Posted on July 04, 2017 by Jenny Cromack
Everyone likes to train in different ways, in different environments. I don’t pretend to be any sort of psychologist, but it does really interest me how motivation and therefore training adaptation can be altered so much by the environment that we train in. So I thought I’d write a blog about how changing your training environment may affect your training.
Let’s split the term ‘training environment’ into separate categories:
– Location
– Type of gym
– Personal training vs. Group training
– Music
Next we are going to look at each one in a bit more detail, and see which side of the fence you fall on.
Location
I don’t mean where about in the country or even world you are based (although the closer to Yorkshire obviously the better) I mean where the gym is in relation to your work and home. Personally, I like my training being away from my home and nearer (or in fact in) my work. Although I LOVE working out, I am very aware it is going to be hard ‘work’ and I think if I was nearer home where I relax and switch off it would be harder to get up to high intensities day in day out. Obviously, this is the not the case for everyone, many love having a gym they can roll out of bed for, this can be equally as motivating. Perhaps give this a thought if you feel you aren’t training as hard as you could be.
Type of Gym
This is an interesting point for me and something not everyone will have thought of, but I am sure you’ll all have very varying opinions on it. Do you prefer to workout in a top of the range, top quality, beautifully clean state of the art facility, or do you literally just want a squat rack, barbell and couple of old dumbbells? Some believe that the later, ‘breeds hard work’ and for me I couldn’t agree more, resistant training is very simple, a lot of the modern, expensive equipment do the same thing as a dumbbell can do, just costs so much more. At the other end of the spectrum, others believe that a world class training facility produces world class performance, and again its hard to argue with that point. At the end of the day it down, again, to what motivates you as individual, have a think about it and if you see me feel free to have a chat with me about it…
Personal training vs. Group training
Simple question: do you prefer training on your own or in a group setting? Both have their benefits. A lot of people think if you train in a group you are restricted and have to do the same as your pal, but this is just not true. Exercise is so easily adapted to meet individual requirements there is no need to worry about a training session not being specific enough. Having other people there can increase performance, make you pick up a heavier weight and improve technique to be as good as the others in the group. Moreover, just having other people with you can make the session feel more enjoyable.
Music
Instead of lecturing you about what music can do for your workout, I will list my top 7 workout tunes that get me going. Don’t laugh…
– Linken Park – Numb / In the End
– Fort Minor – Remember the Name
– The Automatic – Monster
– Kanye – All Of The Lights
– 50 Cent / Eminem
– Neil Diamond – Sweet Caroline
– Guilty pleasure…any Westlife
On a serious note, these 4 factors play a vital role in everyone’s training effectiveness. If you haven’t thought about them before, then start doing so!!