You had finally built your perfect routine. Whether it’s the time you get up, what you eat for lunch (at your work canteen or your tupperware), your breaks, the time you train and especially your program (Monday : Pectorals, Mardi: Of the, Wednesday: Legs etc…..).
All was under control, and you had finally acquired the discipline necessary to repeat all these actions in a precise order, several times a week. And of course, progress was visible. Physically and mentally.
You were on track to reach this famous destination : a better version of yourself. Nothing could stop you.
More…
Confinement : everything changed
However… The Covid-19 arrived and everything changed with confinement : teleworking for some, possibility very limited to play sports outdoors, sports halls closed… And these many upheavals could have a much greater impact than we might think.
Bodybuilding, like any sport, is not just a physical activity. For many of us, it's the best time of day.
That moment when we leave work, we get into our car putting on some good music and we say to ourselves “Let’s fucking GO !!”, heading to the gym, ready(e)s to tear everything apart !
This moment when we are in a hurry(e)s the find our friends to sweat together. Or in a hurry(e)s the find yourself alone(e) with yourself, his favorite soundtrack in his ears, and his pair of dumbbells in his hands.
Sport is fundamental to our Mental Health. Some articles as examples :
- https://conseilsport.decathlon.fr/conseils/quel-sport-contre-la-depression-tp_34959
- https://www.cerveauetpsycho.fr/sd/therapie/le-sport-contre-la-depression-9508.php
- https://depression.ooreka.fr/astuce/voir/310614/depression-et-sport
Therefore, this confinement, whether our sport is bodybuilding or not, is hard to manage. We no longer have access to our usual let-off. It's frustrating.
You don't have to give up though.. Some continue to train at home with the means at hand. But for others… It is more complicated.
Training at home is not easy
“This is not the same !”. Oui, I know.
When you are used to bench pressing with a certain weight, and we find ourselves having to do push ups, it's rubbish. The same when we find ourselves making air squats (sans charge), whereas we usually squat with a well-loaded barbell.
We have the impression of waste our time, because training is clearly not not stimulating enough.
So we decide to… do nothing. Finally, what's the point ? Might as well rest for a week or two. We will resume later.
This decision would not be problematic if we were on his 100% of the duration of confinement. More Nobody knows. And that is the problem.
Lose your good habits
“Hold, I'm bored. What is there to snack on? ? There is some vanilla ice cream left. And chocolate cookies.” Until there, everything is fine.
“I ate enough. I'm going to put it all away”. Until there, everything is fine.
“Hum… Whatever… Well anyway, I don't train, there's no point in being super careful about what I eat. Come on, I'm having fun, I take a little more !”. Oops…
You see what I mean, isn’t it 🙂 ?
You recognize yourself in the sentences above ? Certainly, they are a bit caricatured. But they illustrate a situation in which, I think, many of us will recognize ourselves.
Step by step, because we don't have access to our usual training, in our usual environment, we move away slowly but surely, of all the habits that we have solidly built. We make compromise with yourself. In other words, it is let it go.
There's nothing wrong with letting go every once in a while. However, given that we do not know how long the current situation will last, letting these bad habits take hold is dangerous. At one point, there will necessarily be a negative impact on your physique (weight gain, muscle loss etc.…) and therefore on your mind. You might then react in different ways.
- You will simply give up bodybuilding, because lose in a few weeks several months of effort, it's hard to take.
- Once the rooms reopen, you will get back to it 200%, because of a feeling of guilt. And you will get hurt. Result ? Having to stop for several more weeks. The vicious circle snaps in.
Despite the confinement, don't stop weight training !
Certainly, because of confinement, we cannot perform our traditional bodybuilding exercises. And train at home without equipment, will generally not be as effective. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do anything. !
On Youtube, Facebook, Where blogs like this 🙂 , you will find a plethora of videos that will show you programs or exercises to do at home.
Keep practicing, by giving you new challenges. Work on your mobility. Do bodyweight circuit training. Pay a lot of attention to your abs. Stretch more often. You definitely have a weakness that you can work on from home.
Point important: Continue to eat enough protein, to maintain your muscle mass as much as possible. It's not because you no longer train the same way, that you must neglect your diet.
Bulk, do not destroy your routine ! Adapt it and keep sticking to it ! A structured routine is indispensable to stay the course. The more you trash it, the more you will have difficult to return to training afterwards.
Confinement undoubtedly disrupts our classic bodybuilding program. More don't sabotage everything you have accomplished so far, because of these few weeks (or a few months 🙂 ?). It's not because your train is slowing down, that we must get off. Just make sure it's still on the same rails and you will arrive at the same destination.
And do not forget :
The least effective workout is the one you don't do !
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