Don't make these lockdown training mistakes...

In the UK we're well into our third lockdown period, so we're starting to learn about what works and what doesn't. Also, as a coach, I'm getting to see what everyone is getting up to and how a lot of people are attacking the challenge of training throughout this time. Long story short, I'm seeing a lot of the same mistakes being repeated by person after person every time we go into these lockdowns. I just want to make sure that you guys don't make the same mistakes and come out of this in a better place than most. So lets get into it... what are the three biggest lockdown training mistakes... MISTAKE ONE: Trading High Intensity for High Volume The biggest issue people are having with their training is a lack of available weight compared to what they're usually used to. You may usually train with a heavy barbell, doing heavy compounds, and back it up with accessory work using a complete set of dumbbells, kettlebells and whatever other kit you want. And now you've only got a couple of dumbbells and maybe a kettlebell, so you can't hit anything like the weight you're used to. So what you do is switch from 3 sets of 5 to 5 sets of 20. Bad move. Even with a lower weight, higher rep sets are more fatiguing than lower rep sets all else being equal (i.e. relative intensity), and they put a whole different demand on your tissues and structures that you're not necessarily prepared for from your regular training. ESPECIALLY if you hit your sets of 20 at pace, and bounce through the final 15 when you lose patience after the first 5. This is were you can get some really nasty niggles, aches and pains in tendons and connective tissues which have the potential to stay with you LONG beyond the lockdown is over. So what do I suggest....? Two options.... One, SLOWLY build up your volume, and give your tissues a chance to adapt to the new demands. Add sets first, and reps second, and then stop at the minimum effective dose. OR Find your intensity in other ways such as tempos, pauses, iso reps or a combination of these. This way, you can still get a training stimulus, but without all the shitty reps. MISTAKE TWO: Training for too long. When you haven't got the same weight available, your session is going to be way different. You don't need the same number of warm-up sets and the same amount of rest between sets because the intensity is lower. But you're stuck in the mindset that if it isn't an hour its not enough, so you try and fill that hour and make it feel as hard as a usual gym session... Enter a billion reps again. Bad move. Your session should take as long as it takes, taking into account what you're doing. There is no minimum session duration. So twenty minutes, half an hour can absolutely be enough because your session will likely be way more dense than normal. So don't force yourself to fill an hour if its not there... otherwise once again you may just be banging out a ton a reps that you really don't need to, and which may have a very negative effect. MISTAKE THREE: Not preparing for your return to the gym. So you maybe can't lift heavy with intensity and do your usual workouts, but at some point you will be able to... and if you can be in a better place to do so in some areas of fitness, then this whole experience may feel a bit more rewarding than just coming back to the gym rusty. If you can move better you'll lift better on your return.

(Think tempo goblet squats for squat depth, paused dumbbell RDLs for hamstring range, core work for better bracing and irradiation etc). If your aerobic fitness is better you'll need less rest between hard efforts and have denser sessions and recover better between sessions. (Think regular low intensity runs, walks or cycles). Things you can 100% do in this time and will pay back HUGELY when you do get back under the bar. So to summarise, all of this comes down to effectively using your time for your future self, and not just trying to scratch the short term itch of feeling like you need to work really hard. You don't. You just need to come back to the gym when it reopens in good shape, moving well, feeling healthy, and maintaining what you can. So train accordingly.