The Four Quarter Rule

The Four Quarter Rule
Written by Michele Vieux

Looking for a strategy to help you know where to push in your workouts?

I used this trick when I was a swimmer in my youth (my specialty was the 200M butterfly and I hope it will help keep you moving through any workout or challenge in life. Whatever you are facing, divide it into four quarters. An easy example of this is a four-round workout.

Round 1: Start the first round at a pace you know you can keep throughout the entire workout.

Round 2: Round two should be used to check yourself. It is easy to drift off or lose momentum in this round. Don’t drop too far behind your round one pace and if you find yourself falling behind, pick back up to that pace you know you can hold.

Round 3: The third round is the most important in terms of making something big happen. This is where you go above and beyond, push yourself to your max, and pull away from the pack. Pick up the pace and get through this round and you know you are onto the home stretch. Most people wait until the final round to start this move.

Round 4: Since you started your push in round three, all you need to do is bring it home—finish strong! You should have just enough left to accomplish this and hopefully a new PR, feat of strength, conquering of a life obstacle, or whatever it was you set out to achieve.

No matter what your challenge, breaking it down into smaller, more manageable pieces can help you conquer it but having a strategy for each of those pieces will help you crush it.