Nonprophet Capacity Manual Review
Discover more from Savage / Zen
Nonprophet Capacity Manual Review
Kill criteria, capacity, and quitting...
"What we have to discover is that there is no safety, that seeking is painful, and that when we imagine that we have found it, we don't like it."
~ Alan Watts
Maybe I let myself down. Maybe the goal wasn’t clear and therefore the path traveled unnecessarily rugged. Then again, if it took Nonprophet 3 years to summarize 20 years of work in their Capacity Manual, so maybe three months trying to swallow it is only an appetizer.
What is Capacity?
I’ve written about Capacity several times before:
Previous definitions have included efforts between 3 and 90 minutes. More common nomenclature includes “metabolic conditioning” or “Met-Con.” Those unacquainted with endurance work often refer to High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) as “conditioning.” Muddying the waters further we have terms like strength-endurance, power-endurance, and density training.
These technical definitions lack the existential grit that is required to truly “find your edge.” Metabolic substrate / energy system discussions are somewhat irrelevant here because all of the systems are working all of the time. However, individual sessions can be geared to target a given energy system or sensation, thus revealing the weak(er/est) links throughout.
Therefore, what might best describe capacity training is the seeking out — which is inherently painful — and exploring of our limiting factors.
From the manual:
“If you are only doing what you like, you likely aren’t doing what you need. Capacity work - in general - is done to develop areas that cause discomfort. That discomfort is a lack of ability, missing efficiency, or physiological deficiency.
Fear:
What I must admit is that I’m afraid. What seemed like an out-of-body-experience-inducing 158 calories in 10 minutes on an AirBike a few months ago now seems tough, but much more “manageable.” Is the goal simply to improve from past markers?
The training pace or “race pace” I’ve been working with is 18 calories / minute to work towards my (starting) body weight of 180 lbs / calories in 10 minutes. I’ve shed a few pounds since then, so is the new goal an arbitrary endpoint like body weight in calories?
Should I reset the build progression so that the new body weight becomes the goal, so that a given benchmark becomes “easy?” What the hell did I vomit for then during the prior paced sessions?!
Perhaps, the goal is the best I’m capable of? That’s frightening, as a true test should be — because I know what it will cost. If a test is reserved for once or twice per year, that’s enough time for naive complacency to settle in. For now, I can still remember laying on the floor in a puddle for much longer than the actual test followed by a day-long smoker’s cough.
There is no blinking after knowing.
From the manual:
Maximum Effort - an effort done to the full, current, capacity of the player, which changes according to recovery status.
100% - a test, reserved to discover a nearly-impossible boundary without blowing through it, done infrequently.
Race Pace - a projected future ability, the pace we are preparing to test, either in a formal training session or organized competition.
Quit vs. Fail:
The psychology of a truly 100% effort is amazing; a potent educational tool to say the least — if you’re willing to pay your pound of flesh of course.
I have had a soccer mom I was coaching snap at minute 8 of 10 on the 300FY test and blame me for all of life’s problems. I had been sitting silently watching until then, and upon the assault immediately reciprocated the emotion; reminding her that the dial on the bike was a mirror and this was her fault. She chose this. I only offered an opportunity that she accepted.
Goddamn, that red pill is bitter isn’t it?
Likewise I’ve found myself at minutes 4 - 6 comparing myself to others, wanting to look tough, but only tough enough to get noticed and then quit; to accomplish enough to be better than others, but not necessarily enough to better myself.
From the manual:
“… ‘I quit’ reserves no ambiguity about who did what and who is responsible for that choice and action. Declaring that, ‘I failed after trying as hard as I could and then some,’ is not the same as saying, ‘I quit because it was too daunting to continue,’ or ‘I quit because the outcome wasn’t going to be consistent with my self-image.’”
“I know there will be many days when my desire to quit will be strong and only I can pay enough attention to persevere. This is trainable and sustainable, but also — when left unattended — prone to decay.”
Let us summarize the process of dumping 100% into 10 minutes:
Minutes 1 - 2: Should feel confident. If not, you’re coming out too hot and probably won’t even make it half way. Regulating over-stimulation and “psyche” are crucial here.
Minutes 3 - 4: This is where the voices of excuses are created and magnify. How can this be so hard?! I’m not even half way! This is part of the process. It’s predictable. Ante up or fold.
Minutes 5 - 6: With denial out of the way we move on to negotiating. Maybe I can think of an excuse for under-performing. I’ll compare myself to those around me, alter the objective, or otherwise remove accountability.
Minutes 7 - 8: The third quarter of any effort is the dark-zone. It’s literally too far to turn back. Accept your fate. Enter the separate reality.
Minutes 9 - 10: This is the home stretch, but you’re not out of the water yet. There’s more psychological pressure than ever; haven’t you done enough? You are going to make it. Count the seconds, count the breaths, just don’t quit.
From the Manual:
“To give everything and not pass (a test), reveals certain truths, but rarely motivates one to continue; passing without effort reveals nothing yet produces a similar outcome.”
Kill Criteria:
Choose your preferred poker metaphor from Kenny Rogers or Annie Duke.
There are a few people in the working dog and climbing worlds that I keep tabs on because good coaching is notable regardless of the sport or discipline — enter Kris above.
Allow me to summarize:
Failure Opportunity: A test with expensive tuition.
Opportunity Cost: The knowledge that could have been gained, but you bet and folded so you lost it.
Perservate: A fixation on (relative) max effort(s), only “challenging” yourself in domains you’re comfortable with, fear of failure, etc.
Kill Criteria: Knowing when to hold’em, when to fold’em, when to walk away, and when to run.
States & Dates: Measures for defining “Kill Criteria.”
I had the foresight to count session numbers and keep track of style (e.g. build, test, cultivation) as well as domain (oxygen mobilization, movement, and recoverability) when beginning formal capacity training.
While this allowed for subjective scheduling with regard to recovery status, it distracted me from setting a deadline for the end of this training block. For example, I wasn’t hindered by the rigidity of “Week 5, Day 3”, but I also let myself off the hook — “if you’re not ready, or don’t test again by X, then move on.”
Elite professional fighters in the UFC get contracts for 4 fights per year. The Capacity Manual suggests most people are capable of “peaking” 2 - 3 times per year. What this means is that we’ve got about 12 - 15 weeks before we either:
Break (mentally or physically),
Get Bored (or distracted), or
Perservate (see above).
Get It Done While You Can…
I failed, got distracted, and then quit.
I had postponed an endurance test three time since last fall so I needed to seize the opportunity when it arose. Obviously, being recovered for, actually doing, and recovering from an off-the-cuff 6 hour event threw a kink in my programming.
Additionally, I was provoked into a 6 mile weighted run — with elevation of course. With both of these “off course” events happening within the same week it was time for reflection while recovering.
Before any of that though, I quit. On a 2 x 7 min. bike session I wasn’t able to recover in the allotted time between sets. Normally, I’m quite liberal with the rest times if it means I’ll give a better (100%) rather than harder, but half-assed (max) effort. This evolved systemically into fear and procrastination not only of another test, but even a single 8 or 9 minute session.
It could be said then that my “(work) capacity” is 7 minutes at this time.
If I tell you my “workout” was to “ride the bike” for “7 or 10 minutes” a certain image may come to mind; maybe even an image of yourself doing the same. If I add that that 10 minute interval involved 158 calories of work or that the 7 minutes involved 140 calories of work; that may or may not make the image more clear.
Therefore, I can’t accurately convey the sensation or experience of seeking my edge — my capacity — much less predict or presume knowledge of yours. You must find it for yourself. Everyone has to pay, and you won’t regret the work once it’s done.
So, you might was well play; because no one gets out alive.