[hlnx1]

Consistency beats intensity for most athletes, and consistency is largely about habits. Behaviour research gives a few practical tools.

What tends to help:

• Implementation intentions: specific if-then plans, such as “If it is Tuesday at 7am, I run from the front door”
• Linking new habits to existing routines, like doing mobility straight after brushing your teeth
• Lowering the starting barrier: kit laid out, bag packed, short minimum session defined for bad days
• Expect it to take time; one often-cited study found habits took around two months on average to become automatic, with huge variation between people

Related reading: goal setting for athletes.

Which training habit has been easiest for you to keep, and why?

[hlnx1]

A minimum-session template for chaotic weeks: 20 minutes easy, or 10 minutes of strength basics. The point is to keep the habit alive, not to get maximum training effect.

Many athletes find that once they start the short version, they often do more than planned. And if not, the habit still held.

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