Today was a quick day in the gym due to time constraints with work. Regardless, still got a fast and furious workout in and got my sweat on.
Warm-up - Foam Roll and Shoulder Dislocates
Aerodyne Bike for 10 minutes - 30 seconds slow, 30 seconds sprint
CrossFit benchmark workout "Grace" - 30 Clean and Jerks with 135 pounds
3 rounds of 10 Back Extension with 10 Lunges each leg while holding a plate overhead
Got in and out pretty quick but left without a whole lot of breath in my lungs after Grace. My time was pretty slow, especially when compared to that of the elites of CrossFit its pretty embarrassing, but I came in at 3:38. Much slower than I wanted but that only means I have more room to improve next time. My workout partner Lucas blasted through it and came in at 2:08. Pretty impressive for our level.
After today's workout my elbows and shoulders were pretty wore out which brings me to today's point of focus, Recovery. This is one of the most important parts of exercising no matter what modality you use. If you continue to break down and destroy your body it has no time to rebuild itself and improve. A lot of people (myself included) have a hard time taking a day off. I know personally if I don't get in the gym or get out and get a sweat then I feel lazy as hell. The key is to listen to your body and know when to take a break. You know deep down whether or not your body is at its best and can perform that day. If you are like me and can't stand to take a day completely off then Active Recovery is the answer for you. Get up and get moving, do some low impact workouts like swimming or biking. Or as Mike mentioned earlier, Yoga and body weight movements. Don't think you need to go into the gym and kill yourself and pick up and put down big heavy weights everyday. Sometimes all your body needs is a good (and sometimes painful) foam rolling session.
Most people know the term Overtraining but I like to replace that work with a different, more accurate term, Under Recovering. That's really what it is all about. You aren't letting your body recover enough between workouts and the keys to recovery are simple. Sleep and Nutrition. Eating right and getting enough sleep (6-8 hours) lets your body rebuild itself bigger and better so its ready for the next day.
As you may see in the future this is one of my biggest weaknesses. I tend to Under Recover and that leads to days like today where I feel like I have the shoulders and elbows of an 80 year old. But hopefully through this blog my fellow authors and loyal followers will help keep me honest about recovery.
Where you have the issue of "Under Recovering" I think a lot of us have the issue of "non-motivation." I finally was getting back on schedule last week after about a six month rut of "non-motivation." Monday and Tuesday were great, by Wednesday, I could barely walk. I had a great work out week last week, but then hit the road for work again and have not seemed to find the energy to workout this week. Any tips for the traveling business people?
ReplyDeleteShanna
In terms of staying motivated, it is definitely hard to get back into a routine after a long break. One way to keep yourself on track is to set some specific goals and make deadlines for them. If you stay honest with yourself about where you want to be in 2 or 3 months you will give yourself greater reason to keep with it. Also, if you share these goals with other people they will help keep you accountable. Another way is to find a picture of a source of motivation. Whether its an old picture of yourself or a flyer for race/competition, if you keep that with you and visible to yourself everyday it will help get you into the gym and doing what you need to do.
ReplyDeleteWith traveling, working out can be hard. But you don't need a fully stocked gym to workout. Most hotels have at least some type of gym equipment but even if they don't you can break a sweat without fancy machines. Break out your motivational picture and get on the floor for some push ups. Do a few circuits of different ab exercises. You can even throw in burpees if your room is big enough. Water aerobics in the shallow end of the pool or just simply climb the stairs of the hotel a few times, take them 2 at a time and get sweaty!
The biggest thing with staying motivated is to keep yourself focused on what you want to achieve. Have that source of motivation with you at all times. And while you are probably going to be tired from traveling and working, just remember how you feel after a workout and the feeling of success and satisfaction you will have after you reach your goals.