In these crazy times, it’s important to understand a critical concept that could mean the difference between sticking with your fitness plan in the New Year and giving up.
It’s your capacity. What’s your capacity?
Your capacity is how much stress (i.e. load) your body can endure in a given day before pain and injury enter the picture. And we’re not just talking about physical activities (like squats and presses). We’re MOSTLY talking about factors that add stress and load to your system outside the gym. Like:
- Sleep
- Diet (food you eat, no ‘Being on a diet’)
- Stress
- “Recovery Box” (which you absolutely control)
I’ll give you an example.
It may seem like a good idea to schedule a 5:30 a.m. workout for tomorrow (I know some of you just rolled your eyes at that hour for training). But the point is that you’re putting your training time on your schedule and making it a priority.
But what if you stay up working or binge-watching Netflix until 1:30 a.m. and then go to the gym? Bad idea. More than a bad idea, actually. It’s a recipe for pain and injury.
Remember that when we train, we’re breaking down our muscles and connective tissues. The positive benefits of exercise and training can only happen with recovery. And that’s your responsibility, too.
There are two ways that coaches can help you avoid going over your capacity each day (and thus, avoid pain and injury).
1 – We can reduce the stress that your body is facing outside the gym by improving your diet, increasing the quantity and quality of your sleep, and pursuing healthy ways to manage stress (think meditation, not alcohol consumption).
What’s the other way?
2 – Simple. We can increase your capacity. By becoming stronger, more stable, increasing your conditioning level and recovery ability with real-life movement patterns, and improving your tissue flexibility, we can “raise the bar” so that your body can tolerate more stress from training and life activities.
If you spend time deliberately, purposefully, and intentionally reducing the stress on your body before you get to the gym, and increasing your capacity to perform once you get there, you’re going to be light years ahead of most people.
Pretty soon, a lot of people who started a fitness program in January are going to get bored, frustrated, or worse, injured, and unfortunately, they’re going to quit.
You’re smarter than that. You’re better than that. You are on the track to success and quality of lifestyle.
