You are train a lot, but you don't get results? Have you been active for a long time? Do you stick to the training plan, realize all the assumptions and eat properly, and the effects are not visible? What's more, the more you train, the more fatigue you feel and the more or less injuries you get? Ask yourself a very important question and answer in silence, at what level is your knowledge about rest and regeneration strategies. In this article I would like to present my vision of organization and planning of training units.
Physical preparation focused on circuit building, there was a belief that how painful it is to grow. It was often said that without pain there is no increase in form, and so on. However, after years it was stated that long training units (>1.5 hours) and work until the last repetition on total exhaustion in an isolated movement brings with it the stimulation (fatigue) of the central nervous system, which can manifest itself in a halt in development and mental exhaustion (just thinking about training you get nauseous, but you do it because you are implementing the plan and not looking for excuses). At that time nobody heard about the preparation of tissue in stretching, rolling, and even if it was, the ideology of building mass and strength still forgot about these tools. To this day, this conviction often reigns at gyms or fitness clubs.
Each training unit, regardless of the nature of work (training strength, power, plyometrics, metabolic, etc.) involves damage to muscle fibers, which in the process of rest and regeneration are repaired, increasing our ability to make increasingly intense physical efforts. The supply of adequate nutrients, sleep and hydration play an important role here.
So where do I start? First of all, from knowing the weak links in your body. It can be a disorder of mobility (mobility) of the hips, central stabilization, a disorder of rotation in the chest section or an imbalance of tensions determining the abnormal posture. There may be several strategies for planning regenerative units. Regeneration can be general and targeted. For athletes it is important to understand the movements that require the specificity of the discipline. These can be movements of abuse of internal rotation (volleyball, handball, tennis, canoeing) or overloading of the lower limb (football, running, jumping).
One simple rule is important when planning a targeted corrective strategy. Take care to improve the flexibility of muscles involved in a given discipline and activate opposing (antagonistic) ones. Torso muscles, or popular "core stability", are power generators, connect the upper body to the lower body and control rotational forces, especially important in asymmetric sports (involving the opposite upper and lower limbs) preventing asymmetries, which is important in injury prevention.
Regeneration is important both in gym training and in home exercises, e.g. using a mat for exercises. The difference lies only in the choice of exercises. The key in determining the plan of corrective/regenerative strategies is the awareness of not necessarily correct movement habits of everyday life, which cannot be fully eliminated. It can be a sitting character of work, high responsibility (stress), repetitiveness of cyclic movements during professional work (dentist working only on one side), etc.
The general regeneration strategy includes rolling and all forms of massage, stretching, adequate hydration, nutrition and, above all, sleep. It has a positive effect on the hydration of intervertebral discs, minimizes the effects of stress and leads to hormonal balance. Sauna is another tool from the branch of regeneration training. Before you use the sauna, however, consider whether there are contraindications to use it (skin diseases, pregnancy, circulatory and respiratory problems, acute inflammation). The sauna improves circulation, relaxes the musculoskeletal system, improves mood, accelerates the supply of nutrients to the tissues and carry away harmful products of metabolism.
The subject of the training takes up the cult of the body. Everyone focuses on physicality, forgetting about the important sphere. The mental sphere and the connections between the body and spirit, which should be treated as an inseparable whole.
Why is mental regeneration so important? Because mental exhaustion is much more difficult to heal, and the time needed to restore homeostasis (balance) is much longer compared to physical regeneration. Today's times teach us to live in a hurry, they teach us to chase material values. Such a style requires reprogramming, which unfortunately not everyone can cope with. This leads to excessive stress and mental overload, which adversely affects our hormonal system, and consequently the motivation, vitality and joy of life. It is important to find a way out of this race. It can be a good book, music, calmness, focus on your own breathing and on the present. Gaining distance will certainly translate into motivation and willingness to act. Try it!
REMEMBER!
- Active regeneration is a great way to prepare for the next training challenges.
- Regeneration should be treated as a separate training unit.
- Awareness of your weak links determines the implications of corrective exercises.
- Preventive training in a given discipline involves improving the flexibility of muscles involved in a given specific sport and activating opposing ones.
- Anti-rotation stabilization is a type of exercise effective in asymmetric sports.
- Mental overtraining (of the central nervous system) is worse in results than physical overtraining, and the return to homeostasis is much longer.
- Mental regeneration is as important as physical.