You know when you have to get a workout in, but for some reason, your body just ain’t feelin it?
I’m not talking about those who happily trade the gym for the couch and Netflix. I’m referring to the doers and the fitness junkies, those who continue to push and push, even when they shouldn’t.
It’s no doubt training stresses the body, but is this stress good or bad?
If someone’s in a reasonably good state of health, the temporary stress encountered during a solid weight training session is a good thing due to the hormonal response that follows. Cortisol, testosterone, IGF1 and Growth Hormone are the main players involved. First, there’s the initial muscle damage that happens when we train, followed by an adaptation that forces the muscles to become bigger and stronger.
Cortisol, specifically in relation to training, is beneficial because the stress induced from training is acute and therefore temporary. Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, cortisol is our body’s main stress hormone, secreted during a ‘fight or flight’ situation. It helps us deal with that situation by stimulating things like heart rate, muscle contraction and energy production. It’s only when our body’s perception of stress becomes chronic that cortisol starts to morph from friend to foe.
I’m sure you’re all wondering how this relates to training and motivation. Imagine you’ve got a really demanding job (maybe just think about your actual job) that sometimes sees you working late, even once you’ve left the office. Now add relationship stress, possible small children to look after, and social engagements. While you may not feel ‘stressed’ by your hectic regime, it doesn’t mean your body isn’t perceiving this lifestyle as stressful, especially on a physiological level.
Cortisol is beneficial to training, stimulating things like heart rate, muscle contraction and energy production.
So how do you know if you’d benefit from pulling your workouts back for a while?
If you’re someone who’s normally very motivated to train but now find yourself having to drag yourself to the gym, then this could be you. Or, if your body composition results have started to take a nose dive despite your perfect efforts with nutrition and training, then this could also be you.
I speak with conviction because this happened to me a few months ago. I’d been pushing hard every single workout, and my compliancy with nutrition was on point, yet for reasons unbeknownst to me at the time, my body fat was going up. I’d also noticed a feeling of unease and anxiety before my workouts.
Eventually a very wise man told me I needed to pull right back on my training and start increasing my calories again. What?! You want me to train less and eat more? Sounds wrong, right?
When stress becomes chronic, via overtraining, cortisol morphs from friend to foe.
I did what I was told and sure enough, my body fat started to shift again. Although I don’t feel ‘stressed’ day to day, the long PT hours are enough to create a stress response in my body. We need to be more conscious of TOTAL stress load, and what impact it might be having on our results in the gym.
A low inflammation workout is very easy to put together. It’s basically any training program done at lower percentages for a shorter period of time. So less weight, and shorter workouts. The hardest part is not allowing yourself to push harder than you want to. But stick to it, and afterwards, you’ll feel energised and invigorated, which is a good sign.
If any of what you’ve read here sounds familiar, come see us for more guidance on how to structure a low inflammation workout. Looking for supplements to boost the immune system and for anti-inflammatory? Check out quercetin australia.
But don’t stress (pun intended), this will only be a temporary phase. And when done correctly, with proper stress management and nutrition protocols in place, you’ll be hitting new PB’s and smashing out solid sessions in no time.
