Starting your New Years Fitness Resolution the right way!

January is the time of year when motivation is high, goals are set, and gyms are busier than ever. Whether your New Year’s resolution is to get fitter, lose weight, run your first 5k or simply move more, one thing is certain, enthusiasm is rarely the problem.

Regardless of what you’re training for or what level you’re starting at, there are some very common training mistakes aside from technique that can lead to injuries.

In this blog, I’ll break down the 5 main areas that catch people out at the start of a new fitness journey and hopefully by the end you’ll be able to use what you've learnt to keep injuries risk to a minimum!

"Gyms are busy in January...Chiropractors are busy in February!"

Load / Intensity

Load/Intensity is about how hard your body is working relative to what it’s capable of, usually in relation to things like:

• Weight lifted

• Speed

• Effort level

• Recovery between sets

  
  

If you’re just starting out, aim for load/intensity's that feels about 4/10 difficulty. That means you feel challenged, but you could still do more. this helps you finish the session feeling positive, not broken!

Studies show that injury risk is lowest when load/intensity progression is capped at a maximum of 8% per week. Progressing quicker than this overloads tissues before they adapt, dramatically increasing injury risk.

+8% per week is a maximum...not a target.

Beginners can often improve quickly at first, but that doesn’t mean you should rush the process. If you’re more experienced, you’ll already have an idea of your limits, whether that’s a 1-rep max or a personal best time, but I would still recommend starting at the same 4/10 level, increasing a maximum of 8% per week.

Volume

Volume relates to how much you’re actually doing each week, ie,

• Total number of reps

• Total miles

• Total minutes

• Total classes per week

  
  

A very common January mistake is doubling (or tripling) your usual activity because motivation is high. Research shows the lowest injury risk happens when your weekly volume stays between 80–130% of your “normal” level.

But what does “normal” mean?

Example 1 (Strength training): If it takes 6 sets of 8 reps per week to maintain your muscle size/strength in a particular body part like legs (3 sets of squats 3 sets of lunges) 80 reps in total. So your maximum volume for next week on that body part should be no more than 96 reps, thats like adding 1-2 reps on the end of every set.

Example 2 (Running):If you’ve worked up to running 10km per week (2km - 5 x per week) your maximum volume next week would be 13k, thats like adding up to 0.5k on to each run in the example above.

Lack of Rest & Recovery

In my opinion lack of rest & recovery is the main cause of exercise related injury

The human psyche somehow makes us believe that missing a single session will cause us to immediately gain three stone, forget how to lift anything heavier than a kettle, and move with the fitness of a sloth after a Christmas dinner...I can assure you, this isn’t true!

In fact, without proper rest or planned de-load weeks, you’ll almost certainly end up training below what your body is actually capable of. Progress can stall, fatigue builds up, niggles creep in and eventually your body will force you to rest anyway… usually through injury or illness!

I hear it all the time from patients:

"I actually started making better progress when I rested more.”

Why? Because when they do go back to training, they’re fresher, more motivated, focused and training with purpose not just grinding through sessions week after week. which brings us on to how to stucture your sessions using periodisation.

Periodisation

Periodisation just means putting your training in to blocks in to a certain amount of weeks like 6 or 8 rather than training flat-out forever in a linear style fashion.

Within each block we want to include,

• A Gradually increase volume and intensity as above

• Include a planned de-load/rest week

• Start a new block feeling fresher and more motivated...not burnt out!

  
  

Example: 6-week training block

• Wk 1: “Normal” training volume / intensity

• Wk 2: Increase volume by 0–30% and intensity by up to 8% form wk 1

• Wk 3: Increase volume by 0–30% and intensity by up to 8% form wk 2

• Wk 4: Increase volume by 0–30% and intensity by up to 8% form wk 3

• Wk 5: Increase volume by 0–30% and intensity by up to 8% form wk 4

• Wk 6: De-load (30-80% volume/intensity) or full rest inc stretching/mobility

  
  

You then start Week 1 of the next block with week 5 of the previous block and repeat! This approach keeps you progressing without constantly pushing your body into the red.

And Finally… Age

Yes it matters, Yes its a touchy subject...but it’s important

As we get older, Recovery takes longer, Tissues adapt slower andInjury risk increases. That doesn’t mean you can’t train hard it just means training needs to be smarter.

For example:

• In your 20s, you might manage 8-week blocks with one de-load week

• In your 60s, a 6-week block with a rest week may be more effective

  
  

Adapting your training to your age isn’t a weakness it’s how you stay consistent.

"It's not the power of the water that shapes the rock but it's consistency"

Final Thoughts

If you’re starting a New Year’s fitness resolution, remember:

• More isn’t always better

• Rest is part of training

• Progression should be gradual

• Consistency beats intensity

  
  

I hope this all makes sense, I could easily write thousands of words on each section, but I’ve tried to keep this practical and relevant especially for anyone starting (or restarting) their fitness journey this year.

If you have any questions, or you’re unsure how to apply this to your own training, please don’t hesitate to ask.

ADT Chiropractic

Cardiff