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Great Danes - Their Origin And Temperament
The origin of Great Danes, like that of many other varieties of dogs, is so obscure that all researches have only resulted in speculative theories, but the undoubted antiquity of this dog is proved by the fact that representatives of a breed...
Gymnastics History – A Brief Overview
Gymnastics: History and Value - A Perspective Gymnastics, as an activity, has been around for more than two thousand years in one form or another, from the ancient Greek Olympics, to Roman ceremony, to today’s modern meets. As an organized and...
How to Correctly Weight Train for Golf Like Tiger, Vijay, and Phil
I often hear from amateur golfers about how training with
weights makes them feel "tight" and it ruin's their golf swing.
Traveling on the PGA Tour I disagree with this point of view
completely. It is well known that the top players on the...
Virtual Casino Games
Looking to find out what kind of games can be found at a virtual casino? Look no further because here we give you an overview of virtual casino games as most commonly played on the internet today.
There is an endless list of games available,...
What the heck is BOSU?
What in the World Is BOSU? You may have seen them in the gym: half of a large rubber ball that's flat on one side. They're often blue in color and look like a gigantic outtie belly button. "What are those things?" you wonder. Well they're BOSU...
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When Not To Train
Training, simply, is adding specific stress to the body. Your body then adapts to the stress load, and gets stronger, faster, or more powerful. There are times when completing your work out is detrimental to your training and perhaps your health. Knowing when these times are will reduce your risk of injury, and ultimately make your training more efficient and productive.
•When you are sick: You may not need to stop your training with a minor cold, but if you have a more severe illness your body needs to devote its energy to healing itself, just like an injury. Generally, if your symptoms are above the neck (nasal congestion), you may be able to train. If your symptoms are below the neck, such as gastrointestinal problems, upper respiratory issues, fever, body aches, and sore throat you should wait until you are better.
•When you are injured: In my experience, the body usually gives you an indicator when an injury is impending - such as a small amount of pain when training. If you listen to your body, and give it a few days to heal, the injury may quickly resolve itself. When you try to train through minor sprains and strains you will greatly increase your risk of a more serious injury that could keep you from training for some time. If you are experiencing pain when you are not exercising, you definitely need to let your injury heal before placing further stress on the body.
•When you are over stressed: Training can help alleviate stress, but when you already have a high stress load placed on you from work, family, etc., sometimes it is best to take a day off. This is largely a judgment call of course, but if your sleep has been affected and you are already exhausted from a tough day at work, it may be better to get some rest.
•When you are hung over: Alcohol dehydrates the body and affects a variety of other body systems. Getting up after a night on the town and training can be dangerous. Make sure you are rehydrated before resuming training.
•When you are not fully recovered: A balanced training plan is crucial to
athletic success. You should not add another high intensity work out unless you are fully recovered from the last. This breaks the stress-recovery cycle. Instead of stress-recovery, your training becomes stress-stress and further breaks down the body. This will make you slower instead of faster and increases the risk of injury.
•When you are not mentally prepared or focused: Often once you start your work out, and the endorphins start flowing, you will enter into a more prepared state of mind. Getting started is often the hardest part. Generally speaking, as intensity is increased your training will require more focus and mental energy. No more than 2-3 "break-through" work outs per week are recommended. These work outs move you forward in your training. If you are having a day where you just do not have what it takes to perform a break-through work out, reschedule it for another day. If you cannot put forth a good effort, going through the motions is not necessarily productive.
•When you have more important responsibilities: I advise all my athletes to seek a balance with their lifestyles. Family and job responsibilities must come first. There will be times when you must miss a work out due to these other responsibilities. When you invest a lot of time and energy in your training this can be frustrating, but it is more important to have your priorities in order.
Athletes are highly driven and motivated people who do not like to lose ground. Even though most of the above are common sense, we have all trained when we probably should not have. As a rule, if you really feel you need a day off you should take it off. It is far better to be conservative in your training than risk over training or an injury that could end your season.
About the Author
Matt Russ has coached and trained athletes around the country and internationally. He currently holds licenses by USAT, USATF, and is an Expert level USAC coach. Matt had coached athletes for CTS, is an Ultrafit Associate. Visit www.thesportfactory.com for more information.
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