You already know how to work hard. You've probably also got a few old injuries, and some habits from army PT that made sense when someone was shouting at you. This path is about training for yourself now: what to keep, what to drop, and how to build back without trying to pass a fitness test every session.
Your first step
This week, do one session that isn't flat out. Use the effort scale and stop at a seven out of ten. It's harder than it sounds.
Use the effort scaleYour first few weeks
- Keep the good habitsTurning up, consistency and finishing what you start. Those were always the bits that worked.
- Drop the beastingNot every session has to leave you on the floor. Most of your training should be moderate, with the hard sessions planned, not automatic.
- Work around old injuries properlyIf something from service still flares up, get it looked at by your GP or a physio, and train around what they say rather than through it.
- Train for yourselfPick a goal that's yours, not a pass mark. Compare your lifts with real data if you need a target.
The best pages, in order
- The effort scale: not every session has to be a ten.
- Lifting tempo: every rep on purpose, nobody shouting.
- Energy systems: the science behind every beasting you remember.
- Lifting standards: real competition data, not NAAFI claims.
- Muscles worked: what the big lifts train.
Support, if you want it
If service has left you carrying things heavier than a bergen, there's support.
Op COURAGE is the NHS mental health service for veterans in England. Find your local Op COURAGE service. Scotland and Wales have their own NHS veterans' services, and Northern Ireland has the Veterans' Support Office.
Combat Stress runs a free 24-hour helpline for veterans and their families anywhere in the UK: 0800 138 1619. combatstress.org.uk
If you're struggling right now, call Samaritans free on 116 123. If you're in danger, call 999.
Not sure this is you? Take the two-minute questionnaire, or see every starting point.