Disaster struck at the gym this morning. We were doing the P90X fitness assessment to prepare for February’s Great P90X 2 Experiment (I know!! Squee!!!) that we start Wednesday. The test has you check your performance against the P90X standard in pull-ups, push-ups, in-and-outs (abs), vertical jump, biceps curl max, wall sit, flexibility and a high-intensity cardio interval to check how quickly your heart rate recovers, to see if you are fit enough to do the workout. Needless to say, the test to do the workout is a workout in and of itself. But us being us, we had to tack on a few things. We figured if we were testing stuff, might as well test everything! Plus, I cannot even tell you how much I love a workout that makes me take a test first.
The plank and balancing on one leg with our eyes closed were both hard and hilarious but the problem came when we decided to time ourselves sprinting one lap around our indoor track (1/10th of a mile). Still bent over sucking wind from my sprint, I didn’t see it all happen but just as Gym Buddy Krista crossed the finish line, her ankle rolled and she went down, smacking into a nearby wall. She is a trouper and didn’t shed a tear but as of this evening, she reports it’s so swollen she can’t flex her foot and can barely walk on it. The worst part? She is leaving to go on a cruise in two days.
As Daria got her an ice pack, I did the next most helpful thing and told her stories about other gym injuries I’ve seen (I know, I’m a regular Florence Nightingale) and we had a good giggle remembering how the last time we took this fitness assessment Gym Buddy Allison smacked into a wall doing the vertical leap and got a huge scrape and bruise down her shin that lasted for weeks. (We were laughing about that not because we’re sadists but because we had to spend 15 minutes talking her into doing the jump – all you do is take one step and then jump, touching the wall as high as you can and yet she was terrified she was going to smack into the wall like a muggle at Platform 9 3/4. “There’s no way you’re going to hit the wall! You can’t, you don’t even get a running start!” we assured her. She hit the wall. Really hard. I laughed so hard I was crying. Okay now we really sound like sadists. ANYHOW.)
“It’s like the P90X test is cursed for us,” I joked. But when I got home I wasn’t laughing anymore. What had seemed like coincidence at first glance, ended up looking anything but. We’re all perfectionists and so for a test we were pushing ourselves as hard as possible. Too hard? I don’t know. I don’t think fitness tests are inherently bad but I also don’t think that it’s a coincidence that the times when Gym Buddies get injured are when we are really pushing ourselves – tests, one-rep maxes, online challenges, and race training have all side-lined us over the years.
I’m sure some of this is just par for the course. I don’t know any regular exerciser who doesn’t have a story or two like this. And yet when I came across Gina Kolata’s article in the New York Times “Personal Best: Workouts have their limits whether recognized or not” I saw a lot of myself in it. She writes:
“While public health officials bemoan the tendency of most people to do little exercise, if any, physiologists are fretting over the opposite trend: an increasing focus on extreme exercise among some recreational athletes. Weight lifting with no rest between sets and with no days off. Endurance training with no easy days or days off. Competitions that encourage excess. And there is no shortage of commercial fitness programs promising to push people beyond their limits.”
Um. I wouldn’t know anything about those… Oh wait, I wrote a book about pushing myself beyond my limits.
“People think a good workout is, ‘I am in a pile of sweat and puking,’ ” said William Kraemer, a professor of kinesiology at the University of Connecticut. But if that happens, he said, “it means you went much too quickly, and your body just can’t meet its demands.”
In the past I have definitely been guilty of that mentality but over the past couple of years – really since Jelly Bean has been born – I’ve gotten a lot better. I don’t do double workouts anymore. I take a rest day every week. Workouts stay under an hour, generally. (This was a hard one with the Barre Experiment – those suckers are long workouts!) But the piece I haven’t mastered yet is of course the most critical: learning to listen to my body. Kolata says, “There are no hard and fast rules, because individual athletes vary so much. A training program that one person thrives on will break another, equally talented athlete.” The best cues to rely on then are the ones that only you can recognize.
And I’m still bad at that. After we finished the fitness test this morning, we still had some time left so Daria and I ran interval repeats. Even though I was already pretty spent and they did not sound fun at all.
This is what I need to learn:
I don’t have to push myself to the limit in every workout.
I can skip a workout and be fine.
Just because someone else can do something and be fine doesn’t necessarily mean I can.
I do not always have to be training for something.
Everything is not a competition.
Writing these all out helps but I’d love some more advice. Obviously there are times when it’s great to push yourself – the amazing results you get from Tabata training* come from the amazing effort you have to put into it – but there are times when rest is equally as important.
What’s your training schedule like? Anyone else feel like they need to constantly be setting goals and meeting them to feel like their workouts are worthwhile? How does your body tell you when it’s time to rest? Also, any prayers for a speedy recovery for Krista will be much appreciated!
*Check out Athletic Ali’s incredible results from her 6-week Tabata experiment! Seriously amazing.
I wonder if you could apply the principles of intuitive eating to exercise? Because it is not so much about eating as it is about finding your truth and trusting yourself…principles that can (and should) be applied to most activities in life.
I am wishing Krista a speedy recovery and a fabulous cruise!
I posted once long ago, but I just wanted to tell you that yours is one of 3 blogs that I read every day. I seriously look forward to midnight-ish when I can read a new post. Thanks for always keeping it interesting and real. And I can relate to having a personality that struggles with moderation…
This year I’m training for a few ‘long-distance’ races, and have been reading every issue of Runner’s World I can find. From there I learned about the importance of long slow runs. That’s right, sometimes you HAVE TO slow down! And I also learned about rest, recovery, tapering, etc. Bottom line, we shouldn’t always go all out, our bodies also need rest and low-impact workouts, or else you won’t make much progress.
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As I suffer from serious back problems/pains i know I HAVE TO listen to my body (especially where my back is concerned) or else I will pay a serious price and probably not be able to train for weeks. So while I always try to push myself and work hard I strive for the good pain – not the bad.
I’m doing p90x right now and after doing plyo the the first time i got a horrible migraine a few hours later. I had pushed myself too hard and my body let me know. So yes, one has to learn to listen to ones body and distinguish between when it’s just being stupid (“I don’t want to train, I’d rather sit on the sofa and eat cookies”) and when it’s telling you to slow down/take a day off/lift lighter (“that hurts – and not in a good way”).
If there is one thing that taught me how to stop pushing myself it was being misdiagnosed with Guillain Barre Syndrome. The doctors told me that if I pushed my body at all, I would get worse. Learning how to relax and not freak out if I went a day or two or three between even gentle workouts was really tough. By the time I recovered from the “Guillain Barre” (really an MS relapse), I was much stronger and some chronic pains had healed up. I was able to lift heavier weights, jump higher, and rest longer!
Get well soon, Krista. What a bummer!! I definitely have a hard time going easy and recently wrote about it – http://unblob.blogspot.com/2012/01/take-it-easy.html I think for most of us it can be traced back to some kind of fear(s) so it’s important to identify what is driving that need to push, then to recognize that all that pushing without recovery will result in a net LOSS! I upload heart rate and GPS/speed data to a coach so he calls me out on it when I bike or run hard on an easy/recovery workout (less of a problem with the swim). Usually it’s with some lame excuse that I was just feeling it or my head needed it! I’ve got some work to do in the taking-it-easy department that’s for sure.
I am lucky that I have a home gym with a playroom attached to it. Unfortunately that means numerous interruptions during my workouts. So I workout when I have the patience, I workout when our morning plans allow time for it and I workout when I haven’t done strength training the day before. Right now getting on a treadmill is difficult with my 2 year old around as she will come in and try to play with my equipment. I can’t be constantly jumping on an off the treadmill, so those workouts wait for nap time. When I’m tired. And have a million other things to do. So they often don’t get done.
My savior lately has been yoga. I try to go to a class once a week. I find it to be a great compliment to lifting weights. Not only does it improve my flexibility and balance, it’s a workout AWAY from the kids! I can actually get the stress relief benefit of working out!
On a somewhat related note, I find it hard to know whether exercise-related aches and pains are just normal or if they are “warning signs” for an injury! How in the heck does one figure that out? I have no idea :). I always err on the side of caution, but I wish I knew when it would be better to “work through” things.
I feel the same way, Leslie!! I just never know if an ache is a good ache or a bad ache until I’ve tried to work through it. To me they feel exactly the same.
Like for instance today, I woke up with a crick in my neck and decided to work out anyway – HIIT style – and I felt my neck feeling a little worse but it still wasn’t bad so I decided to work through it. Well, now I feel totally worse, and wish I had stopped when I felt even the tiniest pain. But sometimes i feel pain and it totally goes away in a few minutes. How to know the difference??
I used to have this issue with yoga, or walking, or stretching (for that matter). If I wasn’t sweating, it wasn’t really a workout. I think this comes from being such a competitive person when I was younger. It has taken me a long time to realize I can take it easy if I feel I need to. I can actually workout for fun, or take a rest day. I’m still competitive, but it isn’t the “I must win” mentality that it once was.
I hope Krista feels better soon and enjoys her vacation!
I tend to push too hard! I have gotten pretty good at recognizing injures at an early stage, mostly 🙂
I joke about either being injured or ready for further punishment, but really, it’s not a joke!
It’s been a while since I have set a definite schedule and goals; these days it’s more about keeping my sanity. Exercise can do so much for my mood and stress levels. Also, I’ve got a bad shoulder right now which means I need to take it easy with upper body workouts.
There have definitely been times in the past where I’ve overdone it and often that just leads to injuries and set backs. I’m hoping I’ve learned my lesson. Or else I’m just getting lazy. 🙂
Are you kidding me? I need to learn all those thngs myself. Just yesterday, sick as a dog (head cold), I went to the gym. Yeah….I have a PhD.
Charlotte, I know exactly what you mean about knowing when to stop!
Last year I decided to do a triathlon because I wanted a goal to push for. I ended up spending 2 months exercising 10 or more hours a week, and in the end had to walk the last 5 km of the run because of injuries. That was a wake up call for me that more isn’t always better, and that ‘no pain no gain’ is not necessarily the right way to look at things. I still have trouble determining what is too little, too much, or the right amount of exercise for me personally and so for the first time in my life I am working with a personal trainer. I just started, so I don’t know how it will go yet, but I am hoping that with someone else to help give me tips on when to stop that I not only stop before I hurt myself, but also get rid of the guilt associated with a day off.
If anything, I tend to take it easier on my workouts than I need to. I prefer workouts that are shorter than 45 minutes (except running!) and that don’t make me feel like I want to die. Sweat and effort are great, but no puking. Although I know I won’t get results as fast as I would like to, I also know I have great balance in my life between work, exercise and friends/family time.
Yeah, I went to a Hatha yoga class last month taught by an acquaintance who I think is actually the first good yoga instructor I’ve had but after it I had to go elliptical for an hour and I haven’t been back to the class. I tell myself it’s because it’s at a bad time but really it’s because if I’m not sweating and exhausted and sore the next day I don’t believe I’m getting a good workout. I don’t overexercise either anymore (I call an hour Zumba class a good workout and take at least 2 days off a week) but I definitely still have that mentality that a work out must always be challenging. I know it’s not healthy but just reading those (awesome and true) statements you wrote makes me anxious.
Great post (I’m a long time reader but first time commenter). This reminds me of a boot camp class I used to do… I hated it but forced myself to go once a week because it left me absolutely exhausted to the point of feeling light headed and nauseous by the end. I thought this meant it was superior to my other workouts but in retrospect I think I was probably putting myself at risk for injury. I stopped doing the class and you know what? It hasn’t negatively affected my fitness level or my weight. If anything, I have more energy for my other workouts and for my daily activities. I think a lot of people think a workout has to be torture to be effective but you can still work hard and not feel like dying at the end. It’s a fine line, but knowing when to stop pushing yourself is something every exerciser needs to learn.
This is an issue that comes up all the time at the gym, especially this time of year. Everyone jumps into a new workout program at full speed and we see a lot of injuries. Even if they don’t get injured, they burn out. By March the crowds are gone and, unfortunately, only a few of the new members actually show up anymore.
I also see it in my classes: many clients don’t understand that Pilates isn’t a full-contact sport, lol! That sometimes, slowing down the movements and taking it slowly can be good for them and help make them stronger and more flexible. Instead, they want all-out, all the time.
I do think that programs like P90X and Insanity contribute to this mindset, as do shows like “The Biggest Loser.” But they really only feed on the competitive, over-achieving nature we already possess, IMHO.
There was a NYT article recently that caused a big fuss called “Can Yoga Wreck Your Body?” It was about the increase in yoga-related injuries over the past few years. My take? If we go into a yoga class with the same mentality we have in our other workouts, if we push too hard, try to compete with the guy on the mat next to us and go all-out, we’ll wreck ourselves. If we listen to out bodies and use proper alignment, we’ll heal out bodies. The same could be said of any workout.
OK, done pontificating.
And I hope Krista’s foot is OK!!!!!!!
I am also very bad at that! I just always know afterwards that it was too much again. Overtraining, injuries,… I know those very well! I always want to give my best and push beyond my limits. And also I know that it is wrong I just can’t listen to my body or learn from my mistakes. Perhaps the new goal should be:listen to my body the best possible…
I don’t have to push myself to the limit in every workout.
I can skip a workout and be fine.
I can relate. I took time off at the holidays and came back to quickly and hurt myself a bit “pushing myself” and so had to rest longer to heal up. Now that I’m easing back in I’ve been asked by someone whom I’ve gone to for advice on dealing with my crazy ass schedule and exhaustion to focus as hard on getting sleep as I am on working out. I didn’t think it would be a big deal to remind myself that it is OK if I get extra sleep over a workout or cut back on daily workouts. I’m still healthy. Strange how it used to be jsut getting to exercising that was the challenge – not it’s finding a balance in my life for it and the rest of the things I need. Live and learn…
I was actually just thinking about this yesterday! I know that I am the type that take it a little too easy when working out. As a result, I don’t progress nearly as quickly as my friends in activities like rock climbing. On the other hand, I’ve never had to wrap up a bloody hand from when the rock wall ripped off my callouses…
I am trying to push myself a little harder though, which is why my friend and I are about to start incorporating some tabata intervals into our workout routine. You said that you can do tabatas with jump roping, right? Because I have too much of a tendency to fall when just jogging regularly to begin with.
Oh boy, is this timely. I’ve been chugging along quite smoothly on a fairly ambitious strength cycle supplemented with Crossfit, and on Sunday I got smug and skipped one of my rest days to go for a run instead (it was 40 degrees out! I coudln’t resist! #newenglandproblems). Now I’m sitting on the couch neck-deep in tissues with a nasty head cold. That’ll learn me.
Yes yes yes! This is why I love you. So many people think more is better and that they’re the exception to the rule — no! Most highly experienced and traiined powerlifters & strongman competitors train three or four days a week. For an hour each time. Right now I lift 3x/week, do like 50 minutes of cardio a week, and I am stronger than ever. And my workouts don’t leave me dripping and shaking either btw. Once I get into that territory even twice a week, I move towards overtraining FAST.
This is timely for me, since I’m taking a week off from lifting for the first time since July 4th–solely because all my weightlifting friends gasped in horror when they found out I hadn’t taken a rest week in over 6 months. It’s easy to convince yourself that, aww, you don’t need to rest because you feel ok, you aren’t injured, and you’re making progress. But, really? Is it smart to end up feeling like crap, hurt, and/or plateaued and then being forced into the rest? Isn’t treating the body that’s working so hard for you with a little kindness and respect better?
This is why I love the Primal Blueprint! Mark Sisson’s #1 reason why the PB works for him (and me), “I’m lazy” !!! I spent years YEARS chronically exercising and killing myself. Now I eat mostly primal, do crossfit 3 or 4 times a week, and that’s it for my planned exercise. I am in better shape as a 40 year old mom of 2 than as a single fit chick in my 20’s. Yeah, I do crossfit, and yes it kills me, but that’s all I do. 4 hours a week of working out, tops. (I mean I still have to deal with having 2 kids under 5 which is a lot of action)
If I’m sick or injured, I don’t go. That’s it. It is so not worth making it worse. I pulled a hamstring recently and I laid off for a week. I did not suddenly get fat, I wasn’t like less strong when I went back. I was that not letting myself recover person for way too long, I’m over it now, it’s really not worth it and probably what led to my chronic back pain. I feel like I have finally found something sustainable and ended that cycle of: exercise my a** off… get injured…recover slowly… exercise my a** off…get injured…recover slowly etc. etc. to infinity.
Hi Charolette!!! (so excited to ‘talk’ with you, you get 3!!!s)
I’m sorry to hear of your friend’s injury, but yes had a giggle thinking of my own – like the time I ran directly into a pole because I was chatting and looking at my friend – that was a shiner to be proud of. I hope your friend doesn’t have too much of a hobble for her trip.
Please write more about the PX90 challenge. Like, what is PX90? Everyone talks about it and instead of Google-ing I will wait to read what you have to say about it.
Also. Have you and your group ever considered doing the Tough Mudder? It’s May 19th. I know nothing about it other than it looks TOUGH, but fun. I have a Facebook friend who ‘liked’ the Tough Mudder and that’s how it got on my radar.
I love reading your work – I ALWAYS read what you write because I am a serious exerciser (in my mind) and always looking for inspiration to actually tie up the laces and hit the pavement.
I’m always setting new goals! It keeps things interesting. I actually probably change them too often! I just want to try everything!
I think the hardest part though is including enough rest for you to actually meet those goals. Too often I feel like I start overtraining when I really want to reach my goals which of course only delays me reaching them.
That usually causes me to rest…not so much listening to my body but not getting results. I definitely need to be better about listening to my body but it is just so hard when you love working out!
Ouch! I winced in sympathy when poor Krista rolled over on her ankle. When you posted about essential training items a little while ago I mean to comment “Ankle support, because the stupid thing could go at any time”.
Though in my experience it’s mostly been the opposite – on big difficult new moves, people concentrate and take care, but with easy familiar things, you get careless and don’t pay attention and that’s when the accidents happen.
YIKES! 🙁
Charlotte, I really really push myself BUT I have learned with age not to let what others do & challenge you to & say you must try or do – I have learned not to do what is not right for me. I know what works & doesn’t for me. I am always learning BUT I at this point in my life, I know what is best for me.. AND with age, I am not willing to get hurt trying crazy things or things my bad feet will not handle. I used to do a ton more plyometrics but I know I have to be oh so careful now with my feet.
A person needs to learn about themselves & learn that when to push but when not to go too far…. it is hard but with time AND listening & paying attention to your bod, it can be done!
Prayers for Krista!!
I’m pretty good at knowing when enough is enough, my body is very clear on this, but I struggle with ‘keeping up with jane’ and comparing workout journals to see if I can do everything she can. Heck, I’m even competitive with guys. I blame it on my upbringing. Competition is good, killing oneself to prove.. what? is not so good. Love your blog. 🙂
Thanks for all the happy thoughts and prayers all. I was lucky enough to fall behind a wall, so my extremely clutzy move was only viewed by a couple AOAs (active older adults) on the track! I went to the Dr. today and while she wanted x-rays, I did find out the it’s just a nasty sprain and not broken. I got an air splint to stabilize it a little. While I don’t think I’ll be working out on board (my 5 pound weight gain expectation just went up to 8!) I’m hopeful that I’ll be well enough be the time we go on some excursions.
I may be super competitive and type A about some things, but I have to have my rest and/or easy days. I don’t get better as an athlete unless I do and it makes me grumpy.
There was this interesting article in the NYT about the trend towards really intense workouts, and whether this is a good or bad thing. For me I’m at the point where if I miss a workout, or feel like I have to really push myself, I stop. Unless I’m training for something specific I don’t see the benefit in pushing yourself beyond your limits everytime you workout if there isn’t a specific purpose beyond just pushing yourself. I don’t want to burn myself out or change my attitude towards exercise, I’d never want to associate it with suffering and pain rather than something that’s awesome, fun and makes me feel great.
I used to feel like I had to constantly set goals. Now I am content to just workout hard 6 days a week. Better to workout regularly than push it and risk injury.
LOL! I’m laughing too hard at the pics to form a decent comment. So my comment here is simply… “comment”. Pleez acksept. (sp?)
f you are exercising and have pain in a specific place, continuing for a minute might help, but you need to rest the place afterward for a day or two.
Actually laughed at the first image on the page! This is coming from someone who has done deadlifts for over 3 years, I totally understand that hahah
Don’t give up things that you can win but stop and take a rest when you feel you feel down. Don’t push yourself into a mess.
Excellent advice for the inexperienced weight lifter. Pay heed or you may injure yourself.
Unfortunately when it coms to the gym accident do happen your post offers good advice for in the weight lifting arena to avoid accidents.
I am a person who usually like to push my self a bit , but I learn the bitter lesson of pushing to hard and ijury myself. lifting too much weight can do more harm than good.
Good advive i also enjoyed the comments made by others. Keep up the good work.