High Intensity Training, Endurance Training, Body Building, Pialtes, Yoga, Interval Training, Circuits, Speed and Quickness Training……. The list goes on. Not to mention we haven’t even touched on any specifics within these training types such as how long do I train for? What intensity do I work at? How many sessions per week should I do?
Unfortunately there is no simple answer to any of these questions nor is there a one size fits all program to suit everyone. The point is to highlight how OVERWHELMING it can be to make a call on what you should do when you decide it is time to get back into training, whether it is to lose weight, tone up, prepare for a marathon, whatever your goals may be.
Ultimately what you decide to do with your training will come down to the health and fitness goals you want to achieve i.e. if you are training for a marathon you would not spend 5 days a week in the gym lifting weights. It should also come down to WHERE YOUR BODY IS AT, AT THAT GIVEN POINT IN TIME. For example if you have lived a sedentary lifestyle for a good period of time and haven’t done anything outside of incidental exercise, it is generally not a good idea to get straight into High Intensity Training Coupled with highly complexed movements. Why???
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Your body is likely not functioning in an ideal way due to issues such as synergistic dominance or muscles that are chronically short and tight reducing your ability to move through full range of motion exercises.
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In order for your skeletal muscles to move they must receive a message from your brain that tells them to move. When performing movements that you do not do often in day to day life, this message is not received strongly and can lead to performing exercises with poor form. Poor form is what can lead to injury, particularly when done in a high intensity environment.
Now for the GOOD NEWS. Both of these above issues can be addressed. Issue one can be addressed through ‘Self Myofascial Release’ and the second issue can be addressed through practicing these new movements in controlled situations, starting to focus on them in low intensity environments and building up to high intensity if that is the style of training you prefer. Working on ‘waking up’ these underused muscles, and strengthening the neural path ways to them are known as ‘activation exercises’.
It is our belief at Functional For Life that it is essential to work on having a body that moves correctly and efficiently, the way it was designed to, is the first step in any exercise program. Once this foundation has been built, you are putting yourself in the best position possible to engage in any exercise program you like. If you have any general questions about your exercise program please feel free to contact us at Functional For Life via our contact form, we are always happy to help out with general training advice!
Warning: The training and instructional content contained on this website should be taken as information and not medical advice. Please consult your health professional before attempting these exercises.
