31 Days Closer to Health, Wellness and Bathing Suit Season, Day 19

Know the Signs of a "Good Workout"

Last week I read one of the best articles on exercise I think I have ever read. It addressed a critical, but often ignored, area of exercise:
Knowing how much exercise is "too much."

With all the emphasis on hard-core training, it's easy to get the impression that you have to kill yourself to be fit. I am sorry if I have ever given you that impression.  I have most definitely trained too hard for long periods of time, resulting in chronic muscle soreness and fatigue. 

I need a workout schedule that leaves me feeling strong and refreshed, not sore and exhausted.
I'm thinking you'd like a piece of that action, too, no?

 

Over the next few days, we'll talk about how often, how long and how hard you should train to gain optimal fitness. I promise, it's not as bad as you think. Well, at least it wasn't as bad as I thought.

But first, here's an excerpt from this article that I found very helpful. It is written by Dr. Jeff Spencer, Olympian, ICA "Sports Chiropractor of the Year", author and one of America's top trainers of elite athletes. 

I'm thinking with those credentials, he knows his stuff.  Take it away, Dr.Spencer!

Classic Signs of a Workout with Ideal Intensity and Length

At the end of the day when you're workout intensities and training loads are within ideal range you'll find that your fitness will increase and maintain itself with less time and effort.

The following are the signs that tell you your workout program has the correct balance of hard and easy workouts and your Total Training Load is within normal range.

• Should have quick and full recovery after each workout - After a workout you should rebound quickly from the effort and feel almost back to normal within 30-minutes. A prolonged rebound is a sign the workout was too difficult and you need to go easy for a couple of days.

• Ideal to feel better at end of workout than the beginning – Successful workouts will leave you feeling better at the end of your workout than the beginning. This is a sign of well-trained body.

        Slight soreness on occasion is OK, but regular soreness isn't - Slight muscle soreness is normal after      starting to exercise, when new exercises are implemented into your workouts or when an increase in exercise intensity is done. If you feel sore then put two or more easy days into your program to let your body catch up with itself.

• Should be able to raise heart rate – A cardinal sign of having the right training balance of effort to recovery is when your heart rate moves up and down nicely during a workout. If your heart rate fails to elevate during a workout you're over-trained from training too hard too often, and you need time off.

• Heart rate should drop immediately when workout completed – Fitness buffs having ideal intensity variety in their workouts have heart rates that drop down to slightly above normal within 5-minutes of finishing a workout then drop back to normal levels shortly thereafter.

• Perspiration should stop shortly after training complete – As a rule sweating associated with workouts should stop within a few minutes after exercise is stopped when workout intensity and overall fitness is within ideal range. If sweating continues 20-30 minutes after exercise it is the sign the workout was too hard, and requires a few easy days to recover from.

It's Fitness Friday Girl again.  Just curious, how do your current workouts compare with this checklist?

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31 Days Closer to Your Kids

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