We live in a go-go-go society, it's not surprising that when we are presented with an opportunity to stop we often are apprehensive, and don't know how to react. A perfect example of this is summer vacation, this is the time when we force ourselves to stop our daily routine and recharge ourselves. Many of you have approached me to tell me about your travel plans, and the conversation almost always includes the worry about "not being able to exercise while you are away." To the surprise of many, my response to that is "good for you." As you plan your summer getaway, I find it fitting to take the time to talk about the benefits of stopping at three different levels:
Stopping through the year
For those of you who never miss a workout, pat yourselves on the back. Consistency is key when it comes to seeing results in the gym. However, there is a fine line between being consistent and burning yourself out. There is such a thing as overtraining, and it is easy to identify. Overtraining can occur when you train beyond your body's ability to recover. We sometimes fail to identify overtraining until it is too late. This often results in our body forcing us to take a break from our workouts due to illness or injury. Some of the key symptoms of overtraining include:
- Washed-out feeling, tired, drained, lack of energy
- General aches and pains
- Insomnia
- Decrease in training capacity / intensity
- Moodiness and irritability
- Loss of enthusiasm for the sport
- Increased incidence of injuries.
An easy way to know when you are approaching an over-trained state is to look at your mood. If your attitude about working out is changing from being enthusiastic, to seeing it as a chore it might be time to take a break. A one week break from your regular routine every 8-10 weeks can work wonders towards re-kindling your progress. Take advantage of this summer's vacation plans and use them as a way to reignite your workout. Rather than worrying about where you will get your exercise while away, just plan on enjoying your trip and give your mind AND your body a break. When you come back you will have renewed energy to take on the toughest workout.
The weekly break
Besides stopping after long periods of training, Stopping from your daily workout is also important. Many people assume that because I work at a gym, I must work-out on a daily basis. That is rarely the case. Although exercise is a key part of a daily routine, rest is just as important. As we push ourselves through a workout, primarily those involving resistance training, we gradually break down our muscle fiber. It is through the process of healing and recovery that the muscles become stronger. You must therefore give your body enough time between workouts to fully recover from the damage caused during high intensity workout sessions. It is best to space your workouts at least 72 hours apart for any particular body-part. An easy way to do this is to take a day off for every 2 days of training. Training on alternating days is also a great way to give our body's the recovery time it needs. It is just as important to make sure you make the most of these non-training days include plenty of rest and eating properly to ensure that your body has the required nutrients for muscle repair.
Stopping during a workout
The lowest level of stopping is during a workout. I often see people rushing from one set to another in an effort to squeeze in a full workout into a 30 or 45 minute schedule. Although this is a great way to increase your cardiovascular endurance, you also need to make sure that you give your muscles enough recovery time to replenish their ATP stores. Adenosine Tri Phosphate, commonly referred to as ATP is your muscle's primary energy fuel. As you move your body, your muscles burn through their local ATP stores to generate the energy needed to contract. When performing a resistance training exercise, for example, you will only be able to do as many repetitions as the muscle can do with its given energy store. Once you reach the point of failure, you need to give the muscle enough time to re-fill its energy stores. A one to two minute break between sets is optimal for most people. This should be enough time to make any adjustments to the weight on the machine, and re-focus on your body position and remind yourself to do the exercise in proper form. If performing a circuit training program, stagger the body parts being worked so to give one muscle group enough time to recover while you perform other exercises in the circuit.
Knowing when to stop during a workout, between workouts, and after long periods of training can be the key to ensuring better results and a lower chance of illness and injury.
