By Tom Bonanti
You’ve probably been there before, or maybe you’re there now: you just can’t get into your workouts. The exercises seem boring, the weights are too heavy and you feel like you’d rather be anywhere else but in the gym.
You are experiencing a performance slump – a frustrating, seemingly inexplicable drop in performance which typically lasts for an extended period of time. In nearly every case, though, a source can be found. Slumps are often traced to a lack of recovery time from stressful situations, insufficient sleep, overtraining – or just a general feeling of malaise over life in general.
The good news is that no matter what the hell the problem is about – job stress, a breakup with your boyfriend, a let down after vacation, or overtraining itself – there are mechanisms of recovery that can have you back in the gym doing battle with the weights in no time. A number of these tips come from Jim Loehr, a sports psychologist, in his book, Stress for Success.
First of all, you’ve got to rest. And by that, I don’t mean lying on the couch watching episodes of the “The Biggest Loser”. Active rest refers to recovery methods that involve movement. For example, walking, stretching, yoga and golfing are all types of active rest that can help you recharge your batteries. If you simply can’t stay out of the gym, incorporate a wide variety of low weight, high rep weight training exercises for each of the various muscle groups. You’ll be amazed how you’ll grow once you resume more intense training habits.
Passive rest is also essential and it can help rejuvenate your soul as well as your body. Examples of passive rest include meditation, napping, sitting in the park, or catching up with an old friend for some conversation. (Note: passive rest does not include sitting on a bar stool drinking for six hours.)
Understanding your nutrition and how it affects your body is crucial, not only to successful training, but also to your recovery process. During a slump, a lot of guys either eat like birds and lose size or they binge out and get as big as cows.
Whatever you’re going through, you’ve got to eat! Eat your meals at consistent times throughout the day.
Eat light and often. Consuming smaller meals every 2-3 hours raises your metabolic rate and stabilizes blood sugar and energy levels. Never skip a healthy breakfast and stay away from quick, sugary, fatty comfort foods that will ultimately leave you feeling worse than ever.
The dedication necessary to succeed at body building is substantial, and it requires focus and intensity. When you’re in a slump, you’re often frustrated and negative about your drop in performance. Look for opportunities to lighten up and laugh. Avoid negative people who drag you down. Listen to music that can calm and soothe as well as energize and rejuvenate you.
Psychological changes associated with positive emotions occur that directly oppose the chemicals that accompany negativity and frustration.
Finally, a good night’s rest is by far the most natural and essential recovery activity. Depriving yourself of sleep is like depriving yourself of food. A sleep debt of as little as three hours has been shown to significantly reduce physical strength in weightlifters. Lack of good, quality, uninterrupted REM (rapid eye movement) sleep can cause paranoia, migraines and violent mood swings, as well as unwanted weight gain.
Busting out of your slump doesn’t happen automatically – it takes planning and effort. Remember, recovery in your training and everyday life is just as important as the hard work you put into them. For more tips on how to fire up your workouts this summer contact trainertomb@aol.com!
Tom Bonanti, is a certified personal trainer and owner of Pump’n Inc gym at 1271 NE 9th Ave., Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Email: TrainerTomB@aol.com Facebook: TrainerTomB. On the Internet at: www.pumpnincgym.com