Very few people complete 100% of their training program. We all encounter sickness, injuries and unexpected problems with family and/or work. These things easily interrupt our training, food preparation and sleep; they're like hurdles in your path.
To negotiate these hurdles successfully, you need to avoid fishtail fitness training.
Fishtailing is where you lose control of the back end of your mode of transport (bike, motor vehicle etc). Instinctively when people start to swerve dangerously (for whatever reason) they overcompensate in a panicked attempt to keep their vehicle travelling safely straight. Unfortunately, this leads to the back end of the mode of transport flying the other way, worse than before! Before you know it, you are violently turning the steering wheel or handlebars left and right, eventually losing total control over where you are going. CRASH!
The key to avoiding fishtailing is to remain calm, take a deep breathe and slowly get yourself back on track. This is often the case with people and their fitness programs.
If you miss a series of training sessions, or you have a bad week with your nutrition, don't panic and try to overcompensate by being extra-good. What commonly happens is you try to hard, you burn out (either physically or mentally) and the fishtailing begins. CRASH!
When you have a bad period, don't panic and just move on. It's happened, you can't do anything about it other than learn from the experience. Stay cool and get back on track with your program.
Here's a visual demonstration of this in action at the 2003 Tour De France. Joseba Beloki losses control, Lance Armstrong keeps cool, take the scenic route and lives to fight another day.
Check our the video version of this blog post below: