5 Reasons To Skip A Training

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As a rule, all trainers talk about the importance of training, how to combine different exercises and loads, in what sequence they need to be alternated in order for the athlete to achieve the best result. But today I’d like us to discuss when to skip the training and why it is sometimes necessary to do it in order to achieve the best result.

I am for a reasonable approach to the training process and I believe that a high result is only possible if the basic health rules are followed, therefore  we will discuss 5 reasons to skip a training today:

You are sick

There is an opinion among trainers that a runny nose is not a reason to miss a training. In this case, warming up the body and blood circulation can help to get rid of a cold. The main thing is – it is reasonable to reduce the load intensity in order to not exhaust the body. But if the body temperature is over 37.5 °C (99.5 °F) – the training should be canceled. It is important to “listen” to your body: any pain in the body, chest ache, severe cough, shortness of breath – these are the symptoms that prevent you from training.

You did not get enough sleep

Sleep is the main body recovery resource after training and the most important period of time in terms of adaptation, because all the major restructuring and structuring in our body takes place when we sleep.

For an actively exercising athlete, 7-8 hours of night sleep are necessary. The most effective way to achieve a full recovery is to go to sleep until midnight, so going to bed at 10 pm is the ideal option. If you sleep 4-5 hours, then this is quite enough to train. It is important that such a lack of sleep is not permanent, otherwise the body will not have time to recover. Well, if you slept for 2-3 hours, then the training will only be detrimental – you’d rather take some rest in such a case.

You’ve got an injury

It is important to pay attention to injuries that are in a “sleep mode”. Sports trainings often provoke the microtraumas occurrence, which can become chronic if their treatment is not taken. If you experience constant pain when performing a particular exercise or under a certain load, this is a reason to get worried.

Find out the reason – go to the doctor. Understanding the situation will make it possible to make the right decision: skip the training or change its program. Having some unplanned rest for a couple of days has never harmed anyone, but overtraining has already caused many athletes aggravated injuries and ruined trainings, sometimes even their entire sports careers.

You’ve got a hangover

I am not fond of alcohol personally and if we are talking about a professional approach in preparation for responsible international competitions, there can be no thoughtless regime violation. But we are all adults and things can happen in life. After having a night out, you shouldn’t  train. The body is dehydrated already and during the training you will only lose more water. Dehydration adversely affects your performance, leading to fainting or nausea.

It takes a long time for alcohol to be eliminated from the body, the reaction is slowed down drastically, the vestibular apparatus work disrupts. So it is better to drink some water for a day or so and take a rest, avoiding this risk. Moreover, the history knows such cases when athletes came to train after partying hard and it died right away at the gym. But this is not our story at all, so let’s not talk about sad things.

You overtrained

The fact is that you do not need to train until exhaustion. For some reason, many athletes believe that if they train 5 times a week (which is TOO much for a person that goes to work and also has some household chores), then this should necessarily be 5 exhausting workouts, after which they need to be taken out of gym on stretcher. At the same time, athletes often forget about the importance of recovery and proper nutrition. Periodization is what distinguishes the right training program from suicide. A simple example: if you have 5 trainings a week, then 2 of them can be hard, two – average and one must necessarily be easy (technical or recovery one).

Overtraining is characterized by very severe pain in the muscles – this is the result of microfiber breaks. In addition, there is a physical collapse, dizziness, nausea, sleep disturbance. With such symptoms, 48 or even all 72 hours are needed to pull the body out of such a condition, but it’s better to not even get there.

The truth must be said, athletes most often miss trainings for two reasons: laziness and their own lack of organization. And I also remember well that we used to have a sign in the locker room saying:

    2 reasons to skip the workout:

1. You are sick.
2. You fell ill and died.

Definitely not the best joke, but that was how we lived!

Wish you all health and great loads!

TRAIN TOGETHER – TRAIN RIGHT!

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