Mila’s rambling on getting stronger safely
This month I want to focus on some more personal thoughts/experiences as they relate to exercise while not feeling 100%. I have always been one of those people that would just push through a workout even though things weren’t feeling totally great- mostly in my early 20’s :) No matter what workout I was doing, I would make sure to finish it, often doing different exercises each week and ignoring my lingering pain, tightness and discomfort. A couple years ago when I joined Summit PT, I promised myself to make a change and no longer just push through workouts, but actually listen to my body and understand what made it feel GOOD and strong… not just strong and tight/achy. This journey has had its ups and downs, but I can safely say that 2 years later I am finally in a place where exercise feels healthy, safe, good, productive and beneficial- all of the things we want!!! Here are a few of my key takeaways from the past 2 years in the hopes that it will help some of you with your fitness journeys even if you are nursing some kind of injury:
Stay CONSISTENT with a program!!!
This one is huge. I used to switch up my workouts all the time, but you must do the same workout for 3-4 months to really monitor your progress and growth as well as work out any kinks with a particular exercise. For example- back squats used to be a challenging exercise for me. I have been doing them now for months and keeping track of how I increase the weight to ensure I am going slow and steady. Which brings me to my next point…
TAKE NOTES!
This is non-negotiable. If you are not taking notes on the workouts you are doing, how are you supposed to know what to do the following week? Or why perhaps you tweaked an old injury? The data is so helpful to stay on track. I just use my notes app and write out my plan for the week every Sunday night and adjust day to day according to my energy levels. Whiiiiich brings me to my next point…
LISTEN to your body.
If I get a bad night of sleep and am feeling low energy, you will NOT find me doing a strength day that day. It’s just not safe and it won’t be productive. Will I just be a couch potato? No! I will do my low intensity cardio workout that day instead (my favorite is uphill touring or uphill on a 15% incline treadmill at 2.4 mph for 45 min-1 hr). Much safer to do on those type of days.
If dealing with an injury (chronic or acute)- find exercises that FEEL GOOD.
Start there. Progress those. Then sneak in ONE new one into your regimen and track how you feel. Start easy. Build up. Progress. Taking notes will be paramount.
Be more WELL-ROUNDED.
Life changing. I used to just strength train and do cardio. But what my body also needed was a bit of stability work (pilates) and some mobility work (yoga). Oh and a REST DAY hello!? Before I started taking notes on my workouts it was extremely confusing on how to incorporate all of this. But when you write it all out for a week in advance- it’s totally possible. I currently do 3 strength training sessions a week, 1 pilates workout, 1 yoga flow, 3-4 low intensity cardio sessions and 1 quick HIIT session a week. Yes, with a rest day. I feel so much better knowing that I am doing all of the things my body needs to thrive. As an example, my week usually looks like this:
M: Leg strength day
T: Low intensity cardio + 10 min of pilates/rehab work
W: Combo strength day + 10-12k steps
Th: 10-12k steps
Fr: Upper strength day + 15 minute HIIT
Sa: Pilates + low intensity cardio
Su: Rest + yoga
I hope these tips are helpful to you. Remember that to “get strong” or excel at a sport, there is so much background work you need to be consistent with to stay as injury free as possible. The gym is often not the problem, but the way you are organizing your exercises or the exercises you are doing could be what is causing your issues. Getting strong takes a long time and is built upon a strong foundation of mobility, stability and not aggravating a current injury. Best to all of you in your new year resolutions!!!