To this day, as a regular gym goer and Physiotherapist, I am constantly hearing people say things
like:
“Don’t lift too heavy”
” I feel like I’m not progressing with my exercise anymore so I’m just going to give up”
“The last time I went for a run I hurt my knee, so I don’t want to run anymore”
Now, before we delve into all these things, let me ask you a question to help get you thinking in the right manner.
If you had experienced certain side effects to over dosing on supplements or medication, wouldn’t you just reduce the dose of what you’re taking?
Now if you didn’t answer yes…well… you should have!
So on that note. What exactly is ‘too heavy’ ? If you feel you can’t progress, maybe adjust the load /volume of training? Maybe the last time you went for a run, it was a little bit further than you were capable of doing at that time? Maybe it was the first run you had in years?
What is too heavy?
In short, there is no such thing as too heavy. What is heavy for one person, might be light for another. It’s all about building your capacity to do so. Blanket statements like not lifting too heavy, cannot be used as it varies from person to person. No such thing as a bad exercise or lifting too heavy. What there is however, is performing movements or lifting weights that you aren’t prepared for.
Thinking of giving up exercise due to feeling stuck or plateauing?
This is something common that we deal with as physiotherapists. Hearing our patients referring to feeling stuck, hit a peak, or just not enjoying it as much anymore. It might be time for a de load! A de load week involves training at a lower intensity for a week, to allow your body to recover. These should be programmed into the start of everyone’s exercise program and should be carried out somewhere between 6-10 weeks of training depending on your experience. However, if you are starting to feel a little tight, and feel run down, fatiguing earlier in the gym than usual, then this is also a great time to incorporate a de load! Give your body the rest it needs without stopping all together.
Running became a problem?
Instead of disregarding running all together, why not trial running at a shorter distance? Possibly reducing stride length and taking more steps?
Remember to adjust the dose before giving up altogether.
If you feel you are stuck in a bit of a rut with your programming, feel like you have ‘over trained’ or just generally speaking need some help with regards to establishing an exercise program, feel free to check in with our Physiotherapist Isaac Serhan. Isaac practices at our Kings Cross and Kingsford clinics. Contact us to book your consultation.
