Intuitive Training—How to hit high intensity workouts

Intuitive Training is at the heart of any successful training program. It’s a fundamental principle that MUST be taught from the very beginning of a trainee’s journey. But it’s also one of the most intricate skills to master, and can mean the difference between hitting true high intensity workouts and languishing in mediocrity.

When I was a teen and young adult, I studied an Okinawan martial art called Uechi-Ryu. What struck me the most as I progressed in the system was the fact that the first and seemingly most simple thing I ever learned—Sanchin—was in fact the most complex and sophisticated keystone of the art. Every time I thought I was getting better at it, I discovered once again that I’d only scratched the surface. Each layer revealed new depths of understanding.

Intuitive Training is a lot like that. You can get it right away. But the more you practice it, the more you tap into your ability to guide your training and intensity with your perceptions. Training becomes less about sets and reps, and more about how hard you can and should push yourself.

Usually, our energy waves in a pretty predictable pattern. Coach Scott Sonnon discovered this pattern through years of journaling—both himself and the athletes he coached—and mining the data he collected. What came out of this experimentation was a fairly universal energy pattern in a four day cycle.

If you ramp up from No Intensity to Low Intensity to Moderate Intensity to High Intensity. Chances are you’ll be working with your body’s natural rhythm and you’ll be able to consistently hit your best possible performance on that fourth day.

But, here’s an exception that proves the rule. As I usually do, I’m following the 4×7 intensity wave in my training right now. That means I fluctuate through No Intensity, Low Intensity, Moderate Intensity and High Intensity workouts. Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, that formula allows me to hit my best efforts on my High Intensity days.

Yesterday, I had a Low Intensity day of Ageless Mobility. So today should have been Moderate. But I FELT that something was cooking. My intuition told me that today was NOT a Moderate day. So…

I had the BEST and most INTENSE session I’ve had in months. I was in a groove so deep I almost felt like I was outside looking in. My technique was perfect and I poured more intensity into it than would seem possible. And at the end of the session I had that happily depleted but totally energized feeling.

If I’d done the exact same thing on my last cycle, I would probably have finished with that drained and heavy feeling that most people get after a High Intensity session. My body would not have been ready for it. And by following the normal progression of the 4×7 formula you’ll avoid that trap.

But the better you get at reading your body—at tapping into your Intuitive Training—the easier it will be for you to spot those opportunities to hit a perfect 10 out of 10 on the Rate of Perceived Effort Scale. You’ll be able to feel when everything is aligned and you’re ready to kick some serious ass.

All good trainers teach Intuitive Training instinctively on some level. But few do it consciously. Circular Strength Training has it down to a science. From the moment you start using the system, you dig into this powerful tool. But unless you really give it the attention it deserves, you never move past the habit of faithfully following the structured path. You never move into true intuition. And that’s where the real power lives.

Luckily, we have Scott Sonnon’s 4×7 formula. The four day intensity progression is more than a simple plan to follow. It’s also a learning tool. If you follow the spirit of the 4×7 formula, it’ll teach you to tap into the Intuitive Training principle and bring you closer to truly understanding your own body and energy levels.

Both Bodyweight Exercise Revolution and Bodyweight Blueprint For Fat Loss use Scott’s 4×7. Both are excellent paths to mastery of the Intuitive Training principle. Log your Intuitive Training numbers for every session. Follow the wave as it’s set out in the program. And in time you’ll be tapping into this powerful tool and you’ll start hitting those milestone training sessions that make it all worthwhile.

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