10 Oct Great Success: Tribal P5 Formula

At Tribal we believe there is a great endurance athlete inside each and everyone one of us. It is our genetic predisposition that when healthy we can maintain a high output for an extended period as is required in endurance sports.

That said, we also believe that the vast majority of individuals training for endurance are actually doing their health more harm than good. Think of it as the difference between Training Vs. Practice, someone training rarely looks for lessons in the feedback; they are more concerned with accumulating time rather than increasing their efficiency in the task. When you practice, working hard doesn’t necessarily become unhealthful; instead you find the most effective way of increasing your work capacity.

P5 helps us to communicate our approach to becoming a highly efficient and healthy athlete. Everyone is at a different stage of our unique journey, at times we all lose our way. The ego can kick in to drive us to some pretty desperate and negative behaviors and feedback.

The P5 Formula is a long-term performance and athlete development that may just be the key to unlock your performance transformation. Throughout our teaching there is ancestral inspiration and justification, call it what you want, paleo, primal etc…. We use our biological and genetic predisposition to make great decisions for you and your body.

These behavioural differences may help you reflect on your own situation and help you become a better athlete.

The P5 Formula: Some Positive and Negative Behaviours

P1: Personal State

+IVE: Great Personal Responsibility.

Once we understand that we cause nearly everything that happens to us, it makes sense to take great personal responsibility, you are in control of your destiny so become proactive with your approach.

-IVE: No Outcome Identified.

Failure to properly identify your desired outcome can do you a great injustice. Every action is preceded with a thought, we are not driven to transformation by accident, it is only with great intention that you give yourself a chance.

P2: Physical Wellbeing

+IVE: Living the 4-Pillars.

At Tribal, we believe health comes first, the reason, the majority of us are not in endurance sports for a pay check, rather, it is a healthful pastime that allows us to strive for and grow for an achievement, therefore, health should be a priority. The four pillars of health are really simple: quality sleep, managing stress load, optimal nutrition and efficient movement.

-IVE: Striving for Low Body Weight.

Health isn’t achieved by driving the numbers on a scale as low as possible, whilst it may be necessary for the professional athlete in some sports to attain a low body weight. Your optimal healthful weight and body composition is not as low as possible, it’s the weight at which you can swim, run, bike and move efficiently, free of metabolic and structural issues and having great energy day in, day out.

P3: Productivity & Efficiency

+IVE: Prioritising Strength & Skill.

We teach the Pose Method of Swim, Bike and Run at Tribal. Developing usable strength and movement skill is at the heart of what we do, why? Because progression is unlimited in strength and skill development. Your VO2 has an upward limit that can be achieved in a fairly short period of time. If you want transformation you have to prioritise efficiency.

-IVE: Incorporating Daily Push Ups and Press Ups as the Strength Intervention.

Whilst I am keen for Tribal athletes to incorporate daily mobility and strength prehabilitation exercises into their programme. A common mistake is to think that you only need to strengthen the muscles on the front side of your body, structural or postural balance is the key to becoming indestructible and that is often created by strengthening the deep stabilsers of the major joints of the body and the muscles that are prone to becoming weak and long in sustained & repeatable postures like sitting, cycling and even swimming. Think win, win when it comes to dailies, you get mobile and stronger but you also feel better on a daily basis by managing your tissue quality.

P4: Planning Training and Racing

+IVE: Consistency and Adaptability.

Many of us are time-pressed athletes, juggling the rigors of family life, business and adding this great pursuit on top. The ones who succeed in this juggle understand the importance of consistency; they accept that completing consistently and regularly is way more powerful than having a mammoth session every 10 days with little in between. Successful time-pressed athletes are also adaptable, able to accept change and choose the correct training intensity and volume for their unique situation at any given moment.

-IVE: Prioritising Race Distance Completion.

A common mistake made by new athletes is to prioritise only being able to complete the distance, whilst intuitive, this approach doesn’t really promote an increase in performance. Remember that transformation is most impacted by strength and skill and that health should come first, of course we need to challenge your VO2 and your ability to swim, ride or run at a consistent pace but your return on investment will be limited if your only strategy is to be able to complete the distance.

P5: Preparation to Race

+IVE: Staying In the Moment.

Catastrophic projection of what is going to go wrong can plague your enjoyment come race day. Those of you that are able to stay in the moment and soak up the atmosphere for what it is are at a great advantage to those that are dreading every minute of the event and only have thoughts for the finish line and stopping. Inevitably, your mind will occasionally drift; success comes to those that are able to bring their mind back to the task in hand and concentrate on great execution.

-IVE: Trying New Strategies on Race Day.

If you can help it, never go in blind. Always practice your race scenario before your race day. Whilst you should have a plan for the whole of your race week and race morning, once in your race you really have 4 key things to think about and what you want to think about should be identified and practiced in training, the 4 key focuses are thoughts, form, pace and fuel.