Balance your workout
We know what it’s like. You find a new studio and try a new class. You fall in fitness love and do it over and over again. So, what’s the issue? Let’s look at some reasons why it’s important to balance your workout.
The Peak
During the first few weeks of a new exercise routine, your body will go through a range of responses. to the new movements. Most likely, you’ll get muscular aches for the first few times as your body adapts to the way of working out. You’ll discover muscles you never knew you had. Then you’ll go through the “this feels great” phase. You start to get a little more comfortable but you’re still finding it pretty challenging. Next is your “check me out” phase. You’ll be getting pretty damn good, you know the moves, you’re starting to increase your weights or speed or resistance levels. You’ve got this. You can see and feel the physical difference in your body.
The Plateau
At around the 12-week point, your body will have adapted pretty well to your new routine. And unfortunately, your results will then start to plateau. You will need to seriously up your game with the moves you’re already doing, or you need to do something completely different. Change it up. Move in another way. Surprise your muscles. If you don’t, you won’t be working at an optimum level to achieve results.
The Injury
Repeatedly doing the same moves over and over can lead to injury. Natural wear and tear can be the cause and the repetitive nature of the workout just proves too much for certain joints. Knees and hips quite often start to get sore from running too much. Or you might be doing a move slightly wrong and aggravating the same point excessively. If your new “go to” workout is a HIIT class with resistance, you might find some of the repeated tilting from the hips forwards movements end up not agreeing with your lower back.
The end of the honeymoon period
Let’s face it, you’re probably going to start to get bored. And this is one of the major reasons why people don’t keep up with their new fitness plans. You’ve been there, done that, bought the t-shirt (literally). You don’t want to do another 5k jog or 45 seconds of burpees. You want that fresh feeling, the invigoration, the optimism. The sense of a huge achievement from doing something new.
Let’s be clear- you do not want to get to this stage. All that hard work for you to fall out of love and give up? No. So, fix the problem before it becomes a problem. Try and mix up your workouts to at least 2 or 3 different styles each week. Visit different studios. It’s not disloyal, it’s called being smart. For your body and for your mind. Mix up your styles. Run, jump, lift, stretch. Anything and everything to keep you on your toes and you in the workout game.
Written by Becky Barrett.
Becky Barrett is an international talent manager and personal fitness coach with over 15 years’ professional experience and a 1st class Honours degree in Business & Law.
Driven by her unique values of compassion and a holistic approach to talent management, Becky has devised an innovative solution to take on the fitness industry with a brand-new personal fitness concept that aims to inspire and boost ‘new normal’ approaches to exercise routines.
Features include: Health & Wellbeing, Natural Health, Arden University, The Telegraph, BBC, Time & Leisure, Bdaily News, The Stage.