When our normal routine takes a hit it kind of throws a spanner in the works!
We train at different times, we potentially eat different food and eat at different times and we may not get as much sleep.
This is why we have measures and focus points in place.
The things that get measured get improved and help keep us on track. Things like nutrition, training, and recovery don’t just affect us in the gym, they also play a huge role in life outside the gym!
When we train, typically we are wanting to get the best out of each session. We want to lift heavy or move fast, feel good at the end, and know we gave 100%.
There is one thing we need to understand when it comes to giving 100% - it does not feel the same EVERY session.
Have you ever walked into the gym feeling so good, gone hard, and absolutely crushed your session and been stoked with the end result? You know and you feel that 100% effort was there.
On the other hand, some days you will walk into the gym feeling stressed, tired, anxious - so many different feelings and on that day, your 100% is just getting through the session?
Understand that intensity does not define that 100% effort or feeling, because, if intensity is the only thing you’ve got, you’re going to run out of it!
When it comes to recovery, a key thing to understand is that 12 hours of sleep doesn’t make you perform or train any better just like 4 hours sleep doesn’t make you perform or train any worse.
Why?
Because when we start to move and adrenaline kicks in, we generally start to feel better.
We often think being tired or sore before we train is an indicator that it will be a really hard or bad session - not the case!
All this means is that it may just take you longer to recover than usual which can be expected if you ask yourself these questions and find that the answer was no more often than yes.
Were you hydrated before you trained?
Did you eat enough before the session?
Did you eat within a 60-90 minute window before training?
Have you been stressed and over-eating or under-eating?
If you find that you haven’t been eating enough, staying hydrated, or recovering well refer back to these focus points and revisit your training regime/goals.
NUTRITION
Check in with your coach and adjust accordingly. If you have been feeling flat, hungry, tired or experiencing low levels of energy it might be time to double-check you’re eating enough to fuel your activity and your day-to-day life.
On the flip side, if you’re feeling sluggish, heavy, and slow it might be time to cut back.
TRAINING
When was your last ‘maintenance/deload’ week?
Have you been going hard out for too long and need to pull back?
RECOVERY
Is this a priority for you? Are you focusing on letting your body recover enough to be able to keep moving and working efficiently?
The things done in between your training hours make all the difference!