Rather Listen?
At Street Parking, we're not about “selling” the workouts. We're “selling” the habit of showing up, day after day. We believe building and maintaining the habit of consistency with fitness and nutrition is mastering the basics, it’s a win. It is the essence of simple, NOT easy.
But no doubt there WILL come a point when you have dialed in your consistency that you’re ready for more, a new way to challenge yourself.
But we’re not talking about adding more volume. (You can read more about Intensity > Volume and Reaching for Personal Goals to dive into that topic.)
We’re talking about leveling up.
And the question isn't just when to level up. It's how.
Ready to find out?
When To Level Up
The GOAL is your compass.
The goal in the Daily Workouts is the most helpful tool you can use to determine if you’re ready to level up.
Are you consistently on the fast/high end of the goal range or even exceeding it? Time to navigate new waters.
Are there workouts where you excel in one movement but struggle with another? That’s your map to improvement. (And to be expected, btw.)
The Coaches Notes provide guidance on how long each movement should take or what kind of sets you should be doing them in. Following that guidance can tell you what areas of your fitness can be improved upon. If this is you, some of these strategies could be the key to unlocking those improvements.
HOW TO LEVEL UP: 8 STRATEGIES
Before diving into the 8 strategies, first we’ll address one of the most common scenarios for SP members and answer the question: “What about transitioning from SHIFT workouts to Program A?”
The guidance on “when” remains the same as the guidance mentioned above. Here are our recommendations on HOW to transition from SHIFT to A/B/C program options:
- Take one element from the Program A workout and apply it to the SHIFT workout.
- Do the SHIFT movements at the suggested weight and reps from Program A.
- Choose a more difficult movement variation from Program A to do but with the SHIFT rep scheme.
Continue merging the two workouts until you are once again consistently crushing the goal. At that point, you can try tackling the Program A workouts as written or with a few Customizations!
1. Set a “mini” goal within the workout.
Regardless of what program version (A/B/C/SHIFT) you choose, pick one element of the workout to challenge yourself with.
This could look like:
- Doing a movement unbroken that you would otherwise break into multiple sets.
- Committing to a certain rep scheme to get through a difficult movement.
- Going heavier.
- Reducing/limiting your transition time between movements.
📖 Read more on mindset and how to challenge yourself in Part 2 of Why You Need to Keep It Simple, Not Easy.
2. Add in an Extra Program.
Incorporating an Extra Program into your weekly routine can help you to address any limitations you notice in the Daily Workouts or further develop an aspect of fitness you really enjoy. With programs dedicated to Endurance, Strength, Bodyweight Skills, and more, you’re bound to find one that speaks to you and will help you to level up your performance.
📖 Read more on how to go about adding in Extra Programs to your week.
3. Use a new piece of equipment.
What drives “results” is our bodies adapting and changing to whatever stimulus we present it with. One of those stimuli is the equipment you use. Whether you opt to invest in something new, or simply pay more attention to what you gravitate to within your existing equipment, changing up your equipment is both beneficial and effective.
- If you mostly use dumbbells, your body at some point gets accustomed to using dumbbells and it starts to feel “easy,” or at least familiar. Switching it up to a barbell or sandbag could be all you need to present a new challenge that your body has to adapt to.
- If you’re used to doing inverted rows in place of pull ups, investing in a pull up bar and working on that skill is a great option.
- If you have a piece of equipment that we don’t have a program version dedicated to or isn’t represented in the list of Customizations, use the guidance in the Coaches Notes (and your fitness freedom) to make that swap!
📖 Read more about the benefits of training with a Sandbag.
4. Work on your weaknesses.
If there’s a particular movement you struggle with, try adding a few reps of it into your warm up before each Daily Workout. Or you could set a clock before or after your workout and practice it every minute on the minute so you get some work in followed by some rest.
It doesn’t need to be a long, drawn out session. Keep it short and manageable so that you’re more likely to work on it consistently (since we know that’s key).
💪🏼 Check out the Bodyweight Skills Extra Program for short, structured sessions on improving movements such as squats, push ups, and pull ups.
5. Do the Extra Challenge.
Check the “Extra Challenge" found in the Daily Workouts. This option is appropriate for if/when you would surpass the Goal using the listed Suggestions for that workout and performing the workout without any performance-based customizations (not necessarily if you were modifying for space or equipment needs).
The Extra Challenge will challenge you to either do the workout with a heavier load, more reps, or do the same amount of work, but with less rest. Sometimes it’s a combination of those three.
If you’re really looking to up the ante and challenge yourself, choosing the uncomfortable option will serve you well.
6. Tackle the Glory Days version.
Sometimes we’ll offer a “Glory Days” version of a Daily Workout where there will be a more complex gymnastics skill programmed in place of a simpler movement, like muscle ups for pull ups, handstand push ups for shoulder press, or handstand walks for wall walks. We strongly recommend being able to perform these movements safely and proficiently before doing them in an intense workout. But if that’s you, then go for it!
No Glory Days option? Use your fitness freedom to customize the workout with these more complex movements. Our tip is to consider how many reps there are of the original movement, how long those would take you, and decide the appropriate number of reps of the higher skilled movement you can do while maintaining the desired stimulus of the workout.
If you notice that you’re constantly adding these movements in, we urge you to ask yourself, “Why?” as to not fall into a trap of over-using customizing in order to avoid movements you might struggle with.
7. Optimize your recovery outside the “gym.”
Your fitness journey extends beyond your workout space. Therefore, “more physical activity” is not ALWAYS what’s needed to challenge ourselves or see improvements in performance.
Recovery is often the silent performance enhancer, so consider a couple of these tips to focus on:
- Take advantage of the Street Parking Maintenance sessions. Mobility is the key to safer, more efficient movements. Stretching isn't just flexibility — it's injury prevention.
- Create a sleep routine. Sleep is nature's ultimate performance drug. Improved sleep brings better hormone regulation, physical healing and can help you work out better.
8. Dial in your nutrition.
Nutrition is not just important to health and body composition, it’s equally as important in our performance. How we fuel our bodies can make or break our efforts in a workout.
A few suggestions on ways to level up your nutrition game:
- Keep a log of all the food or liquids you consume. Do this for at least one week. Paying attention not only to what you’re eating/drinking but also how much can inform whether you need more or less — and of what types of food — to do better in your workouts. Download this FOOD LOG to make tracking simple.
- Dial in the accuracy by weighing and measuring your food. A great place to start with this would be to check out our 30 Days Of The #800gChallenge® program. This approach encourages consuming 800 grams (about six cups or roughly six closed adult fists) of fruits and vegetables daily. You won't be required to restrict any foods, making it a sustainable approach to your nutrition! You can check out more details on that program HERE.
- For more steps you can take to dial in your nutrition, check out this blog!
Now that you know the when and how of leveling up, it’s time to put these strategies into action. (Assuming you’ve established your foundation of consistency, of course.)
Our recommendation: Choose 1-2 ideas from the list and commit to consistently trying them out for at least the next 4 weeks. The more you track your actions – and your progress – the better.
Leveling up your fitness doesn’t just unlock new levels of performance and confidence, it can be the motivating boost to keep you on the path of a lifetime of consistency. Are you ready to embrace the challenge?
Join the Street Parking community today!
