I am sitting at a coffee shop in Santa Monica and “I am in Pain”!
See, this weekend I took a course on Metabolic Training (HIIT) not realizing there
was a workout involved in the course. We did a 50 minute HIIT workout which my
body was not physically prepared for.
It’s been three days since the course and I am still sore and uncomfortable, I’m
guessing it will be a couple more days of this feeling…You know what…It’s not
worth it!
Even though I workout almost every day mostly riding my bike and I have a high level of fitness, I was not conditioned for the type of workout I performed over the weekend. As a consequence I’m paying for it now.
My reason for writing this is so you don’t make the same mistake. The purpose of
exercise and fitness is to support and develop health. Since I chose to exercise at an intensity my body wasn’t conditioned for, I am now in pain which is affecting my life. I am too sore to ride my bike and every time I move my mind goes to the area that hurts and away from writing this or whatever other task I’m working on.
When exercise is done correctly there is an immediate and long-term benefit. Doing
it correctly means you keep pushing yourself over your limits a little bit at a
time not all in one day. This insures that you continually get stronger, have
energy and continue to stay safe.
Working out until you can’t move and get really sore is counterproductive and
significantly increases your chance of injury. I always say when getting in
shape that “it’s a marathon, not a sprint”. It doesn’t mean you can’t do a
sprint now and then. You just have to be prepared for it!
Hope you find this helpful… feel free to contact me with any questions.
Chris