This weekend we had a large group of members take on their first attempt for the Level 2 of the Telos Testing Series. It was a great way to test our members; it gave us insight on where there are strengths, weaknesses, and areas of improvement for individuals and as a whole. It was also wicked fun cheering everyone on.
If you did pass- congratulations! If you did not pass- don’t beat yourself up. The goal was not to have everyone pass, but instead focus on pushing our members beyond the level 1 test and challenge everyone. We want our members to be able to reflect on the experience and develop a strategy to bring improvement to their overall health and fitness. Whether or not you passed, reflection is key for continuous self-improvement.
Questions to ask yourself:
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What were the hardest components of the test?
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Why did I fail and/or have difficulty completing certain movements?
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How is my current training? Is it optimal?
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How consistent am I with my training?
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What can I potentially do better?
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What were my strengths?
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What progressions should I focus on to tackle my weaknesses?
After talking with most of the members who attempted Level 2, everyone had a different response as to what they thought was difficult and what they thought was relatively easy. Which makes sense because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses. This is why individualization becomes important in training as your training age/experience increases. For example, if someone has difficulty with upper body strength and were not able to pass the DB bench portion of the test, they may need specific upper body accessory work (such as tricep extension exercises, heavy DB bench work, etc.) to work on their weakness or they may need to tailor their training progression based on their recovery– this all depends on the individual and how their body responds to specific training stimuli. For many people, they may not need to tailor anything; instead, all they need to do is to continue showing up and being consistent. The strength will come with time.
As the first iteration of the Level 2 is complete, we want our members to know that it was designed to be more difficult than Level 1 and designed to be accomplished with more experience in the strength realm. You will have more opportunities to take the test if you did not pass certain movements. In addition, more levels will be released soon. Expect Level 3 to be even more fun 😉