Into Fitness
Whether it is the cold weather or the hustle and bustle of the
holidays, the reality is that people exercise less during the winter.
According to a recent study, those who report exercising for at
least 30 minutes three or more days a week drops from October
through February each year; that number steadily rises
throughout the spring and peaks in July. (1) As the temperature
rises and the white of winter is replaced with the green of spring,
don’t forget to proceed with caution when getting back into your
normal exercise routine. Jumping back in after a long layoff could
leave you over-trained or even injured. Be smart about your return
to the gym and you’ll spring back into fitness in no time.
When awaking from your exercise hibernation, it is not only your
muscles and cardiovascular system that need to get warmed up,
but your central nervous system (CNS) and connective tissues. The
CNS, which includes your brain and spinal cord, controls most of
the functions of the body and mind and is directly responsible
for the communication that results in muscular action.
While not training, its efficiency in recruiting motor units
decreases, and you lose function and strength not from
decreased muscular mass or fitness, but the inability to
transmit muscular impulses. Training hard after a layoff
may overload the CNS, resulting in overall body fatigue,
decreased coordination, and increased risk for injury.
Exercise not only strengthens muscles, but
connective tissue as well. Tendons
and ligaments serve to hold
structures, bones, and
muscles together and
keep them stable. Lack
of mechanical work
can weaken these
structures, resulting in
increased risk for injury.
Exercising after a long layoff is
much like stretching a cold rubber band that has not
been in use; with its flexibility and strength compromised,
it is more likely to snap. Follow these basic principles when
coming back from an extended period of detraining:
Ease Back into Training
Unless there is some firm deadline to get back into peak shape,
start off slowly and progressively build up intensity. Giving your
body time to readapt will not only decrease the risk for soreness and
CNS overtraining, but provide the opportunity to rebuild connective
tissue strength and work capacity, and will allow for sustainable
progress. Train like you are a novice. If you are a runner, start back up
with some easy tempo runs; easy enough that you’ll be able to
repeat it with a day of rest. If you are more into weight training, start
off with full-body workouts, focusing on compound lifts
(movements involving more than one joint, ie. squats or bench
press) with submaximal loads and keep the amount of total wo rk
low. Slowly ramp up the load, intensity, and volume with each
subsequent workout. Although adaptations will be slower, by
progressively working up to your past intensity levels you’ll eliminate
the possibility of overtraining and be more likely to stick to the program.
Monitor Exertion
If you haven’t gotten around to opening the box and reading the
directions of that fancy new heart rate monitor watch you got for
Christmas, this may be the ideal time. Whether it be perceived or
through objective measurements such as that heart rate monitor
or a wearable activity tracker, really focus on monitoring effort to
maximize efficiency and minimize injury risk. One of the best
ways to utilize heart rate measurements is to monitor progress.
Try completing the first workout maintaining a specific, somewhat
low, heart rate level, and increase it slightly or try to perform more
overall work with each subsequent training session. If you are using
an activity tracker, set a specific goal for calories burned during the
workout and slightly increase it each workout. Jot down the various
measurements in a notebook, as well as how you felt during the
workout and the following day so you have a good frame of
reference for how much further to push yourself in the next session.
Don’t Exercise in Pain
No axiom has been more destructive (literally) to well-laid exercise
programs and healthy bodies than “no pain, no gain.” The physical
exertion necessary to force your body into improving isn’t always
comfortable, and neither is your body the next day, but pain is how
your body tells you that something isn’t right. If you are in serious
pain, don’t feel guilty about taking a day (or two) off and treating
yourself to a massage including Deep Blue® Rub. Two days off is
better than two months.
The biggest factor in reaching any health or fitness goal is
consistency. You can’t complete the next workout if your muscles
are too sore to function, you are suffering from CNS overtraining,
or nursing an injury. Ease back into training, monitor exertion, and be
cognizant of pain and you’ll be ready for swimsuit season in no time.
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