As we return to training with a renewed sense of enthusiasm, it's tempting to jump straight in and go full-blast right from the start. As tempting as this might be, it's not a sensible approach to returning to training and is more likely to lead to injury, a lack of motivation and in most cases, giving up after a bright initial start.
This article is aimed at those who are new to exercise or are coming back to training after a long break. As with all KYMIRA articles, the suggestions made here are evidence based and links to all of the evidence used are found at the bottom of the article.
Time to read: 5 minutes
Level: Intermediate
Key Points:
- Returning to Training
- Psychology & Goal Setting
- Creating a Training Programme
- Factoring in Recovery
- Utilising KYMIRA
Coming back to training after a break can be daunting. Doing it the right way, balancing injury prevention, motivation and recovery is key.
Returning to Training – Factors to Consider
Returning to exercise isn't as simple as just ‘starting again' – you have to consider your psychology, your physiology and your training history as all of these factors play into making sure you return to fitness appropriately. A successful return is one that is long-lasting, not one that is interrupted by injury or motivation running out!
Psychology and Goal Setting
One of the most overlooked aspects of a successful return to fitness is the reason ‘why' you are training. For the overwhelming majority of us, motivation is fleeting – your goal has to be bigger than your reasons to stop exercising, so find something that excites you. Good examples can be a race or an event, or perhaps a physical target such as a 5km time, a weight loss goal etc. The actual goal isn't important – what's important is that it sufficiently motivates you.
Research [1] shows that people are far more likely to engage with their exercise programme over the long term if it is coupled with an appropriate goal. Take the time to thinking about what you'd like to achieve and really focus on making it a reality.Appreciating Your Starting Point
The phrase ‘don't run before you can walk' is never truer than when returning to exercise. Finding out your starting point is an important first step, because we know from study [2] that when exercise intensity outstrips physical and technical ability, it leads to a dramatic increase in injury frequency. These injuries are entirely preventable with an appropriately-staged training programme.
There are lots of ways you can find your starting point – you can work your way up to maximum lifts with the help of a coach, or you can undertake all kinds of fitness tests using heart rate monitors, bleep tests or in the case of cyclists, a Watt Bike. Use this information as the basis of your training programme and progress from there.Appropriate Progression of Training Programme
If we're being brutally honest, there's no exact science when it comes to periodisation of exercise programmes – we all have different recovery times, training load capabilities and physiological nuances. What we can say for certain though is that when returning to exercise or embarking on a new training programme, a periodised approach is a tried and tested way to go [3] and is backed by significant amounts of research.
Periodised exercise programming takes an athlete through different phases of training, with each phase typically more intense than the last, interspersed with de-load weeks where athletes are able to recover. The nature of the programming depends on the sport, the goals and the athlete, but the fundamentals stay the same – you build the training load and intensity gradually, reducing the risk of injury.Factoring in Recovery
Whilst exercise is vitally important, recovery is also a key factor in a successful return to exercise. Making sure your body is sufficiently recovered between workouts helps to reduce injury risk and potential drops in performance and motivation.
We know that combining recovery strategies appears to be the most effective [4] approach of all. Suggestions could be combining the wearing of infrared products with active recovery protocols and during sleep. What we also know is that infrared clothing has been shown to benefit multiple aspects of performance and post exercise recovery, including the prevention and cure of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) [5]. This make the ability to do multiple weekly sessions easier, maintaining momentum.How KYMIRA Helps…
The unique thing about KYMIRA products is that they help athletes through all phases of training – before, during and after exercise.
The muscle-priming effects are incredibly powerful, because infrared helps to increase Nitric Oxide production [6]. This is a vasodilator, which means it helps to improve blood flow and circulation to tissues. This enhances flexibility and helps to reduce risk of injury. There is also credible research that shows infrared clothing helps to improve strength [7] and helps to reduce oxygen consumption at lower intensities of exercise, allowing you to train and perform for longer than you would without the help of the infrared technology. The KYMIRA technology will give you a huge step up in terms of aiding performance and recovery, both of which (as we've discussed) are key elements of returning to training after a break. They'll make exercise more productive, help you to recover faster and reduce your injury risk.
References
[2] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30758171/ [3] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4637911/ [4] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4935255/ [5] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/299654167_A_comparative_study_of_the_effects_of_infrared_radiation_and_warm-up_exercises_in_the_management_of_DOMS [6] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2468867319300379 [7] https://www.hilarispublisher.com/abstract/effect-of-shirts-with-42-celliantsupregsup-fiber-on-tcposub2sub-levels-and-grip-strength-in-healthy-subjects-a-placeboco-22057.html