Working In or Working Out?

Density Training, German Volume Training, AMRAP, AFAP and Rhabdo

In the fitness industry there are no shortages in acronyms and catch phrases.  Go hard or go home can be heard often in the gym and don’t get me wrong!  I am an advocate for training hard with intensity and training smart.  There is more and more knowledge available to fitness enthusiasts but one thing I see time and time again is the willingness to go hard coupled with an unwillingness to go easy… and sometimes that is just what we need.

I am not talking about going on vacation or taking a nap, though these are great ways to rejuvenate your body and soul.  I am talking about taking time to schedule specific exercises to work in.  This “work in” idea was first introduced to me by Paul Chek and for some is more important than working out.

You see, when we work out we break down our body and it is while we rest that we actually get stronger.  Working in helps you to be more anabolic, it helps you recover from exercise.

I would like to explain a few exercise to try:

1. Breathing Squats

   Exhale as you go down into your squat and inhale as you rise going at a breathing pace. Stop if you feel your heart rate increasing or you can’t easily hold a conversation.  Great for digestion and refreshing the legs.

2.  Qi Gong Resting Pose

   Stand with legs shoulder width apart and hands resting on your stomach below your navel. With eyes closed, inhale deep into your belly and imagine you are holding a ball of white light. Exhale pulling your belly. With each inhale imagine the ball you are holding grows with light and energy and recharges your body.  Repeat 2-5 minutes.

3. Walk barefoot on stone, beach or grass

   This is called grounding and will help you avoid dirty electricity.

4. Breathe deeply

   Set a time for 5 minutes and just breathe… deep! Fill your and evacuate your lungs fully.

Try to incorporate one of these exercises once a week and you will recover more quickly from your workouts and feel a sense of calm.

In fact, why not make a new years resolution not to working out more, but to working in more.

Try it and let me know how it works for you!