sticking to a program. RMAX has shown me how to weave a program together that is both complex, effective and fun. I'm finally seeing the results and progress I always wanted and it feels very good to be slowly and sustainably moving ahead.

[HereBeADragon]

thanks that clears a few things up. That is one of the hard ones for me with Prasara. With clubs you can count reps but when your putting your body through a complex series of movements it gets a little harder to set a "destination" for that movement. I tried the Asanas for beginner wind flow and then followed along with the flow itself last night and I like it. I think it will work better and seems to be a good introductory flow. I like it thanks for the help.