Autoregulating your training

You can’t perform at your maximum all the time. There are sooo many factors involved in performance and recovery, the combinations are astounding. Sleep, nutrition, stress, age, genetics, and so much more play a huge role in your day-to-day performance capabilities. So how do you know when to push hard, and when to ease up?

Autoregulation.

Since life loves to constantly throw us curveballs, we first need to address stress and how it affects performance both in, and out of the gym. For example, did you know that stress and anxiety can raise your heart rate even while you are at “rest”? Stress can also affect your performance in the gym or on the track. For example, let’s say you are going for a run while you have a lot on your mind. During your runs, you try to keep your heart rate in a certain range, or zone. Well, if you are stressed out, you may notice your heart rate beating faster during your normal pace. This isn’t generally catastrophic, but enough to cause a noticeable dip in your performance. The same thing goes for weightlifting sessions.

Nutrition and sleep are two other huge factors in recovery. Been eating less or not as healthy? Been sleeping less or waking up more times than usual? These can influence things like heart rate, digestion, stress management, etc. When these periods occur, I highly recommend figuring out how to temporarily eliminate things that are not essential to your goals. When my clients go through these periods, I’ll usually reduce the number of movements they perform when lifting, and the pace or distance during their cardio sessions. This will still allow them to work towards their goals, just at a lower intensity, giving them more time and energy to dedicate to recovery.

Think of your ability to handle stress, physical and mental, as a cup. Adding stress fills this cup. So, if your cup is already quite full from a crazy week, why make it spill over by burning yourself out at the gym. Too many people think of physical and mental stress as two separate things. Well, my friend, you only have one nervous system. Take care of it.

I promise you aren’t going to lose any muscle or drop minutes from your mile by taking it easy for a week or two. Hell, even skipping exercise altogether for short periods of time can have beneficial effects for when you return, ready to take on your goals. Yes, exercise can be a fantastic way of controlling stress BUT, like anything else, too much of a good thing can be bad. Exercise is no exception.