I love high intensity exercise.
I emphasized the word ‘love’ in with bold effect because I really love it.
If I don’t get my workout in, I become one very cranky person! Stay out of my way. For the past decade, I have been very diligent about my training, and even built my own, fully-equipped home gym. It is an integral part of who I am. Without exercise, my mind would not be right. Not just my body.
I continuously study, measure, test, vary, and tweak my training. I have tried many programming systems and make sure to include different modalities, not just barbell training. Odd objects, bodyweight training, sports, stretching, mobility, recovery … the list goes on.
Every once in a while, your body needs a break from all of that. In fact, all good programs that work incorporate a ‘de-loading’ phase or use something call ‘periodization’.
Taken seriously, you might even do a prolonged fast during a break from your physical training.
This is a great time to:
- Focus on reflection and inner strength;
- Let your body heal physically itself from all of your training this past year;
- Do regenerative styles of exercise daily (such as yoga) which will accelerate this process;
- Strengthen your stabilizing muscles so that when you do go back to HIIT training, you will actually be stronger, faster, & leaner.
During such a process, you might lose a little bit of muscle.
But you will put that right back on. Mostly, you’ll be burning off fact.
Sometimes you have to take two steps backwards in order to leap forwards.
I am absolutely in better shape after having gone through this process recently. I measured it carefully.
You will be too.
Matt Fried 