The perception of “there is no gain without pain” has historically fuelled the fitness industry, with a misconception that the harder you train, the better the results. The reality of this is that results look different for every body, whether you are training for a marathon, returning to movement postpartum, wanting to improve muscle definition and tone or wanting to move more efficiently, free of aches and pains. What is clear, is that in order to progress and see results, there must be an element of challenge on your body. If we all did easy workouts, our results would eventually plateau. But challenge does not equate to stress.
It’s important to consider the difference between building strength and building muscle. When we over-train or “train to fail” with the objective of building muscle, we are placing our bodies in a state of stress, which can impact our nervous system and hormones. This is particularly important for women, as our hormones regulate differently to males. When our hormones are out of balance, we are more susceptible to holding weight, feeling fatigued, skin breakouts and poor digestion. Training to fail can also increase the risk of injuries, as your muscles fatigue you start to lose correct form, which makes your movements less effective. When we move to build strength (as opposed to muscle), we are teaching our muscles to fire together, through specific movement sequences and repetition to fatigue the muscles, without hurting them. We are not working to the point where another rep feels impossible, but a state where our muscles are active and challenged. This is where the quality of movement is more important than the quantity. By general rule of thumb, when you start to lose your form, your muscles have reached fatigue. Pushing yourself beyond this state will increase your risk of injuries or send you into a state of exhaustion. You want to walk away from your workouts feeling stronger and more energised, not depleted.
Introducing an element of challenge to your workouts is essential for progressing in your movement journey and seeing results. Your body should feel like everything is working together and “switched on.” When practised consistently, this is when we will start to build tone and definition in our muscles and see results. But this feeling of challenge does not equate to exhaustion. Training consistently at a level of exhaustion will lead to burn-out and fatigue, increase your risk of injuries and impact your hormonal balance. You should look forward to your workouts each day, and the post-workout feeling of strength, energy and confidence.
The Fluidform Your Body 5.0 Challenge will guide you through a 6-week program of workouts, incorporating Pilates, Strength and Cardio for a balanced and effective workout routine. You will feel challenged, with the addition of weights, new targeted sequences and cardio bursts, and walk away feeling energised and empowered.
