The Big Three

Any personal trainer worth their weight will ask you “The Big Three” before your workout. “The Big Three” are the three key questions about your that will tell us how you may/may not perform. The three questions are:

1. How are you feeling right now?
2. How did you sleep last night?
3. How was your day at work?

So, “how are you feeling right now?” Why does that matter before we workout together? Well, think about it like this - if you tell me you are feeling great, I know that your endorphins are flowing, and you are motivated and energetic which also means you are properly fueled for your workout. Being properly fueled allows you to push harder to get the most out of our time together. On the flip side, if you tell me you are tired or just not feeling it…I know that your body may not be recovered from our previous training session or that you are possibly not well-fueled. This makes pushing yourself difficult and could hinder performance. If you are chronically fatigued or have muscle soreness that lasts more than 3-4 days, those are signs you are overtraining and need to reduce your load.

”How did you sleep last night?” I love this question. The scienc-y answer is a good night of sleep promotes the release of anabolic hormones. In other words, when these hormones release, they allow you to rebuild and grow stronger after exercise. When you don’t get a good night of sleep, you don’t release as much anabolic hormones and that tends to lead to more fatigue, slower reaction time, increased inflammation, and reduced strength and endurance. I don’t have to tell you how these are negative impacts on your fitness.

”How was your day at work?” Telling me you had a stressful day means nutrition is critical. A long or stressful work day can deplete your fuel stores which makes pushing through a workout difficult and greatly hinders recovery after a workout. If you have a sedentary job, you probably are mentally tired and physically stiff. This means my approach to your workout is going to require different things than if your job was physically demanding. If you do have a physically demanding job, you will naturally reduce energy for workouts. As your coach, that means a lighter training session or a shorter workout so you don’t overtrain.

To make sure you get the most out of a 1:1 training session, a group training session, or a solo workout, there are a couple of strategies you can implement today to make it successful:

Listen to your body. Am I right? If you had a demanding day, don’t go for intense workouts. Shoot for a shorter workout to get some activity and movement in.

Fuel Appropriately. You hear me say it all the time…”fuel-up!” Make sure you have all the nutrient-rich foods you need throughout the day to give you the energy you need for your workouts and to help with your recovery. We don’t want days of recovery.

Prioritize Recovery. Give yourself time to recover after a challenging workout. A meal that has protein, vegetables, and carbs within two hours of your workout will really, really help.

Sleep. For later in the day workouts, consider lower-intensity to avoid sleep disruptions.

Start Slow. To build the habit of working out at the end of your day, allow yourself to do short, easy workouts. They are still beneficial and give you motivation.

Mind-Muscle Connection. Mental fatigue from home or work doesn’t always mean your body is exhausted. Try to overcome that mental block by doing light activity like going for a walk.

Fuel Well.