Redefining "Training"

Squats are never a waste of time!

"I'm just so frustrated to have to start all over!"

Marie had worked hard with me for 2 months in personal training, gaining strength, especially in her legs and core. But, a fall during vacation forced her to take a month break. She was reaching out to start back up, but also clearly feeling defeated.

Getting back into the gym after a period away, for whatever reason, is hard. There will be strength and muscle loss to deal with, and it is all too easy to beat ourselves up for "losing" it. If we were sick or injured, we get mad at our bodies for getting in the way of training. If we were having mental health or just "life" issues that forced us away, feelings of shame likely rise to the surface.

But, here is the thing....there is no such thing as "staring over." Marie may not have been practicing squats and dead lifts for the past month, but research suggests that her muscles still "remember." In fact, a recent study by Halonen, Gabriel, Kelahaara, Ahtiainen, and Hulmi (2024) found that gains were rapid after a period of "detraining." The muscles got smaller during detraining, but turned back on and started building at a faster rate than someone who is actually just starting for the first time. Scientists are still trying to figure out all the mechanisms that contribute to this "muscle memory," but the research is clear that the work put into training isn't totally lost.

We live in a very goal-orientated culture, and fitness training is often associated with an end-goal, like running a 5K or losing 10 lbs. But, in reality, the is no "end" of training. We need to redefine fitness training as an ongoing relationship with your body. Your body and your environment are dynamic, both are always changing, and so your fitness training also has to keep changing. Sometimes that means you don't workout for a month.

And now that she is feeling ready again, Marie scheduled her personal training sessions. She hasn't restarted training, she's continuing training.

Keep trusting your body. <3