Before 2020, the term ‘Lockdown’ was just something you’d hear in movies set in jails and prisons. Today, it’s part of our common language!
But despite all the COVID-19 chaos, one thing that has been a welcome surprise to many coaches out there is people’s willingness to find a way to stick to or even start their training program. No doubt, for those who we are lucky enough to work with, fitness is a priority that they’re not willing to budge on.
With a couple of lockdowns under our belt, we’ve built a bunch of experience in navigating these disruptive situations, but we’ve also seen people do a bunch of crazy stuff as well! In the interest of sharing some of this knowledge with you, we thought it would be a good idea to break down some of the most common mistakes people make, but also some of the silver linings as well.
So, take a read, learn from our mistakes, and build your FITNESS GRIT for things like lockdowns, or any other major life disruptions that could occur in your future.
LOCKDOWN TRAINING MISTAKE #1 – BECOMING AN OVERNIGHT RUNNING SENSATION
One trip down to your local park and you’ll see people running everywhere (which is awesome). What isn’t awesome though is people taking up running long distances when they were never runners before!
A much better approach would be to start it just like you would if things were ‘normal’. Instead, start with a walk, build up to a jog and increase km slowly! You can’t just run 5kms with zero training (and just because you can, doesn’t mean you should – what’s the risk vs reward).
LOCKDOWN TRAINING MISTAKE #2 – HAVING AN ALL OR NOTHING MENTALITY
Most people assume you must do TONS of training to sustain what you’ve achieved. People put too much pressure on themselves to do ALL of what they were doing in the gym or NOTHING at all, and in turn, just give up altogether Strength and fitness are harder to achieve than they are to lose. Those that don’t have tons of equipment or training resources available to them, might not be able to build as much strength and fitness as they’d like, but they have enough to maintain it. Ensuring they’re hitting a maintenance dose of training and doing it at the right intensity would put most people in a much better position both physically and mentally once gyms re-open.
LOCKDOWN TRAINING MISTAKE #3 – COMMITTING TO A BUNCH OF NEW TRAINING IDEAS, JUST BECAUSE ITS LOCKDOWN
Sometimes, we’ll see people trying to over-commit to something you weren’t doing when it wasn’t lockdown. Just like the running point above, you might be so pumped up to take advantage of the time you have at home doubling your workout schedule, downloading that new mobility app, taking up lounge room karate and learning a new language. But if it doesn’t work for you in your day-to-day normal life, how do you think it’s going to work out for you during lockdown with all the added stress?
LOCKDOWN TRAINING MISTAKE #4 – STRAYING TOO FAR AWAY FROM YOUR NORMAL SCHEDULE
Now obviously something schedule-wise is going to be different. Like if you usually commute to work and back each day for 2 hours, you now have that time back. But for those who stray too far away from their norm, you can make it harder to keep things on track as outside influences start to creep in.
Instead, try to keep your schedule as close as possible to what you were doing before (if it’s not an overcommitment). Think training on the days you used to train, going to bed and getting at a similar time and even planning your meals around your typical day.
LOCKDOWN TRAINING MISTAKE #5 – STOPPING ALL TOGETHER
A common mistake is when people stop exercising! But as anyone who’s ever stopped in the past knows, getting started once again can be a real bitch! Not impossible, just tougher than it would need to be.
Think of it like pedalling a bike. When you’re starting and taking that first pedal, you’ve got to put in the most work to get moving. Once you’re moving through, each push of the pedal gets a little easier, and you move a little faster. That momentum you’ve built makes it easier to get up and over hills, through bumpy terrain and speed up on the downhill. Stopping all together through a stressful time like a lockdown would be like stopping ½ way up a hill. Not only is it going to be tough to get started again, but you could even start rolling backward!
But even if you’ve stopped building some accountability and support into your training in the way of a training partner or coach can make that restarting process a whole lot easier!
The reality is, there are plenty of things in our lives more important than your training program. I know right, shocking thing to read on a fitness blog, but it’s true! But there are few things (if anything) more important than your health, and having some flexibility in your approach to training, nutrition and fitness will go a long way to helping you build some FITNESS GRIT to face any challenges that lie ahead!
Want to know more? Score yourself a FREE copy of our PPT Guide to Good Health Ebook HERE
