by Dunte Hector
Since Matt and I took over programming for Fusion classes, there has been a steady evolution in how the weeks are structured. Don’t misunderstand: workouts are still challenging, classes are still electric, and the four walls haven’t changed much. But things are evolving, no less. Some of you can see our trademarks written all over our respective weeks of workouts. Some of you just notice that Wednesdays are outrageously hard.
Probably most noticeable is how the weeks have developed themes: weightlifting pulls, barbell complexes, throw-sprint-carry, etc. For you who take the time to ask, you know we’re happy to explain the why and how of these themes. For those who never asked — who just like showing up every day and “working out”— I want to share a secret with you: Exercising at Dane’s Body Shop is more than “working out”; it’s quality training. You will absolutely continue to grow stronger, faster, and leaner (with appropriate diet) by being a member of the Shop, whether or not that’s your specific intention.
There are a few principles of training within my certifying organization. First, continuity of the training focus. (Sports science corrolary: you become good at the things you frequently do.) Second, waviness of load. (Sports science corrolary: loads and intensities must be cycled to maintain adaptation.) Third, productive variety. (Sports science corrolary: stimuli must be changed periodically to force adaptation.)
So here’s why the weeks of “workouts” have developed themes and why we call what we do training instead of exercising…
But first, a paradox to consider: Science says “random” exercise doesn’t stimulate change, growth, or progress after the beginner phase, but it also says that doing the same thing over and over again eventually stalls progress. But then science says that you only become good at things you repeatedly do. So sports science says that we have to do the same things over and over again, but then we need to do different things over and over again, but that we can’t just change things when we want to, and if we violate any part of that, we make no progress.
So what to do to get leaner, stronger, and faster, when science says we must train “same but different”?
Simply this: Keep coming to the Shop.
There’s nothing random about our programming.
The weeks have themes so we can get quality repetitions in important movements. The weeks go from strength-focus to conditioning-focus so there is productive variety. And the weeks have a distribution of crazy-hard days and not-so-hard days so the loads constantly cycle. We work together to present our favorite proven methods for training to you so you continue to put weight on the bar. There’s some hard science behind what we write for you. There’s a lot of intuition. There’s experience, culled from the programmers before us (Dane and Leann) and the dozens of coaches from whom we steal at every opportunity. Mostly, there’s a lot of passion for improving you as athletes.
The main point, if you’re still reading, is that we really love writing these training programs for you, Fusion Athletes. And when you notice the theme of the week, or comment that you can tell who scripted the day’s training, or when you just trust us day in and day out that training this way will continue to make you a better athlete, we get all warm and fuzzy about it.
Thanks for training with us. Thanks for trusting our programming, for asking questions, and for paying attention.
And, this week and next, as we — the entire DBS family — smash the latest Community Gains Project, dominate personal records, and volunteer time to the Austin Children’s Shelter, thanks for working hard, kicking ass, and staying excited.
Things at the Shop are as they’ve always been: challenging workouts; energetic classes; loud music and louder cheers. But things at the Shop are also different: themes to training, the Community Gains Project, workshops and competitions and technique work galore. It’s a real paradox. You’ve got to be here to understand.
We’ll bring the workouts, you bring the intensity. ♦
