How is 2024 treating you?
Started running or lifting weights again?
We joke about it every year -
“What’s your New Years resolutions?”
But the reality is, so many people see January as an opportunity to shake up their routine and finally get around to achieving their fitness goals, or at least doing better than last year.
What have you restarted in 2024?
There are lots of common training mistakes that we see as Physiotherapists:
Increasing too much too soon
Starting back where you finished
Not considering body changes in recent times
Not prioritising rest and recovery
Here are my top tips when it comes to starting or restarting your program:
Less is more at the start: Unless you have always been training consistently, two to three sessions a week of any training modality is probably enough. Sorry but you will go bust if you try to start 5-6x a week!
Consider your training history: If you have done a lot of “insert exercise here” then that will help, but unless that was in the latter half of 2023, treat it like you are starting anew.
Intensity matters: consider overall training volumes e.g. how many kms you are running per week, but also, how fast? Hills? Uneven terrain? Or for weight lifting, is it HIIT training? Fast? Or super repetitive? This will mean more recovery is required
Varying your training mode: often when starting something new, we get caught up and a little bit addicted. If you are running, consider swimming or body weight exercises at home. If you are weight training, consider walking, cycling or running as your extra session
Finding yourself constantly injured? Consider clinical pilates. It is tailored to your specific needs and deficits to help reduce the chance of injury and boost recovery!
Have you had a niggle since going back to the gym or running recently?
—> get in touch
(1) Seiler S. What is best practice for training intensity and duration distribution in endurance athletes? Int J Sports Physiol Perform. 2010 Sep;5(3):276-91. doi: 10.1123/ijspp.5.3.276. PMID: 20861519.
(2) RO Neilsen et al Excessive Progression in Weekly Running Distance and Risk of Running-Related Injuries: An Association Which Varies According to Type of Injury J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2014;44(10):739–747. Epub 25 August 2014. doi:10.2519/jospt.2014.5164