At some point I am sure that you have taken a break from training, whether that be forced or voluntary. So, I’m talking about an injury, or health issue that demands a break from training, versus me traveling the world for a year.

This is a massive mindset based podcast. But will also include my very tangible approach to training these past few months and the results from said training.

At some point I am sure that you have taken a break from training, whether that be forced or voluntary. So, I’m talking about an injury, or health issue that demands a break from training, versus me traveling the world for a year. You could even lump pregnancy into this conversation as kind of a hybrid of those two, being voluntary and involuntary. You certainly at some point will probably take a break from the exact level or type of training you were doing before bearing a child and giving birth.

Let’s start off with one of the most popular narratives I’ve seen and experienced with myself and clients. And that is the frustrations of knowing what you were once capable of.

Common frustrations during injury -

Maybe you’re now working with weights that are below what you used to warm up with. You are extremely de-conditioned. You fatigue much quicker, not only with your muscular system but also cardio respiratory. Even if it’s lifting weights. You might lack mobility, and feel less capable to get into certain positions that you were once able to get into with ease. Or with a lack of pain.

All of these pictures I’ve just painted, number one, I have personally experienced. And number two, they can weigh on a person mentally. And that can be to varying extents. I would argue that the more experience someone has with the come back game, the more they are prepared for those thoughts, feelings, and narratives. I would also say that’s very individual from person to person.

So just know that it’s likely never going to be encouraging to feel less capable than you once were, and I think it’s OK to say that’s justified and that’s pretty normal. We can acknowledge that and then also acknowledge my next point.

Knowing where you’re at - having clarity, and naming the season that you're in for any type of training can take off some of that mental weight and negativity that we felt with the first scenario that I spoke about. So I kind of see this second piece as grace. Having grace for your self, for your body, for whatever happened to you/you chose for yourself.

Essentially, step two has the potential to prevent you or maybe a trainee from letting the first scenario of feeling incapable OR push them to do too much too soon. Simply because they don’t like that feeling and they want to feel strong again. Or mobile again. Or fit, conditioned. And they do too much too soon and then whether that first break from training was from a voluntary or involuntary event, they’ve now landed themselves with an injury or a training setback again.

That’s where defining the season and expectations for that season are very very important for yourself if that’s who were talking about, or for a client if you are the one leading that client through a given season, coming back from a break.

Also, I want to be clear that this “break" that I’m talking about does not have to be from training completely. It can be that you’ve taken a season to focus on something very specific it in that time other things have not been maintained. And maybe now you’re going back to those things and we have weakness, or less ability than we used to. It can also be a single limb that was injured, or just a movement pattern that you have taken a break from.