Issue #69

1) 5 specific cues that it’s time to slow down.
2) You skipped a workout. Now what?
3) Strength “vs” Flexibility.
4) Exercise of the week: Get rid of shin splints.

Read time: 4 minutes

It’s not too late to get stronger. It’s not too late to reach your peak.

Do you feel rusty? You recover slower after workouts, you don’t feel the same energy you used to. One night out, a couple of drinks, and you need two full days to get back to normal.

You think you’re just getting old. I don’t think so.

I think you’ve spent the last 10 or 15 years sleeping less, moving less, and stressing more than when you were a student without work or family responsibilities.

You’re not old, you’re deconditioned.

And whenever you try to get back in shape, you do what used to work and expect your body to respond like it did back in the day.

But what you need is to start from the basics and rebuild yourself brick by brick, until you’re ready for the next level. This class is designed to take you to that next level.

With a mindful and progressive method to not only get back in shape, but to become stronger each year too – more than you’ve ever been.

So let’s start with this week’s lesson!💪

Ask Me Anything

If you need help or have a question about your training, please do not hesitate to use this message box.
I will reply personally, and will create more adapted content thanks to you.
The better I understand your challenges, the better this class gets! 🤜🤛

1. 5 specific cues that it’s time to slow down.

Sometimes it’s better to postpone or skip a workout, and you need to “listen to your body”. But listening to your body is a skill that comes with experience.

So today I’m giving you a list of the main signals I look for:

1) Joints and tendons inflammation is not the kind of pain that brings gains. If my connective tissue is “sore”, I take some rest.

2) When you train a muscle group, you also use opposite muscles (antagonists) to complete the movements. If these muscles are still overly sore on the day I’m supposed to train them, I’ll train something else.

3) In the gym, you need to perform. And you should be able to lift a minimum if you want to progress. If I get less than 5 hours of sleep, I know I won’t perform well enough so I postpone my workout.

4) If I start my session and I still feel stiff after my warm-up, it’s a sign that I haven’t recovered and I’ll turn that workout into a mobility session.

5) Similarly, if I am not lifting even close to what I normally can, I’ll work on my mobility instead, or do a full cardio session.

When you train for strength, there’s no need to rush things. You have a whole week to do 3 or 4 workouts, and training through soreness is usually a waste.

Learn to rest when you should, and do it without guilt.

2. You skipped a workout. Now what?

What do you do when you miss one workout, should you simply ignore it or adjust the next one?

Almost every time, the best thing to do is to adjust the next one.

This way, you are able to at least maintain your level and avoid imbalances.

For example, if you missed a pull workout and your next session is supposed to be a push workout, turn your next session into an upper body workout instead.

By doing half pull and half push, you will be able to maintain your level or even make slight progress. This is often a better option than sticking to the push workout and risking to create a strength imbalance between different muscle groups.

Of course, one workout is not going to have this kind of impact. But if the same thing happens 10 times, it will.

Always adjust a training week to make it reflect your whole program.

Micro tweaks add up and eventually influence your results on the macro level.

3. Strength “vs” Flexibility.

There’s a common misconception that strength and flexibility are mutually exclusive.

On the contrary, they complement and even enhance each other.

Strength training increases your range of motion, while the ability to stretch a muscle further allows you to produce more force and sustain heavier loads.

This is why dynamic stretches before your workout and static stretches afterward should be mandatory if your goal is to get stronger.

People often skip that part because they don’t see a correlation, especially those who aren’t subject to muscle soreness.

But they’re missing out on a simple opportunity to move closer to their goal during each session and on their recovery day.

It’s a quick and easy habit which adds up over time and can translate into more weight on the bar or more pull-ups in one set over the months.

The goal of stretching is not to turn you into a ballerina, but into a stronger athlete indeed.

4. Exercise of the week: Get rid of shin splints.

Runners: get rid of shin splints with this simple exercise.

Shin splints are what we call the overuse injury of your front shin muscles.

It is extremely common in runners and is caused by the repetitive foot movement and pounding on the ground.

This usually happens when the muscles lack strength and the recovery time between runs is too short.

The best way to prevent it is to build strength in these muscles. However, it can be very tricky because there is no machine for it.

But today I’m showing you how you can do it with a kettlebell.

Place the kettlebell on your toes and grab the handle with just enough strength so that it doesn’t fall. Extend your leg a bit and raise your toes to lift the KB.

I have tried many variations like loop bands or cable machines, so let me save you the hassle of trial and error. This is the most convenient way.

If you have shin splints, make sure you give yourself some rest to recover first. Once you're ready, do this exercise and gradually increase the weight as you get stronger.

I hope you found some useful tips and motivation in today's edition.

Please share your feedback and help me improve my content for everyone!

A great way to do this is by replying to this email with a personal question you have about fitness.

Thanks for reading and see you next week!

- Nico

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