Time-crunched endurance athletes are aware that their goals require not just a mental and physical commitment, but also (most valuably) a time commitment and sacrifice. For time-crunched athletes, the time is the most difficult asset to find.
“Lack of time” makes achieving the goals and dreams of many seem impossible. You will never find the time to train. You must make the time to train. As we start this new year, I wanted to share with you some of the best advice to help you make more time that I have learned from my athletes and my own experience over the past decade plus of training and coaching.
Plan ahead. Look at your training schedule ahead of time, review the workouts, and watch the exercise tutorials. Not only will this optimize your time while training, it will give you time to ask questions to your coach (if you have one) or research answers. Review what if any equipment is needed, and plan your schedule and workout accordingly.
Schedule your workouts into your calendar. Whether you use Google Calendar, Outlook, or a paper planner, it is vital that your workouts are scheduled just like a work meeting, a doctor’s appointment, and other important events. You should know what day and at what time you are going to do a workout. A friend of mine likes to say “If it isn’t scheduled, it isn’t real.” Make your workouts real! Schedule them. In writing. Read that again.
Prepare for your workouts. Setting EVERYTHING up for training is time consuming and can take 30 minutes or more. Items to consider:
- Nutrition: bottles, gels, electrolytes, refills, etc.
- Gear: layers, shoes, hats, sunblock, socks, towel, etc.
- Sport specific gear: bike, air pressure, flat kit, running shoes, vest, swim bag, etc.
- Electronic equipment, fully charged and updated: watch, HR monitor, power meter, trainer, software (Zwift, Rouvy, Fulgaz, etc), bike computer, bike lights
Make sure all of this is ready the night before. It is so easy to lose 10-30 minutes getting these things together in the morning that you miss your workout.
Want to make it easier to make a habit of setting all of this up? Check out this article on habit stacking by James Clear, and see how you can implement it into your routines.
Prioritize your goals and workouts. Schedule them at times where you will be uninterrupted by work, your phone, or your family. You deserve to have time to yourself for self-improvement and to improve your health and fitness. If you do not prioritize this, nobody else will either.
Train early. Train in the morning. Less than 1% of athletes I’ve worked with are successful at working out in the afternoon or evening. At that time of day your stress and fatigue levels are high. Your decision fatigue is almost at its peak for the day. It is easy to find excuses for skipping a workout all together, not fully applying yourself, or giving yourself permission to quit when it gets hard.
- I STRONGLY suggest that you attempt to schedule your workouts in the morning. This does not have to be “super early”. It could be as simple as altering your morning routine or waking up 15 minutes earlier (and going to bed 15 minutes earlier too!).
- You can do your workout at lunch if that is practical.
- Bonus side effect of early workouts: the hormones and chemicals released will help you feel good the rest of the day: psychologically you will be happier and more content too!
SLEEP! Schedule your bedtime – set an alarm on your phone for a 30-minute warning to get to bed. At that time, turn off your screen devices, dim the lights, and start your bedtime routine. This will help you feel more tired, fall asleep quicker, sleep more deeply, and wake up “on-time” each morning.
- Get at least 7 hours of sleep each night. Anything less than that and not only are you not going to recover fully from your workouts (meaning you won’t get stronger), but you put yourself at an increased risk for cancer, diabetes, weight gain, dementia, stroke, heart attack, flu and cold, hypertension (high blood pressure), and any other malady you can think of.
- Want to learn more about the importance of sleep? Check out “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams” by Matthew Walker PHD. But a warning, you will never want to miss an hour of sleep again!
- Your body, your workouts, and your goals will suffer because of a lack of quality sleep
If you follow these tips, I promise you that you will find more time to get your workouts done. And in my experience, I have found consistency, the act of completing workouts (regardless of how well, how hard, or how easily) the most important predictor of success.
What tips would you add to this?
Coach Zach Adams is the head coach at Inspire FAE Coaching. A husband and dad of two, he coaches time-crunched endurance athletes to complete, compete, and PR. He has over a decade of multisport experience as a coach and athlete. He is a USA Triathlon Level IIe certified coach, a USA Cycling Level II coach, Performance Enhancement Specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, and he is a member of the Stryd Coaching Team.
Interested in learning more about coaching through Inspire? Set up a FREE, no pressure consultation where we will discuss all things YOU, YOUR goals, and answer YOUR questions here.