How many of you out there want to start working out again but just can't find the drive to actually start?
Adaption, is a very big issue when it comes to exercise, after all it sucks when you start anything from square one. Exercise can really be brutal after a long lay off, but there is a reason for that.
Why can't life be simple?
I come across this with many of my friends, they want to get back in the gym or back in shape, they start strong but then fizzle out quickly.
Why, because adapting back to exercise takes weeks not days!
It would be great if we went to the gym to lift, started a running program, went to a class and the next morning you wake up and say I see change and feel great!
In a perfect world this would be the way to go, but reality is harsh, your body needs time to adapt, not just a week but most likely 3-4 of them. Sounds nuts but its the truth.
I personally have never been idle for too long, I think the longest I did not exercise was probably when I had shoulder surgery back in 2006. I was not allowed to do anything for 10 days, boy did that suck!
I do remember the feeling though, and even though I was in my 20s there was still an adaption process that my body needed to go through.
It was like yesterday that feeling of starting to do cardio again, the heavy breathing, heart bursting through the chest at a pace that I used to breeze through, it was rough, but why?
The explanation is pretty simple. When we start back up after being idle, our muscles are lacking the oxygen rich blood to support muscle function. As you breath oxygen into your lungs your heart starts to produce and pump oxygenated blood throughout the body to support your muscle fibers.
Since this process is now foreign to you it becomes a major struggle to the point of wanting to give up, which sadly many people do.
Now lets say you stick to it and put a program together that consists of running every day for the next three weeks. Your body now starts to react to this change and you will start to notice your heart rate gradually drops while your heavy breathing has now become normal. This is because your body has adapted, your muscles have changed and using oxygen much better.
Muscle change is a good thing but it takes time to get there and it also depends on what activity you are doing.
Since I gave the running example above I will stick with that example when it comes to understanding the muscle change with a runner.
There are two types of muscle fibers found when it comes to runners, fast twitch and slow twitch.
An example of fast twitch would be a sprinter, someone who is doing high intensity at a shorter duration. Whereas a marathon runner would have mainly slow twitch fibers that allow them not to get burned out over a long duration. The more we train these muscles the more they will adapt to the activity you are pursuing, however if you make another change there will be another adaption process, we can't have both ends of the spectrum at the same time.
Getting back into a routine is great, but it is also very painful!
Being a lifter in general you notice the same scenario as the runners. Your first day back, you may have energy but the strength and endurance for lifting the weight is not there, but if you stick to it for 3 weeks you quickly will see improvement that will allow you to add more weight without hurting yourself.
Personally I am in the gym very frequently and I always look forward to the adaption phase which I go through every 4 weeks since that is how frequent I change my routines. To me having that feeling of soreness is what its about, because my body is growing, getting stronger and getting me to my end goal!
The learning curve is across the board no matter what you decide to do. You will be shocked once you get past this phase how much you really do see changes not just physically but also mentally! It becomes part of you and will make you wonder why you stopped in the first place!
Now all you have to do is get up, set the plan and adapt!
Questions, ideas, or help......email me
[email protected]
Adaption, is a very big issue when it comes to exercise, after all it sucks when you start anything from square one. Exercise can really be brutal after a long lay off, but there is a reason for that.
Why can't life be simple?
I come across this with many of my friends, they want to get back in the gym or back in shape, they start strong but then fizzle out quickly.
Why, because adapting back to exercise takes weeks not days!
It would be great if we went to the gym to lift, started a running program, went to a class and the next morning you wake up and say I see change and feel great!
In a perfect world this would be the way to go, but reality is harsh, your body needs time to adapt, not just a week but most likely 3-4 of them. Sounds nuts but its the truth.
I personally have never been idle for too long, I think the longest I did not exercise was probably when I had shoulder surgery back in 2006. I was not allowed to do anything for 10 days, boy did that suck!
I do remember the feeling though, and even though I was in my 20s there was still an adaption process that my body needed to go through.
It was like yesterday that feeling of starting to do cardio again, the heavy breathing, heart bursting through the chest at a pace that I used to breeze through, it was rough, but why?
The explanation is pretty simple. When we start back up after being idle, our muscles are lacking the oxygen rich blood to support muscle function. As you breath oxygen into your lungs your heart starts to produce and pump oxygenated blood throughout the body to support your muscle fibers.
Since this process is now foreign to you it becomes a major struggle to the point of wanting to give up, which sadly many people do.
Now lets say you stick to it and put a program together that consists of running every day for the next three weeks. Your body now starts to react to this change and you will start to notice your heart rate gradually drops while your heavy breathing has now become normal. This is because your body has adapted, your muscles have changed and using oxygen much better.
Muscle change is a good thing but it takes time to get there and it also depends on what activity you are doing.
Since I gave the running example above I will stick with that example when it comes to understanding the muscle change with a runner.
There are two types of muscle fibers found when it comes to runners, fast twitch and slow twitch.
An example of fast twitch would be a sprinter, someone who is doing high intensity at a shorter duration. Whereas a marathon runner would have mainly slow twitch fibers that allow them not to get burned out over a long duration. The more we train these muscles the more they will adapt to the activity you are pursuing, however if you make another change there will be another adaption process, we can't have both ends of the spectrum at the same time.
Getting back into a routine is great, but it is also very painful!
Being a lifter in general you notice the same scenario as the runners. Your first day back, you may have energy but the strength and endurance for lifting the weight is not there, but if you stick to it for 3 weeks you quickly will see improvement that will allow you to add more weight without hurting yourself.
Personally I am in the gym very frequently and I always look forward to the adaption phase which I go through every 4 weeks since that is how frequent I change my routines. To me having that feeling of soreness is what its about, because my body is growing, getting stronger and getting me to my end goal!
The learning curve is across the board no matter what you decide to do. You will be shocked once you get past this phase how much you really do see changes not just physically but also mentally! It becomes part of you and will make you wonder why you stopped in the first place!
Now all you have to do is get up, set the plan and adapt!
Questions, ideas, or help......email me
[email protected]
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