What I learnt from time off from lifting...

Welcome back to a very belated first blog of the year! However, I will excuse myself as I was half way across the whole for the first 6 weeks of 2022... I inevitably knew time away from a proper routine and training would be different but you never really value the importance of 'normal' until you break away from it (as we all came to learn through the pandemic). Saying that though, when you are stuck in auto-pilot you equally you don't realise the significance of switching it up.

The physical benefits...

The obvious perks of not training as intensely as I had done for powerlifting, for the last few years, was the relief of not being physically stressed and my body actually having proper time to rest. The redundancy of aches and pains encouraged me to even take up more yoga/light stretching and actually do some much needed mobility work. It felt like I was physically resetting myself. Powerlifting training can be very taxing on even the best of athletes; therefore it's important to adequately recover, so that you don't hinder future performances, such as injuries or even adopt poor form and motor patterns. It's also worth mentioning that you really aren't going to lose all of your muscles and strength, even after a bit of time off. Even if you do, it really won't take as long as you think to get back up to speed (muscle memory and all that). So, save yourself the guilt and worry!

Re-evaluating goals and priorities...

The mental refresh of not being so wrapped up in a training programme and just going through the processes of 'ticking boxes' left me re-evaluating what I was actually doing, what I wanted to achieve and- most importantly- questioning "Am I enjoying myself?".

Just because some things were such a habit, I just kept doing things (before I left) for a while and not really thinking about it too much, even though I had been in a rut for a long time with my powerlifting training. I guess because consistency is better than nothing, right? (Not always btw). For example, by being too focused on numbers and weight, I was mentally and physically in a plateau and eventually it was hindering my progress, not enhancing it. One of the reasons I lift is to feel good about myself (and while every session can't be perfect) it was ultimately leaving me feeling worse, sometimes. I decided to then focus on hypertrophy training, for when I returned home, to focus on building and developing better movement patterns, as well as muscles- of course- through this lifting method. If you are putting yourself through things just for an end goal, it's properly not a very sustainable path. You really do have to enjoy the process.

The bigger picture...

The biggest thing I learnt from my experience is how important it is to get away from your usual environment/home town, routine or whatever it is. Break outside of your norm or take a step back so you can gain a fresh and different perspective. And in most circumstances, you will come to realise how all these little things that were stressing you don't really matter. Equally, you may see that the little things (i.e. small productive habits you can implement into your day) do really matter. Like I said, it's all about perspective.

Know that there is so much more to life than whatever anxieties or situations that are getting you down. And another big takeaway- just in general- is to learn to be more present and enjoy going with the flow, sometimes. Trust me, gym is life but don't miss life for it. Overall, you've got to know your mind and body to decide what's best for you (short and long term), mentally and physically, which may not look like what everyone else is doing.

disclaimer/side note: so I did actually manage to get some gym sessions in in the end, however, I had no programme or goals, just gymming for the fun of it, to keep things moving & for my own mental health. It wasn't a priority but just whenever I had time. It's all about balance:)