Day 56: Constant Assessment
Preparing for the 1-2-3-4 Assessment
Action
Check one result instead of relying on how you feel about it.
Standard
Measure before you modify.
Today’s Reading
Fitness is flooded with promises, programs, testimonials, and before-and-after pictures. The only way to know whether something worked is to ask a harder question: “Did it work for me?”
I learned to think of this as constant assessment. Everything works, at least for a while. Almost every diet, program, and gimmick can produce some short-term result. The real test often arrives around Week Seven, Day One, when the novelty has vanished and the easy improvements have slowed.
That is when the coach must ask what comes next. Did strength improve? Did the waistline change? Is the athlete moving better? Is the person sleeping, recovering, and feeling better? Are we closer to the goal, or merely more tired?
Assessment does not need to become an obsession. Choose a few indicators that connect directly to the goal and check them regularly.
A difficult workout may feel productive while pulling you away from the goal. An easy walk may feel unimportant while quietly doing exactly what you need. Assess the result, not the drama
Winning throw at the Nationals. Track and Field, lifting sports, and swimming are based on simple metrics. There is no vote, no video review (save in RARE occasions on the Finish Line) and, almost universally, absolute clarity. That’s why I like blood tests, waistline measurements, and simple tests for most people.
Coaching Vocabulary
Constant assessment: Regularly checking whether your actions are producing the intended result.
Reflection
What result would tell me that my current approach is working?
This lesson is adapted from Dan John’s book, Fitness Forge, originally written as Tools of Coaching. Learn more at danjohnuniversity.com/bookstore.