"I've got all the time in the world now that I'm working from home - I can work out every day!"
Except… you probably won’t. And, perhaps more importantly, you shouldn’t!
Maybe you've been programmed a workout every day by your coach. Maybe you're bored, like me, and you’re struggling to sit still or concentrate throughout the day. Or maybe you're just free-styling and trying things you've seen on social media posted by reputable coaches or by your favourite fitness page. Who's to say this is wrong? I certainly won't. All I will say is, unfortunately for everyone, there is such a thing as too much when it comes to exercise.
I absolutely love the enthusiasm I'm seeing all over social media; everyone seems to be working out more and more. I'm certainly getting more activity in on a weekly basis (probably because I'm eating everything in sight at home…) but I'm being very careful when it comes to monitoring performance.
As with everything in life, there is this amazing 'ideal zone' for everyone when it comes to training. Let me set the scene: You're working out an adequate amount of times a week, let’s say three heavy sessions, for arguments sake. You're hitting personal best after personal best, you're sleeping well, your recovery is on point, your hydration is through the roof and it feels like nothing can stop you. That's the dream, right? Well, it is possible to get there and to stay there. With the proper training, periodisation of exercise plans and recovery strategies in place, you could be firing on all cylinders for a considerable period.
However, as with everything in life, it's not all sunshine and rainbows. Walking hand in hand with this 'golden training zone' are the possibilities of over-training and under-training, both of which we want to avoid. Both over-training and under-training can negatively affect performance; with under-training, you'll feel like you're not making any progress, your workouts are potentially too easy and aren't pushing you hard enough.On the flip side, with over-training, you can be pushing too hard too often, without the proper rest and recovery modalities. Your training will take a massive hit, progress won't be being made and overall recovery will be slower than usual.
I'm certainly not trying to say you shouldn't be doing something every day, of course you can – we just need to try and be as smart as we can with our weekly programming.
“How frequently should I be training?”
Long before the world was in turmoil (and I'm sure long after we have recovered), I will be asked this question on a weekly basis and do you know what? I love being asked this question because I always flip it back on my clients and ask them what they feel is achievable for themselves. Your activity levels will be directly impacted by your lifestyle.
A professional athlete will have more time to train than someone who works at an office in London. The athlete has dedicated time to train, recovery procedures and teams of nutritionists on had to help them perform to the best of their abilities. If you're on the train at 6am and don't leave the office until 6pm with an hour or so of travelling either side (on a good day), you've lost 14 hours out of your day to work commitments straight away. Therefore you’ll have less energy, less motivation and less time to choose from.
When it comes to deciding 'how much?' I would always look to plan your ‘non-negotiable's’ into your week first. These are events or competitions that will 100% happen and can't be changed. Once you've established your non-negotiable events throughout the week, you'll discover that "how much training should I be doing" begins to merge with another important question: "How often should I be resting?”
To use my typical week as an example, during the football season my team (come on you Charcott!) play on a Sunday morning. This means I won't train on a Saturday to ensure I'm feeling as fresh as possible for game day – suddenly that's two days out of 7 taken care of.
Next would be my training. As the team trains on a Monday evening so I won't schedule a leg session for that day, I'll train my upper body instead. With my upper body taken care of, I’ll hit legs on Tuesday. Wednesday is used for active recovery, Thursday is back to upper body and Friday is legs again:
Monday - upper body and football training
Tuesday - legs
Wednesday - active recovery
Thursday - upper body
Friday - lower body
Saturday - Rest
Sunday - match day
With very little planning, my week has already taken shape. As you can see, I'll have four training days with at least 24 – 48 hours rest between each heavy session for the muscle group with two specific active recovery/rest days. Rest days are, in my opinion, imperative to getting the most out of your training regime. If you are heavily overloading the central nervous system every day, you'll very quickly find yourself at the over-training end of the performance spectrum. Fatigue, DOMS, poor sleeping patterns and injury potential sky-rocket when you fall into this category and, let's be honest, no one wants to be injured or tired all the time.
As a base level for someone starting out with a brand-new exercise regime, I would always err on the side of caution and insist that 'less is more'. Start with 1 - 2 days per week where you can. Don't overdo it and allow your body to adapt to the training you're putting it through before ramping it up. When starting out with an exercise program, your body will need more rest than someone who's been training for 5+ years.
If you find yourself restless and needing to do something on your rest days, good news: there are low intensity activities and goals you should aim to incorporate into your daily routine, to compliment your gym training.
Every day, you should be aiming to walk 10,000 steps a day. Don't have a fancy watch or pedometer? The good news is, 99% of all smartphones these days have them built in. They may not be the most accurate things in the world but they will certainly keep you on the right track.
Weekly training, getting your steps in each day and rest are three of the most important factors to weight-loss in my opinion. But there’s a fourth; monitoring quality and the amount of calories you consume each day. The basic formula for weight-loss is you need to burn more calories than you are consuming. Now this doesn't mean that you can eat whatever you want as long as its within your calorie allowance – you should aim to prioritise high quality, less processed foods. You get so much more bang for your buck!
Ever wondered why you feel hungry again 20 minutes after having a take-away meal from a fast food restaurant? As low quality food, it’s typically over-processed and fast digesting. When it comes to losing weight, you want to feel as full as possible for as long as possible so you eat less, which leads to what a higher calorie deficit, resulting in more energy burned and more weight loss.
"How long should I train for?"
There is no hard and fast answer here – it depends on you and your circumstances. You need to work as hard as you can for the most amount of time you can commit during your day. If you've only got 25 mins, tear it up for 25 mins and give it your all. If you can afford to work out for 90 minutes with structured rest periods between your sets, then do, just make sure during your working sets, you are hitting it as hard as you can. The key to performing better on a pitch, getting stronger or losing weight is the same: working as hard as you possibly can. If you half-arse it (like I've done many times in my own sessions before due to low motivation) you'll get half-arsed results!
The key is adherence and sustainability. Just because you have a day where you don't reach your step goal, or you go over your calories by 200 or so, it will not be the end of the world so don't give up! Get back on top of it as soon as you can. The same goes for working out; one bad session won't halt your progress, you just need to get back to it as soon as you can.
So, in summary;
1. How frequently should I be training? As much as you can without overdoing it!
If you're a beginner and lockdown has you motivated to get moving, start with the basics: 1 to 2 days a week with emphasis on big compound moves like squats, deadlifts, rows and chest pressing.
If you're a more advanced trainer or have been training for slightly longer, there is no reason you shouldn't be training 4 times a week as long as you are adequately resting. Both ends of the spectrum should be getting their steps in and make the most of their dedicated hour of outside activity and prioritising those healthy, unprocessed foods to increase the calorific deficit if weight loss is your priority.
2. How often should I be resting? As much as you need to!
Don't overdo it, it shouldn't feel like a chore. If you're underperforming or you're feeling fatigued and overly lethargic, take an extra day to rest – listen to your body. Get some active recovery in by going for a walk, hydrate, eat well and recover for your next session. You'll thank yourself when it comes around.
3. How long should I train for? For as long as you can!
Make the most of your training time; a healthy body walks hand in hand with a healthy mind. I always feel better after a workout and exercise (especially in the sunshine and fresh air) is one of the best natural anti-depressants.
Find a block of time within your day to dedicate to exercising that is free from your other ‘non-negotiable’ obligations. Whether it’s half an hour, a full hour or more, just give it your best effort.
Remember, you can’t hold yourself to the same levels of accountability that you normally would during everyday life. This is the strangest situation we've ever been in as a global community. Enjoy your training, enjoy your time at home and do what you can, where you can.
If anyone needs any help building a weekly training structure or coming up with a workout plan, I’d be more than happy to help, please just drop me an email.
Ryan
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