Bruised Not Broken

Did you know that every time you perform a workout, you’re breaking your body down?

It’s true. The magic of muscle growth, fat burning, and other physical adaptations don’t happen in the gym.

They happen during the time when we’re NOT in the gym … especially, when we’re sleeping.

That’s when our body rallies the recovery troops and builds us back up so we can hit the weights – or, basketball court or golf course – the next day.

So, if you’re not getting the results that you’d like from your workouts, look at your sleep and hydration first. Those are the two most overlooked areas when it comes to recovery and being able to bounce back from training.

But the aspect that I really want to emphasize today is, “Are you doing too much?”

Instagram gurus and irresponsible trainers are out there promoting their “soul-crushing workouts,” “beatdowns” and “sweat fests.”

Stay away.

Maybe somewhere in your fitness, you fell victim to this “no pain, no gain” mentality.

Trust me … it only leads to pain, injury, a compromised immune system, and damaged adrenal glands.

So the trick is to understand how hard to push, and how often.

You want to emerge from each training session bruised, but not broken.

You shouldn’t feel obliterated by your workout. You should walk away feeling like there’s gas in the tank for the next one.

How much pain you’re in and how sweaty you are are possibly the two worst indicators of the quality of a workout.

The proof is in the results … and the results only come if we treat our body with the care and respect that it deserves.

So here’s a simple trick that you can start using today. Before heading to the gym, ask yourself, “On a scale of 1-5, how excited am I to train today?” If the answer is 4 or 5, go for it. If the answer is a 3 or less, you’re probably better off taking a day off or doing some light recovery work like walking or stretching.

And if you keep coming up with 1’s and 2’s consistently, it might be time to reevaluate your workouts. They should be helping you, not hurting you.

-Coach Aaron-