‘NORMAL’
In the good old days before COVID affected everything, I worked mainly in a large gym and had access every day to lots of weights. I would train using barbells, dumbbells, kettlebells etc and I was rehabbing a hip issue that I had put down to age and poor ankle mobility on one side. My hip was stiff and ached most of the time.
ONLINE CLASSES
COVID hit and the gym closed. At the same time my little bootcamp on Twickenham Green that I used to do before I went into ‘work’ also had to stop. So I immediately took it online so that we still had some normality, exercise and community. This meant that instead of directing everyone else and not exercising myself, I actually led the way and did the exercise along with the bootcampers.
CARDIO?! 😱
Trying to talk through the exercises while doing them myself was a bit of a shock to the system but I found my cardio fitness improved even though my strength was reducing. What I lost in strength training though, I gained in volume of exercise. At one point I was doing 3 classes a day and even now, 3 days a week I do 2 classes. It’s mostly bodyweight, no heavy dumbbells.
So here I am a year and a bit later and I’ve realised that my hip is fine! Daily bodyweight squats/lunges/jumping jacks etc and then stretching at the end of each class has sorted it out. Bonus! I was of course training and stretching before but not necessarily daily.
Now this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t lift heavy weights, far from it. It develops muscle strength and improves bone density and is great for men and women alike. In fact I would argue it’s MORE important for women. I would still recommend weight training but make sure there is a daily ‘activity’ in between hard sessions.
THE MORAL OF THE STORY?
Little and often is way better than a mega session less frequently.
It takes a LONG time to resolve an injury, don’t expect it to happen in a few weeks.
Stick to the basics and do them well and your body will, in the main, sort itself out.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY!