Cillein Groom: Activities to do outside of the gym without over training
If you're like me and struggle not to train on your rest days,it can be hard to know what to do without over training. Wanting to improve oneself is a noble task to commit to, however not being practical, or reasonable and not having patience can ruin you physically and mentally. One client I have, when starting off, was doing 8 gym sessions a week. Their reason for this was, they so desperately wanted to improve themselves and were so passionate about the gym, that they were blind to the fact they were burning the candle at both ends causing their progress to regress due to lack of recovery and overtraining.
However there are multiple activities one can do outside of the gym without risking their training block.
Mobility training - probably the most overlooked and underappreciated forms of training. Even if you aren't an athlete, Myofascial release (foam rolling) and stretching should be a part of everyone's routine! It helps improve range of motion (ROM) while also helping to reduce the chance of injury. Yoga is also a great way to help improve posture and mobility without it being too taxing on the body. More content on mobility training to come.
Sea Swimming - in strong man in particular, you are training your body to have a massive output of power in a short space of time. One thing I found to help my overall explosive endurance is swimming for 20 metres as fast and as hard as I can with one breath. You need to be smart when choosing to do something like this, I find the day in between my squat session and my press session works best for me without negatively affecting my training. Not to mention the huge benefits cold water has on the body!
Cycling- this can be done almost any day, it's a good way of getting the heart rate up without having too much muscle breakdown. You can also alternate between different distances and paces to change things up. For the heavier athletes it’s probably best to stick to a mountain bike, otherwise you will face having to change tyres regularly and risk broken axles with cycling road bikes.
Hiking /Walking - it may seem basic and obvious but is something that gets overlooked. There are many places to choose from in Ireland to go for a walk / hike with a variety of difficulties. Be smart and plan ahead in regards to the difficulty level of the route as well having nutrition and hydration covered.
Being fit and athletic is just as important as being strong in Strongman. It's much easier to gain strength when already being fit and athletic, but to improve your fitness when you are a heavy and static person, is slow and difficult.
If you enjoyed this article by team member Cillein keep an eye on our site for more content to come from him soon! If your interested in coaching from Cillein or anyone else from Team GSP check out our Coaching Options