How Deep Is Your Well?
I was having a conversation with a client the other day who was ready to transition out of physical therapy and start run coaching. He expressed that his runs no longer were fatiguing him into the next day and had much more “reserve” than his previous training. He wasn’t exhausted after each workout and had more energy to complete daily tasks later in the day.
While it’s true that most clients come to physical therapy to fix their injuries and get back to the activity they love, one of our overarching goals is truly to build capacity.
Injuries can be just one sign that we are constantly draining the well and there’s nothing left in reserve.
How do we replenish our well preparation and recovery)?
Sleep: 8-9 hours/night
Hydrate: Bring enough water with you on your activities and hydrate before, during, and after activity. There’s nothing worse than running out of water 2 hours into a 3 hour run.
Adequate calories: One of the most common injuries we see are bone stress injuries and one of the most common reasons for bone stress injuries is under-fueling. If we don’t eat enough intentionally or unintentionally, bones keep the score.
Adequate protein: Make sure you have the building blocks to restore and build muscle after heavy efforts.
How to dig a deeper well?
Consistency: Whether training for an ultramarathon, lifting heavier, or simply a long hike on vacation, consistent training sessions multiple times a week will show the most improvement. Skipping weeks or trying to cluster all of your training on the weekend makes it difficult to push the needle forward.
Strength Train: If there’s a hack, this is it. Lifting is one of the most efficient ways to build up our reserve energy. Heavy loads with low rep ranges gives us extra strength for pretty much any task, albeit, the lift should be specific to the motion. Want to climb a 14er? Throw in some heavy step-ups into your strength day. Want to easily mount your paddleboard on your roof rack? Overhead press!
Time on Feet: Running, walking, rucking, hiking, gardening all counts towards building a larger capacity to be up and moving throughout our day.
Sometimes we absolutely need to drain the well for key workouts or important events.
How do we know we reached our absolute limit? You feel absolutely wrecked for a few days. Sometimes we know when we’re injured.
With this, we have a choice, we can stay within our limits or dig a deeper well.
Helping athletes RESOLVE THEIR PAIN by CLEARLY DEFINING THE PROBLEM and IMPLEMENTING EFFECTIVE SOLUTIONS to get them back doing the activities they love!
If you are currently struggling with an injury or unable to perform in the activities you enjoy. Please follow the link to schedule a consultation call to discuss how we can help you.