HEALTH FIRST - how to balance your training volume & intensity smartly for optimized results and HAPPINESS!

Or a busted knee? Or just feeling generally fatigued and sore all over, every single day..?

Didn’t think so, we didn’t get into fitness training aiming at any of those “goals” either!



Now before we start the process of debunking a lot of “Go Hard AF all the time!”-myths, let’s also be clear here:

• We are NOT against pushing our limits in the gym.

• We’re not saying that you should NEVER max out on a lift.
• And, we’re definitely not claiming that you’ll get the most out of your training if you never step into the UNCOMFORTABLE ZONE.. 

What we are saying though is that there’s smart ways, (and not so smart ways), to push hard enough to ensure that you absolutely see progress in your training - but at a level where your body and mind is also HAPPY & HEALTHY.

But shouldn't we aim to "kill ourselves in the gym to maximise our fitness"?

The unfortunate truth is that the narrative out there, (in social media as one example), is often that"we must push to the max every single day!", "injuries are part of the game...", and "being sore all the time simply means your training hard enough to get results" - We disagree.

Because even though we totally get that niggles can appear from any kind of Gym training, or sport, (or life...) we don't believe that frequent niggles, or even worse: real injuries, should be necessary for most, and we definitely don't believe that you should walk around with "that sore shoulder" for the rest of your life..

And whilst we can't claim that we never struggle walking up and down stairs after a wall ball heavy WOD once in a while, and whilst a bit of DOMS (Delayed Onset of Muscle Soreness) is not always a bad thing - walking around being constantly sore, and/or fatigued might mean that we are pushing the envelope a bit too much by putting in a max effort every day.

Recovery Matters - and can be heavily correlated to how hard you CAN push.

Or, being "banged up" could mean that you aren't balancing your training with your recovery needs and you might be training too much/too hard compared to the love you give your body in between the sessions, are you?

• Eating enough to fuel your sessions and recover between them?
• Sleeping enough (minimum of 7, preferably 8, hours a night) to ensure quality recovery?
• Taking care of your body before/after your sessions? Stretching, soft tissue release (foam rolling etc) are great ways to increase your body's recovery and thus ability to handle volume and intensity.

If you aren't doing those things, but still training as hard as you can every single day, or even worse: twice a day - you're likely to get a very diminished return on the time you spend in the Gym.

Why not try a healthier approach, do this for a MONTH:

• Don’t train through the pain, MAKE SMART MOVEMENT CHOICES!
  We're not talking about tired muscles during a WOD, we mean that when a shoulder/knee/hip/lower back is aching during/after a specific movement/load - change those movements/loads for something that doesn't hurt (or you know will hurt tomorrow). 
  
• Sort out your IMBALANCES. 
  Injuries are more often than not related to imbalances and/or incorrect movement patterns due to those. By making sure that you address "a weaker shoulder" with more Dumbbell-movements than Barbell for a while can be one of the best things you do for yourself.
  Pro Tip: Check out the HEALTH-level of any PEAK-WOD and you'll find plenty of unilateral movements that can help with this, if you DO them...
  
  
• Avoid pushing as hard as you can EVERY SINGLE DAY, even when you feel absolutely banged up
  It's totally ok to use some training days as "Active Recovery", meaning that we're not pushing beyond an RPE 5-6 in effort. This can also be a great way to work on your Skills & Technique.
  
  
• Prioritise CONSISTENCY over INTENSITY, yes we do want to PUSH hard from time to time, but not ever day…
  In line with the above, but also especially true when you're aiming to for instance go from 3x WOD's a week to 4-5, go EASY in the "added" sessions for a month or so and only once you have consistency on your side should you look at upping the intensity.
  
  
• Prioritise SLEEP, setting a sleep alarm to go to bed one hour earlier instead of watching Netflix can change your entire recovery.
  PS.  If your one of those and doing a double session means sleeping less than 7h a day (ideally 8), stop doing them. You're only building more fatigue, not more fitness.. 

BUT, WHAT IF I'M A COMPETING ATHLETE..?

To be honest, most of the above should still apply to you.
That said, if you want to compete at a HIGH level in CrossFit/HYROX (or any sport for that matter), you do need to push your volume in training to a level where the risks increases.
Just like in any sport,  high level "functional fitness athletes" do run a risk of hurting themselves as their chases capacity in their sport beyond levels that any of most of us mere mortals ever need.. 

But then again, before we think that WE must thus also train that much/hard to become "as fit as possible", let's just define what "being fit" for your every day life means - when was the last time you needed to do:

• A +100kg Snatch in your living room..?
• 50 unbroken Butterfly Pull Ups in the garden..?
• Walk on your hands at the office (except as a cool party trick which we totally support)..?
• Run a sub 15min 5km to catch the bus..?

Now, we're not saying that you shouldn't aim to get stronger, fitter, learn some cool skills, and over time increase your Functional Fitness Capacity - but we think we should aim at doing so at a smart rate, and MAINLY for the reason to let the increased capacity allow us to live Happy, Healthy & Fit lives outside of the Gym!

That doesn't mean that you can't train "hard" in your 1 hour a day-structure as a PEAK Member and still do fun local competitions, HYROX Races, the CrossFit Open, a big or small Running Race, etc - other way around we totally encourage you to DO those things.
But, if your goal is not necessarily to WIN the CrossFit Games, stand on the TOP of the podium at the HYROX World Champs, or run a 2h marathon - training like athletes that do aim for those objectives might actually be counter productive towards your own health & happiness.

Why not train in a smart way so we can do all those fun events with a HEALTHY body that can perform well, while allowing you to bounce out of bed feeling like superman every morning instead of taking 15min before you can straighten your back..?

--- 

We hope the above doesn't get misunderstood: we're all for pushing ourselves hard several times per week, maybe just not in a way where it effects our lives negatively.
You'll often hear us encourage you to smash those burpee box jump overs at max speed, do that heavy deadlift to see how strong you can get, run as fast as you can when the time is right.

But on the flip side, if you're body is broken from "going HAM" 3-4 days in a row maybe grab a lower box for your box jumps and focus on just moving & breathing, maybe avoiding that load on the bar that you know you will be feeling in your lower back for the next week, and maybe complete a running WOD at an Active Recovery pace in between other hard days of training once in a while to see how much better you feel the next day.

Here's to making the rest of 2025 not only our Fittest, but also Happiest & Healthiest year yet by training in a way that allows our bodies & minds to be exactly that: HAPPY and HEALTHY! 💪

--- 

First stop towards an increased happiness & health? Give us a shout to book a FREE "No Sweat"-Consultation and we'll tell you more about our PEAK approach: info@peakgyms.co.za 

Already a member? Head Over to PEAK APP and book your sessions for the week ahead 📲

Let's PEAK!