General | September 8, 2020
Rise Of The Isolation Warrior
By Dr. Peta Antonello B.Sc.(Clinical), M.H.Sc.(Osteo) – Member Osteopathy Australia
Forget weekend warrior here comes the age of the isolation warrior.
It’s no surprise with recent events that we are seeing more people out and about trying to distract themselves from their new reality or find an escape from the sometimes suffocating four walls of our houses. But before we start going from 0 to 100 with our exercise regime what should we know?
Let me break it down for you… Overload and Injury
It’s great seeing people get out and being active but a common mistake when taking up a new form of exercise is that we go bull at a gate without thinking about our current physical abilities or fitness level and this more often than not results in injury.
So what I propose is slowly and incrementally increasing the duration and then the intensity of training without the injuries that will sideline you from your newfound hobby. Something like the couch to 5 km is a great example of a progressive training program, incorporating periods of walking and running in order to slowly build the fitness base to complete a 5 km run (i.e. walk for 4 minutes/run for 2 minutes, up to half an hour 2-3 times per week), then increase by 10%. Once you can do the time (duration), then increase the intensity. Furthermore, incorporating a strength program is also great to get the appropriate muscles engaged for that given exercise.
Recovery is also important, not just for the hobby runner but elite athletes also. Why? Because you need to let your muscles adapt to this new load otherwise it will end in overload and injury. This may be achieved by having a rest day, doing your strength program on an alternate day to a run day, incorporating some stretching into your regime, getting a good night’s sleep, adding in a walk instead of a run, or eating protein-rich foods to encourage muscle recovery.
It’s also great when you mix it up a bit, how about trying some Pilates, Yoga, or resistance training to keep you on your toes!
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