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 Too Much Of A Good Thing? by Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest ~ Ashleigh Brilliant It's funny when you are in the fitness business for a while. Over time, you don't realize how many of the things that you think of as common knowledge, really aren't common knowledge at all. The fact is, there are many important things that all people who workout need to know. Things that as fitness professionals we simply take for granted. The whole notion of "overtraining" is one of these concepts. This point was really driven home to me the other day. I was in the locker room and a woman I know approached me to ask about an injury that she was developing from her new running program. Now this is a woman who is not only very intelligent (she's an RD, actually) ...she is also in phenomenal shape. So I was really struck by the fact that if SHE didn't know this information, probably a lot of us out there don't either. Ah ha...fodder for blogging. Anyway, she described the injury that she was developing. She was having some significant, localized muscular soreness down the side of one of her legs. Not so painful that she felt that she wanted to see a doctor, but bad enough that it was starting to effect her workouts. She was worried that it would get worse and she would eventually have to stop running, which she had begun a short time before -- and which she was really enjoying. So I asked her if she had recently increased the intensity, frequency and/or duration of her workouts. And as I could have predicted, she said, "yes". It turns out, that the injury followed a particularly long run last weekend, where she covered a distance further than she had ever gone before -- and where she felt so great during the run that she was really able to "push the intensity" harder than she had previously. I knew this was probably the case, because fitness-related injuries are pretty predictable. In fact, basically there is a fool-proof recipe for getting hurt from exercise. It's a professional trade secret that we personal trainers use only on those clients that we don't enjoy training -- or when we are feeling particularly sadistic (just kidding). The truth is that these type of injuries are largely avoidable. But, first you need to understand how and why they occur in the first place. Basically, there are three variables that we can alter to increase the difficulty of a workout. We can increase the frequency or how often we workout (let's say going from 3-4 times per week). We can increase the intensity of the workout (let's say working out at 65% of your maximal capacity and then going to 70%). Or we can increase the duration of the exercise (let's say going from 30 to 35 minutes on a particular piece of cardiovascular equipment). As fitness professionals we call this the FIT Principle (which stands for Frequency, Intensity and Time (i.e. duration). The key to avoiding workout injuries is -- to increase ONLY ONE of these variables (frequency, intensity or duration) at a given time. The reality is -- no matter how fit you are -- if you increase more than one of these at once (almost without exception) you will develop an "overuse injury". Plain and simple. An "overuse injury" results from too much of a good thing. It is some kind of orthopedic injury (muscle strains,tendonitis, bursitis, shin splints) that results from increasing more than one of these FIT principles -- without giving your body the opporunity to adjust to the new routine. The big problem with these types of injuries is that they blind-side you -- you don't usually see 'em coming. Often they are connected with a high or moderate impact cardiovascular activity (like running). And that you feel pretty good doing while you're doing it. For example, you are running along buzzing on your "runners high" and --WHAMMO -- the next morning the underside of your foot is killing you. What people don't usually realize is that your cardiovascular system (is not normally the limiting factor in progressing in your cardiovascular workouts. Your physiology is such that you could actually go on for a long, long time doing "aerobic" activity, if you had enough glucose (i.e. sugar) supplementation to fuel your brain and muscles... and if you didn't work at too high of an intensity. The weak link in this scenario -- is your musculoskeletal system. That is, the: muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilidge and other bodily structures that need time to adapt to your athletic endeavors. Case in point, I know a guy who basically went out and ran in the NY City Marathon (this was years ago when you could actually get IN to the marathon without a lottery) without really training for it. This was an out-of-shape, middle-aged, Wall Street desk jockey,. About 4 weeks before the marathon this guy decided that he was going to start running -- and finish the NYC Marathon. (BTW, this is the operational definition of a LUNATIC). But the fact is, as crazy and ill-advised as this goal was -- the guy actually DID finish the marathon. It took him over 6 hours, he walked a good part of it, he felt like he was going to die...but he did it! There was just one (well, make that two) little problems. He totalled both of his knees to the point that he needed surgery -- and he can never run again. Like I said...the guy was a LUNATIC. The point is -- it wasn't his cardiovascular system that took the hit. He crossed the finish line. It was his orthopedic limitations that messed him up. So how do you increase your involvement in a particular activity, such as running without getting hurt? Well, its different for every person, but here are some general rules to follow: The first is obviously to increase only one of the FIT variables at once -- either FREQUENCY, INTENSITY or TIME -- but not two together. The second is, when you do increase one of these variables, only increase it by 10% or less every 2 weeks -- and see how you feel. This gives your body's support structures a chance to catch up to the increase and get used to the new workloads. The third is, if you hurt...slow down, rest, switch activities, cut back and see your doctor if it continues...but DO NOT IGNORE YOUR PAIN! NEVER, EVER try to "work through" or "run through" an injury. Trust me...it will not work (boy, could I blog till the cows come home on that one). Your body is a whole lot smarter than you are. Keep doing something that hurts it, without addressing it, eventually your body will shut you down, making make it so painful that your WON'T be able to do it...no matter how hard you try. In fact, after I went on my soapbox in the locker room the other day another woman came up to me. She said, "I couldn't help overhearing your conversation. I really wish someone had told me all that about 15 years ago when I was running. I had some problems that I continued to ignore and it got so bad that I can never run again. I'm really sad about that, because I loved running. I just kept thinking that if I worked through it things would get better. If I had heard that bit of information back then, I might still be running today". So, while nobody is going to tout the benefits of exercise more than I, the truth is (like with anything else) you really can have too much of a good thing. So listen to your body -- and respect its brilliance. Disclaimer: The information contained in this newsletter is not intended as a substitute for medical care. Not all exercises are appropriate for all individuals. Please consult with your doctor before beginning any exercise program. Geralyn Coopersmith, MA, CSCS is the author of Fit and Female: The Perfect Fitness and Nutrition Game Plan for Your Unique Body Type and the creator of The Best Me Ever -- A Complete Weight Loss, Fat-Burning and Muscle Sculpting System |
