Spurlock's Gym

Got a cold this week, so cardio is well and truly off the agenda. Not been this morning as my sleep was crap, but might go after work, we'll see how much further I decline into a stuffy mess.

Was going well before this as well, the diet is more or less nailed on now, hitting macros with minimal effort.

 

Really overdid it last week and I've been feeling well out of sorts as a result. Was basically Cycling, Swimming, Surfing twice a day (two of those activities) and working really hard. Starting days at 6am, going out for a surf, coming back doing some work until 8pm, then going out for a 2hr cycle. Was on this routine for around two weeks and then my body kind of collapsed. Really bad fatigue.

I'm taking a few rest days to recover and then easing myself back in again towards the end of this week. Anybody got any tips on endurance and rest periods ? I kind of thought just hammering it would build up resistance, but it's left me ****ed.

 

Squash tonight, just won the decider 18-16 in an exhausting encounter.

****ing boiling on court. Felt good though.

 

Your body talks to you. Tells you what's good and what's not. It can tolerate short periods of being overtaxed, but then it needs to rest.

I'm a great advocate of exercise and looking after your body. But as any trainer will tell you, the body needs rest too.

When I go away - I've just been in London for a few days to visit family - I do no exercise at all - that's a rest period for me. I'm then ready to hit the gym ( which I did yesterday) when I get back.

It's a matter of getting the right balance for yourself.

 

Depends what you're doing mate.

The vital parts of optimised recovery are what you eat after training and getting enough rest.

Endurance is low-intensity by default, so it gives the person the impression that you can go and go and go with no consequences. This is because it's using fat as a primary fuel source, and the body has that in abundance, even somebody who looks shredded can have 40,000 calories of stored fat no problem.

You'll see folk on here laughing at footballers for what's commonly referred to as 'burnout', and it's usually with younger footballers. It's a dangerous thing and can lead to loads of injuries further down the line, look at Michael Owen for a prime example. When you burnout, you can't just go and sit on the sofa for 3 days and chill and things will be fine again, it could be 6 months before your muscles have made a full recovery.

Humans are no different to animals, look at a sirloin steak. If you get a fresh one and hit it with a hammer, pull it apart and move it, it will respond as it is part of a healthy muscle. Cook that steak 'well done' (exactly the same as overtraining a muscle) and how does it respond then? It doesn't it just rips, or cracks if it's burnt to a crisp, or stays as one useless slab of hard meat, good for nothing.

If your body is fatigued and your mind is beginning to slow, it's telling you that you need to slow down, replenish it's fuel stores and focus on your mind. Without artificial intervention (steroids) you're good for nothing if you push your body past it's limits.

If I was you personally, I'd probably give it a lot longer than 3-4 days.

 

Decided to crank it up the day before yesterday and ran a set distance faster than I have done in about 10 years! Felt great that evening. Woke up with strains and pains all over. I suspect I was running on determination and adrenaline while my body was trying to tell me that it could no longer do this!

 

One of my neighbours and friends where I lived in a Surrey was a Doctor. He was the one that told me 99% of the time your body talks to you. It tells you something is wrong, or there's something you're doing it doesn't like.

If you're sensible ( sorry!) you listen. If you don't, then prepare for the consequences.

 

Once watched an amazing documentary about Steve Redgrave training. There was one scene where he was on the rowing machine. He finishes his set and literally collapses off it, utterly ****ing broken! Legend.

 

There's a lot of intense training by experts, which is also closely supervised by doctors and physios that goes into the kind of endurance training Redgrave and co did.

By the time he decided to retire his heart was something like 4 times the size of the average human heart. He couldn't stop rowing just like that, he had to come down slowly from the level he was at.

 

Appreciate that advice mate. I'm on day 6 today of no intense exercise. I'm going for a gentle swim with my daughter this morning, and I'm out walking the dog etc as normal. But it really hit me hard at the end of last week. Coupled with a really busy period for my business, I was working 10-12hr days and doing intense exercise 2 hours either side of that too.

How long would you recommend as a rest period (approx)

 

Active rest periods are fine, so low intensity stuff like splashing around in a pool and walking is fine, it's encouraged actually rather than just total chill.

As for how long, it's impossible to say. You may not have burnout, you may have just had low sugar/salt/another on that day and suffered badly as a result, so don't sit out for 3 months... I'd probably give it 5-6 days then try again, if you feel like you're crashing earlier than you usually do, you may have to look at it again.

I can complicate this by going into detail about the cortisol hormone, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems and stuff to explain why your work load and stress might be linked, but rather than do that, just focus on your work load, you might notice that when things get less hectic with work you'll perhaps see improvements out in the sea/on the bike.

Try yoga too, extremely gay but extremely good for you!

 

For girls apparently!! So I'm told.

All I will say is I am usually in bits after a proper hard squash match and today I am not.

 

It's great for all sorts innit, especially perving.

 

Mine keeps telling me that Burger King is better than the gym. Is it broken?

 

This week wasn't that great but last week I was 'stuck' behind a quite spectacular arse. It was literally my view, with various chuff shots aswell, for the whole hour.

It was superb, fair play.

 

Thanks mate. Appreciate the advice.

I've been juicing for the last few days now. Beetroot, carrot, apple and ginger. Feeling better for that. Just back from a gentle swim too, only did about 10 lengths, in between playing Moana games with my little daughter.

Definitely think it was a bit of a perfect storm of over exercise, over working and also worrying about my parents going on holiday (my Dad has dementia), so yes those Cortisol levels were probably well up.

I also do Yoga every day. My missus is a Yoga instructor so she's got me into it. I don't do loads, just a few sun salutations and then some specific back and hamstring stretches.

 

It would seem that there is some disconnect between your brain and your body.

This may be due to your being Welsh. Try cutting back on sheep for a couple of weeks and see if there's any improvement.

 

You're in good hands mate, you'll be fine.

Ginger

 

I love Ginger. It's taken me a while to get used to it in drinks, but I love using it in cooking. Apparently Ginger is a really good anti-inflammatory and can help to prevent arthritis as well as being a good immunity boost. Which all bodes well for recovery from muscle / tissue / fascia damage.

 

Oh for sure it's probably got all sorts of benefits.

I don't doubt that.

Not for me though, I hate the smell, it spoils my Sushi.