Resume training after a period of inactivity

When training becomes a part of us

The more we train, the more deleterious it is to stop.

For a seriousĀ 6 Dragons Kung Fu practitioner (read How to start practicing 6DKF), the biggest difficulty is to overcome the 2 hours of daily practice (read How to train to master the 6 Dragons Kung Fu Style), it costs:

  • Effort (preparation)
  • Determination (discipline)
  • Constancy (concentration)

The good news is that once we have overcome this phase (read /// Subscribe (it's free!) or Login to see this content ///), training becomes an integral part of our daily life and as a rule, we can no longer live without it (read Tips on how to stretch our training times).

The problem arises when, after having reached thisĀ goal, we are forced to interrupt our normal routine due to something that we cannot control:

  • Accidents / diseases
  • Overworking phases

In this case (the one we want to discuss) to recover can be quite hard.

A note by Master Kongling – It is useless to say that for real martial arts practitioners do not exist workout pauses longer than 2-3 days. For fanatic Kung Fu addicted likeĀ us, things like voyages, normal work, family recurrences, holidays, laziness (etc.) never interfere with our martial path. My exercises come and adapt to what, where and how I have to do, they are not sacrificable. As Shaolin monks (but also Karate masters) say “Training is like boiling water, without constant heat, it eventually returns tepid”).

How to restart training

When we train a lot (eg. more than 3 hours per day), to resume after a break of even one week can be problematic and very tiring, here are some helpful tips:

  • We have to recover the time of training – The first thing to do is try to retrieve the training time and not the effort itself; if before we trained, for example, 5 hours a day (read 5 hours individual training session sample 1), our goal is to cover this time (albeit and especially with very mild exercises, stretching, etc.); the key point is that we cannot start with a full cardio set because we will probably be able to perform it but the next day we will be totally unable to train;Ā our body works like this, the first intense effort is bearable but then the next day, the collapse of the performance occurs (sore muscles, etc.)
  • We have to split the recovering of effort intensity – With regard to the training effort (read Intensity of training: depends on what?), it has to be restored gradually in proportion to the time and the type of forced rest that we have endured;Ā there is a big difference between being stuck in bed for a week and having to do some extra manual work (illness, vacation, etc.); it’s useless to destroy our body on the first day and then get stuck on the second, we must divide the path into consolidation days and days of increase of the practice (alternating them in relation to the responses of our body)
  • We have to pay attention to our stamina – Let’s try to be cautious with incisive efforts, intense breathing exercises (meditation is ok, read Meditation method 1) and those that (directly or indirectly) make extensive use of lung capacity; we must go step by step, learning how to read the signals of our body if we never fall in heavy breathing we can insist, otherwise we have to be more gradual
  • We have to avoid dangerous tasks – Even it should be obvious, we have to avoid exercises that (potentially) include a safety hazard, we do not have to forget that spatial intelligence (read The most important skill in combat) is the first thing that falls during periods of inactivity;Ā the risk is that we badly calibrateĀ in relation to our “new” and (more or less) poor physical condition, failing the execution of that task (that was so easy, a month ago); for example we could delude ourselves to be able to perform an “acrobatic” kick but without being able to do it
  • We should lose fat – If possible and reasonable to do so (eg. if we are overweight and / or during the period of martial inactivity we have eaten a lot) it is a good idea to try to lose 1 or 2 kg; this will give us an extra sprint that will help us to rapidly bridge any muscle loss; naturally we do not have to lose weight if we have already lost a lot (due to illness, etc.); in any case, we have to start / restart to follow a proper and healthy diet (read Qi and proper nutrition)
  • We have to work on our mind – We have to use motivation (read Workout music: how, when, why) and avoid / eliminate temporarily any idea of frustration; we have to focus on the choice of our exercises favoring the ones we like (giving them a priority); we have to force us to see this “regression of skills” as an opportunity to review the technical details that before we overlooked (and this is not only a trick, this is truly an occasion of deepening); we have to imagine this kind of “rehabilitation” as a review, it can be an opportunity to see ourselves from a different point of view

By following these simple tips and controlling the signals that our body sends us we will return to growth in a short time (perhaps even with a higher capacity).

A note by Master Kongling – Do not fall into the quicksand of laziness. The final thought is that it is never a good idea to skip training (short or long that it is), it means, in any case, to start to descend a ladder from which it will be increasingly difficult to climb again. Let’s organize our times and our psychophysical resource to avoid any waste.

In the next article of this series, we will see how to reach our best performances (read Achieve maximum performance).

In-depth articles

Questions

Reply in the comments and share your experience:

  • How do you feel when you recover training after a pause of a week?

Author: Master Kongling

Founder of 6 Dragons Kung Fu.

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