Many people think in one dimension when it comes to workouts. (But not you - you’re smarter than that.)
What’s the buzz? High intensity. But what if your system can’t handle a high intensity effort due to external factors? Maybe you are underslept, undernourished, injured, overstressed or overtrained. Sometimes these circumstances are the facts of life. So how do we ever make progress toward our goals if the facts of life are keeping us from the HIIT workout we crave? Logically, we address the facts of life.
We’ve all been in the gym and felt like absolute garbage. (Maybe EVERY time you go to the gym you feel like absolute garbage... This is an issue, let’s talk later.) Rather than throwing the workout out with the detox water, what if there was a smarter way to spend your time at the gym that actually made you feel better for having gone? Isn’t the main reason we go to the gym to feel better anyway?
When face-to-face with a trash session, those who tend to take an all-or-nothing approach to exercise will either ignore all the warning signs and attempt to generate max efforts with minimum energy OR make an excuse to skip it all together. Go hard or go home.
The problem here is that you WILL go home. And there’s a chance you slow down your recovery so that you continue to feel like garbage more often than not. This really isn’t helpful. And as we all get older, this REALLY isn’t helpful.
Learn to adjust the intensity of your training session based on how your body feels. Understand how your body moves and increase your body awareness so you can easily recognize when something is off. Continually evaluate exercise risk vs. long-term reward. And above all, always work at your day’s capacity.
So what can you do when the tank feels empty? Take a walk. Do some low-level, slow, steady cardio at 30-50% max effort. Foam roll. Breathe. Take a recovery class (we’ve got some good ones!). Take a nap. Take a bath. Get a massage. Eat some vegetables. Sauna. Move slow and flow. Take some time for yourself and enjoy it!
And when should you train at a high intensity? When your energy systems are fully charged and ready to go. You will FEEL it. You will feel pain free, you will feel strong, you will feel ready.
Unsustainability, when it comes to consistent, regular exercise, is an epidemic. Over 80% of people who join a gym do not consistently enter the doors. But it’s more than just a lack of sticktoitiveness that sidelines the general population. We aren’t thinking about our physical activity and movement in the most beneficial way.
Gym time is your time. Rethink how you spend it. Move with purpose, live with strength.