Why Doesn't Your Exercise Program Work?
Have you ever started a workout that should be pretty easy, but you're finding it unbelievably difficult? Maybe you just don't have the energy you usually have.
What can you do? You might keep pushing through and finish the session no matter how bad you feel. Then the next few days, you pay the price. You're exhausted, sore, and generally miserable. Why is this happening?
You're not a machine. Your body is constantly adapting to various stressors, including work, relationships, exercise, and many more. You don't have an infinite supply of energy and adaptive reserves.
If you’re tired, dial it back. If you feel great, go harder than you usually would. Your exercise program should change based on how your body is adapting at the moment.
Here’s a sample of a practical application:
- Have a plan
- Adjust the plan based on subjective (how you feel) or objective measures of stress (Heart Rate Variability (HRV), Resting Heart Rate, etc.)
- Your plan should include frequent days off to give your body time to adapt to stress. This will enable you to keep pushing forward.
Something you can use to see how your body is adapting to training and life stress and help you make the proper exercise adjustments is the Health Kit on the iOS platform. Health Kit metrics and subjective metrics are a great way to keep your mind and body in shape.
Health Kit Metrics to take a look at:
- Heart Rate Variability – Simple and non-invasive measure of how the body is adapting to stress. In general, if your HRV is trending downward, you need to pull back on the exercise.
- Sleep Duration – if you consistently get seven to nine hours of sleep, you are setting yourself up for optimal adaptation.
- Resting Heart Rate – If you see your resting heart rate drifting upwards over time, you may be pushing your body too hard.
Subjective Metrics:
- How you “feel” is an excellent marker for how you are adapting.
- Every morning examine your mood, energy, stress, soreness, etc.
- If you feel great, then keep pushing – if not, then back off.
By using subjective and objective measures, you can more accurately manage your training volume, prevent burnout and adapt in the moment. Using these tools should help your exercise program work for you, with positive results for both mind and body.
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Who is Dr. Erik Korem
Dr. Erik Korem is on a mission to help people learn how to use stress to perform at their best – professionally, personally, and in any domain. It’s about being adaptable. He has spent the past 15 years working as a Sports Scientist and High-Performance Director in the NFL and major college and Olympic athletes. Today, he is an expert and thought leader in high performance who teaches others to be at their best without burning out or stressing out.