Legos and Fitness Building

Hi all,

 

Like most children, I loved playing with legos as a child. Training for triathlon is a lot like playing with legos.

 

Every workout we do equals a lego brick, and we need a lot of bricks before we can build something great.

 

Different types of workouts equal different types of bricks. An aerobic base building workout may be the classic 2x8 brick, while an interval session on the track may be a more unique piece. The classic 2x8 brick is the foundation of almost all great lego sets, but we don't want a lego set that is made of all the same pieces- some variety is necessary.

 

Even the most advanced lego sets are made of mostly basic blocks. They're just arranged in clever ways.

 

The lego assembly manual is our training plan. Following it allows us to piece all the bricks together in a unique way to reach a desired result. The manual shows us one way to reach a goal, but the things we can build with our bricks is literally endless.

 

When we first play with legos we can have fun with just a few pieces. But over time we'll want larger sets and will become more creative in how we piece the bricks together. As we become more experienced, you may want to build more advanced sets. This may take days, even weeks to build.

 

Most importantly, playing with legos never feels like work. It's fun, playful, and something we look forward to.

 

It would be odd to see someone complain while playing with legos. Yet athletes do this all the time in training.

 

The most successful athletes train as if they're playing with legos: they build huge lego sets by doing a lot of work. They build variety in their lego set by doing specific workouts unique to their goal event. And like a child playing with legos, they are completing engaged in the moment and look forward to the training. It's fun. It doesn't feel like work. The best also acknowledge that this is something they get to do, not something they have to do.

 

Have fun building!

 

Antonio Gonzalez

September, 2021