WHEN AND HOW TO START YOUR PERSIST TRAINING
It's your first day of training with FBB Persist and you're stoked! You have your new Vivos handy and you just finished listening to Marcus discuss some mind-blowing content on the FBB podcast. The hype couldn’t get any more real! You whip out your phone and load up the ATOM platform. You start scrolling looking for WEEK 1 - DAY 1 and boom! It's not there. Instead, you see WEEK 4 - DAY 3 and think, “How can I start training today when I am not starting at the beginning of the training cycle?”
Don’t panic! Take a deep breath and relax. Here is how to approach YOUR first week.
FBB Persist runs as a live and continuous program consisting of 6-week cycles. We welcome and encourage all our new athletes to start right away. Yes, even it it means starting in the middle or end of a training cycle. Jumping in where Persist is in a current 6-week cycle presents you the opportunity to get accustomed to new movements and terminology and allows you to explore the core pillars of Persist.
In YOUR first week you might have questions regarding the Persist program. Subjects like TEMPO, RPE, choosing loads and movement substitutions/regressions can be complex to understand. This is the perfect opportunity to reach out to our fantastic FBB team! Our coaches and support team can answer your questions and help expand your base knowledge, establish a solid training foundation, and help pave a pathway to success with Persist!
Here are some coaching recommendations to help you get started and have a successful first week.
GENERAL MINDSET AND TRAINING APPROACH:
Start each day by looking at the “COACH NOTE” found at the beginning of each daily workout. Here, you will discover things like the intent for that day’s workout or the approach to particular sections of the workout. You will also find suggestions for structuring your session if you are "short on time".
Begin a new cycle with a “LEAVE SOME ON THE TABLE” mentality. You always want to walk away from training in YOUR first week knowing you could have pushed a little harder on your weights and conditioning. This leaves room for progress in weeks to come and ensures that your body can get used to the new movements.
ABSOLUTE STRENGTH / SUPERSETS:
Lower your set count by 1-2 sets.
Lower your loads/weight on every strength movement; even if only by 10-20 pounds.
Do not start off maxing out on every day of training. Start slow and light and build over the following weeks of training.
Focus on movement quality and honoring the TEMPO; if prescribed.
CONDITIONING / HOT STARTS / PRE-FATIGUES:
Limit your weights. Lower the weight prescribed; if any. If not prescribed, keep weights light and increase load as these movements come back around in future weeks of training.
Limit your volume by capping yourself 1-2 rounds shy of the prescribed sets and volume.
Decrease the amount of time prescribed in a workout. For example, if a workout says, “In 20 minutes, complete a certain amount of work,” reduce the overall time by 5 minutes or more to finish without being completely spent.
Lower your RPE. Instead of attacking YOUR first week at 90%, we suggest you complete it at 70% of your best effort.
These general rules and recommendations will ensure you have a great first week with Persist! And as always, don’t hesitate to reach out to one of our team members should you have any questions about your training. You can do that by navigating to the message icon in ATOM (see picture below) or by sending us an email to support@functional-bodybuilding.com.
