Ever sat down at and watched the start of a horse race, or even a long distance event? There’s usually one or 2 competitors who go out at a million miles an hour to take the lead at the beginning (5 seconds of fame) before fading towards the back of the field never to be seen again right.
This could partially be due to poor pacing or poor planning and this can be applied to all aspects of life! Often when you get a cold it’s the bodies way of telling you that you need a rest because you haven’t been pacing yourself and because of that your immune system hasn’t been able to create a barrier against the germs.
A few years ago we had a client that took part in a weight loss challenge. It was 8 weeks long and there were set sessions with a bit of nutrition guidance thrown in along the way. Partially due to her competitive spirits but mostly due to the lack of foresight, this client took the words “Push Your Limits” literally and combined 2 group sessions with us and 3 PT sessions also with us on top of another 6 sessions at another gym! We warned them that they needed to slow down but they decided they were so close to the finishing line that they’d keep pushing forward. Long story short, this client had a minor burnout, stopped enjoying exercise like she once did and took quite some time to get back into the groove of things. On a side note and completely contradicting the opening paragraph, this client actually won the 8 week challenge but we guess you could say she slowly worked her way to the back of the field as the year went on.
Goals are important of course and we’ll speak about them in another blog in the near future but remember to look past the wedding you’re attending in 4 weeks time and think about future you. Will you be able to keep your new training regime going or will you crash and burn once you reach your target? These are the questions that you need to ask yourself when writing your goals for 2 months, 6 months, 1 year and beyond.
We hope you gained a little insight into the things we discuss with our clients during sessions and how we try to monitor and prevent overload when it comes to training. You can learn more about how to get the best out of yourself. You can also join our community and find a workout program that best suits you and your needs.
Justin Beard Pn1