It’s been Hard to Find Time
I’ll be honest, since I last sat down to write a training blog things have been tough for me. On March 29th, 2021 my father unexpectedly passed away in his sleep, he was 60 years young. He was a kind, witty, hardworking man who always did what he could with what he had. He was a 17 year old kid when he had me, I can’t imagine how tough that must have been. The only thing I never got to do growing up was play hockey because it was too expensive. Instead, he decided to put me in a sport that neither of us knew anything about: lacrosse. That turned out great for the both of us. He was my biggest fan and never missed a single game during my 28 years career. I still can’t believe he’s gone. For those of you that have reached out, your kind words meant a lot to me, thank you.
After going through his belongings I came to find out that I was named the Executor for his estate which is a huge responsibility and time consuming task. On top of that, I am continuing my career as a JK teacher, while also becoming the single greatest diaper changer on the planet. I haven’t even mentioned the awesome things we are working on at Pursuit, the likes of which will be revealed in the coming weeks.
So, needless to say, I haven’t left much time and energy for training. Stealing 25-40 minutes, 2-3 times per week is the maximum I am able to get in right now. Not the priority, but still important just a bit further down the list these days.
Which got me thinking in terms of exercise, what’s the most effective minimum dose? Realistically, how little can I work out to make sure I’m not regressing through this difficult time. I do know the following to be true:
Aerobic capacity can last 21-30 days before it starts to decline
Strength and Power will begin to drop off after about 7 days
Top end speed can drop off in as little as 2-4 days
So, if these are true, whether you are an athlete who needs to perform or someone who spends time in the gym or exercising for one reason or another, how often do I need to workout in order to prevent regression?
The answer to that question is summed up in the following research article:
For those not interested in taking a deep dive into the research I can summarize it quickly for you, it’s not as often as you think. According to the research, in order to prevent regressing it could take as little as a single 30 minute session per week. And the most important factor in this being an effective strategy, session intensity. Above volume, duration and frequency, intensity is the number one variable that will help maintain performance above all else. So sprinting hard to maintain speed, lifting heavy, throwing medicine balls fast are the keys when life gets you out of your routine.
This is important to understand as there are people who feel that they have wasted all their hard work and think that it’s going to be too difficult to start again. When these times arise, bare down find 30 minutes a week to remind yourself pf all the great things you can do and know that when you get the time again, it’ll be easy to pick up where you left off.
