Dialling things back and finding a balance

helliwen

I've come to the conclusion I need to dial my training back a bit. Extreme tiredness, slow recovery from injuries, messed up hormones are all telling me I'm putting myself under too much stress at the moment. Not only physically due to exercise, but at least that's something I can control.

Up to last month, in a week I would usually do weights (up to 90-100 minute sessions, mainly 3-5x5 sets/reps ) x3, aerobics (45mins) x2, maybe 1 run/jog(~5k/40 mins) and often a climbing session (2 hours total time) in a week. I've cut out one aerobics class, but replaced it with 15mins of skipping intervals after the weights. Because I "design" my own programme, I spend a lot of mental energy playing around with plans, adding stuff in, second guessing what I'm doing, tending towards the more-is-more strategy.

If my goal is to build strength and mass, and also reduce stress, would it be a good idea to cut back to just 3 strength sessions per week? Is conditioning work necessary, or can strength training be considered as conditioning in itself? Should I skip the skipping and make my strength sessions more focussed? I hope these aren't "how long is a piece of string questions"?!

gymfreak

helliwen wrote: »

I've come to the conclusion I need to dial my training back a bit. Extreme tiredness, slow recovery from injuries, messed up hormones are all telling me I'm putting myself under too much stress at the moment. Not only physically due to exercise, but at least that's something I can control.

Up to last month, in a week I would usually do weights (up to 90-100 minute sessions, mainly 3-5x5 sets/reps ) x3, aerobics (45mins) x2, maybe 1 run/jog(~5k/40 mins) and often a climbing session (2 hours total time) in a week. I've cut out one aerobics class, but replaced it with 15mins of skipping intervals after the weights. Because I "design" my own programme, I spend a lot of mental energy playing around with plans, adding stuff in, second guessing what I'm doing, tending towards the more-is-more strategy.

If my goal is to build strength and mass, and also reduce stress, would it be a good idea to cut back to just 3 strength sessions per week? Is conditioning work necessary, or can strength training be considered as conditioning in itself? Should I skip the skipping and make my strength sessions more focussed? I hope these aren't "how long is a piece of string questions"?!

The bits that I've highlighted above are what I really think you need to focus on.

1) You said your goal is to build strength and mass..but your schedule is counterproductive for that. If the primary goal is strength and mass then there is no need for conditioning or loads of aerobics. There is nothing wrong with doing conditioning once it doesnt affect your primary goal...which it seems to be doing, in your case.

2) You said you spend a lot of mental energy designing and tweaking your program. Perhaps you could get someone to design a programme for you so that you are not wasting this mental energy?? That old saying 'the man who represents himself, has a fool for a client' springs to mind'...obviously not calling you a fool by any account..but I know I personally would never program myself, I'd just spend too long obsessing over it. I rather have someone who can be objective.

helliwen

You're right. I have access to a trainer whom I find really good. He's of the opinion that women can and should lift heavy weights :-) (not that common here in Germany, even if it is catching on at home!). He's not my trainer though (once a week, he's in the small gym where I train - works in the same company, trains on the side) so I don't like taking up too much of his time. I probably could ask him though.