Training & Web Design

I had a reader suggest I have an option to turn off the the music on my blog. I like music on web sites, I think it gives you a little insight to the personality of the person and it's good for neural chunking ;) Plus, if you know how your computer works, you can simply hit the mute button. (That's not meant to be rude or pompous, simply a statement and what I do when I'm reading something on the web with music in the background.)

I looked up a few listings on web design. I came across the following and thought it related nicely to training:

Simple is good.
Push & pull for the upper, a push and a pull for the lower.
3-5 sets, 3-5reps, 3-5 times a week.
It's not rocket science, it's training.
When in doubt, do something fun.
Set goals and time lines to achieve them.

Design is paramount.
Lewis Carroll wrote in Alice in Wonderland, "If you don't know where you're going, any road will get you there." With that "plan" you'll end up wondering around a black hole just like Alice. Set goals: shorter goals to reach & meet long term goals. Stick with a specific plan to meet specific goals. Don't train for a marathon by only running sprints. Although I'm a kettlebell trainer and train mostly military folks, they are timed for a mile and a half run. So guess what? They have to practice running. It's the SAID principle, "We always get better at exactly what we do."

Navigation should be intuitive.
Although you should train for a specific goal, follow your gut: Avoid over training to avoid injury and burn-out. Know the difference between when to say when and when you're just being lazy.

Consistency is key.
'nuff said.

Color choice is critical.
How does color choice relate to training? Just as environment, food, and the people you surround yourself with can put you at ease or create tons of tension, color plays a roll too. It's called "Color Psychology." Artists use it, ancient cultures used it for healing, businesses use it...Consider the color of the environment you train in; what color are the walls painted, what color are the weights, what color is the lighting? All of these impact the outcome of your training session. I was talking with my Z-friend Craig (of Craig and Bonnie from Dallas) ;) and he said he has muscle-tested clients with names of colleagues and family members on sheets of paper to tap into the client's true feelings about those people. How they react to the thoughts of those people can make them weaker or stronger. The same can go for color.

Don't forget the content.
It is all to easy to get distracted with the latest and greatest new shiny thing on the magazine cover or info-mercial. But when it comes down to brass tacks do those things, does that "program" have the wherewithal to deliver the results you want? If it's all hype and no delivery, it's useless. You can find this in any business, let us take personal training for example :p

You can get a trainer that got their certification over the weekend from who knows where. They're pounding away on people in the gym, breaking them down, telling them to "push harder! one more rep!" You will find that those trainers have a pretty solid turn-over of clientele. Maybe their clients get injured, maybe their clients wise up, or maybe they hit a wall and can't help their client's advancement toward their goals. The bottom line is, with anything, even training, it has to be content driven. There must be true substance there for it to survive.

Make use of the full browser window.
Make full use of your skills and tools, and know when you need to broaden your horizons.

Develop for multiple browsers.
This Piggy-backs on the last bullet. Don't stop at barbell training... don't stop at kettlebell training. There is more to the world, there is more to human development and survival than a single paradigm. If you learn to shift gears and apply a little something from everywhere you have been, everything you have learned, everyone you meet, you will make for one well rounded, mentally & physically agile, and intelligent individual. Not everything fits into a nice neat category or box. Learning to intermingle your experiences and thoughts continually stokes the educational fire. This has enjoyable and boundless training implications.

Check the site for errors.
A training journal is invaluable. It enables you to take a look back, to step back and see if you're on target. If you're not on track, check for where and when changes can be made. If you think you're on track, still review your progress.

My dad, a military man, once said, "Make a decision, even if its the wrong one." Too often we get paralyzed by too much information. We don't even know where to begin. But if you just do something, you're farther along than you were yesterday. Keep track of and review your progress.

Write your own code.
"Never underestimate the power of an individuals CNS." Every individual is just that. If a program worked for Valerie Burton-whoever, great. If it inspires you to do something different-for the better, great. Don't expect the plan to work exactly the same across the board. Genetics, gene expression, environment, psychology, "muscle type," geographical location...you name it, it effects every one differently. Find your niche, stick with it, review often, make changes as necessary.

Bullets from:
Sharpened Productions, 2003-2008. Ten Rules of Web Site Design www.sharpened.com