Be Conservative

It has come to my attention that people coming for my classes, or people who start a physical training program, inevitably try to do too much on the first day. This is a sure ticket to burnout.

The reason being you think that the workout is too tough for you, resulting in you not continuing the program.

Defeats the purpose of you starting it in the first place.

A more reasonable approach would be to follow the 4x7 (or 7x4 if your schedule revolves around the weekly cycle) periodization model:

Day 1: No Intensity RPE 1-2
AM: A long session of Intu-Flow joint mobility.

Day 2: Low Intensity RPE 3-4
AM: A long session of Intu-Flow joint mobility (as above)
PM: A long session of Prasara Yoga.

Day 3: Moderate Intensity RPE 5-7
AM: A long session of Intu-Flow joint mobility (as above)
Workout: A short session of Intu-Flow joint mobility, followed by a Moderate Intensity workout, cool down with a short session of Prasara Yoga.
PM: A long session of Prasara Yoga (as above, optional)

Day 4: High Intensity RPE 8-10

AM: A long session of Intu-Flow joint mobility (as above)

Workout: A short session of Intu-Flow joint mobility, followed by a High Intensity workout, cool down with a short session of Prasara Yoga.

PM: A long session of Prasara Yoga (as above, optional)

Repeat the 4-day cycle 7 times for a total of 28 days. Every time you are on a High Day, increase your work load (usually volume) to increase the intensity one notch. Maintain it for the next Moderate Day. And repeat the whole process for each cycle.

In other words, your first workout must be a Moderate Intensity one. This would prime your body (and brain) for the High Intensity session to follow.

Another very important reason is you want to ensure that your technique is sound (RPT 8-10) for all your workouts. The Moderate Day is the time for you to practice your technique. When fatigue is minimal at the beginning of the workout, your technique would be superb. But as fatigue builds up towards the middle and end of the session, your technique would be harder to keep at a high level. If your technique is not stable, if you have not practiced is sufficiently, it would deteriorate, putting you at risk of injury. And we don't want injury.

There is no rush to hit a High Intensity on the first day. You need to restrain yourself and follow the intensity wave of no-low-mod-high. There would be days when your energy is high and you want to hit a High Intensity Day, but you need restrain yourself and follow the prescribed program for that day. If you have followed instructions properly, you would be rewarded with seven High Intensity Days in a month, ie seven performance peaks. Yes, not three, not four, but seven. Does that sound good to you? No other program promises such improvement as this.

Alright that's it for today. Let me know your experiences with the 4x7 by posting a comment.