Forced Rest

Illness is a pretty average way of engaging in forced rest.  It's the first time in a year that I have been sick, and I reckon it has to do with the change in season.  Whatever.  The opportunity that is presented to me is to catch up on some movies I've been wanting to see for a while (Prometheus, Jeff Who Lives At Home & Casa De Mi Padre) and school work and study.  In the course of the latter I caught up with an old friend of mine (not personally, but certainly his website) Jim Smith, who has a terrific article on training periodization here.   Specifically, it's based around training intensity, but the same ideas apply.  It's nice to see that what he discusses here is pretty much my basic philosophy to training, that is, keep mixing it up, don't allow your body to get too used to any one particular exercise, keep working hard, keep working smart, and rest whenever you genuinely feel the need.  Note well:  'rest' doesn't necessarily mean 'lie on the couch all day doing nothing', rather, 'try doing something completely different to your regular routine'.  During periods of heavy weight lifting, throw in a few days of pure cardio.  When you're focusing more on CV fitness, add in the occasional resistance day.  And so on.  MIX IT UP!  I really like the way that Smith advises the lack of a set plan when hitting the gym.  Perhaps I'm reading it wrong, but I think that what he's talking about is take your approach to the workout in the same way that battle planners prepare for conflict, that is, make the plans, prepare for contingencies, and then on contact with the enemy forget it all and attack! 

This is exactly how I plan my workouts.  Usually I workout in the early-mid afternoon, so a couple of hours beforehand I will consider what type of work is required for my session.  Next I will think of 2-3 appropriate core lifts that are relevant and then add in a few functional techniques.  And that's pretty much it.  Once I get to the gym I'll listen to how my body is feeling, adjust my warm-up accordingly (even though my warm-up is usually pretty much the same every time, I will make the occasional modification), and then take the same philosophy to my lifts.  If I'm feeling sore or especially weak (a frequent occurrence!) I might do light conditioning instead of a volume/strength day.  Or cardio.  Or boxing.  Or plyometrics.  Or anything else.  The trick is to keep working.  Or thinking.  Or studying.  Or relaxing.  Or reading.  Or living.

Workout Wednesday 5/9/12

Today was the first time in a while that I really didn't feel like being in the gym.  I was tired from a restless night with my youngest child, and that lack of effective rest was having an impact on my psychological state.  However, I usually find that on those occasions where the will is weak, the reward at the end of the session is multiplied.  It wasn't to be today, I still felt pretty crap afterwards.  In this workout I compromised by keeping it short and focused on upper body and core.

Cranky session

Warm-up

15 minute brisk walk to gym.
5 minutes skipping.
Resistance band stretches - thoracic/chest/shoulder.

Chest

Superset 3 sets of 10 reps.
Dumbell bench press - 25kg dbs.
Dumbell bench flies - 5 kg dbs.

Shoulder/back

Superset 3 sets of 10 reps.
Barbell bent-over row (overhand/pronated grip) - 53kg.
Dumbell shoulder press - 15kg dbs.

Torsonator

2 sets of 10 reps each side.
15 kg plate.
Twists/squat&press/clean&press/squat&side to side press/knee kicks.

Warm-down

15 minutes brisk walk home.
Foam roller for 10 minutes.
Static stretches for 10 minutes.

At school last night I also had a session of plyometrics and a study of core lifts.  The lifts were all about technique, and barely rate a mention as 'work', but the plyometrics session was a real sweat-maker.

Plyometrics

5 minutes warm-up jog/sprints.
Illinois test x 3.
V test x 3.
Ladder runs + variations x 15.
Bean bag catches.

Once I got home from class I was feeling much better.  The plyometrics was something I really enjoyed, and I have noticed a very big improvement in my cardiovascular fitness over the last couple of months.  I'm starting to feel pretty good for a 40-year-old!

Sleep 14/8/12

After two successive nights of interrupted, restless and too-short sleep I am reminded of the importance of proper rest for effective recovery.  Why?  Coz my goddammed back hurts!  I feel like I've taken about thirty steps backwards from the progress made in my strength and conditioning training and rehabilitation.  I know it's only temporary, but while it's happening I can't help but think, "Shit!  I'm only going to get worse as I get older!  It's never going to go away!"

Then I stop whining, and remember that all I need to do is take it easy, let it settle down, and press the reset button - both physically and psychologically.  I haven't had much pain at all in the last eight months.  No sciatica whatsoever.  I put it all down to keeping active physically and proactive in my approach to the treatment/training regime I have devised.

The solution is easy. Listen to my body.  Rest more.