BOOM AND BUST
Boom and bust happens when an individual overloads themselves too quickly. It often occurs when we decide to do something like signing up for a running race or re-live our glory days and take up footy again after a long hiatus, or other such sports and exercise we haven’t ever done before or done very little of recently. Effectively the BOOM is doing lots of an activity in a short space of time and the BUST is when the body can’t keep up with that sudden increase resulting in soreness or even injury.
We see this cycle a lot in our clinic as people, when wanting to make a lifestyle change, get very excited and are highly motivated initially, often diving headfirst into whatever activity they have chosen. The body is asked to do too much too soon (Boom) and then the body can’t deal with the overload as it is not conditioned yet. Thus creating the Bust where pain or injury can occur. Research has shown that there is a sweet spot in your acute-chronic workload where you can optimise your improvements while reducing your risk of injury.
The ”weekend warrior” is also prone to this type of training cycle as they may have minimal time during the week to do the physical activity, jobs around the house etc, so they will try and cram it all in on the weekends.
So how can you avoid the Boom & Bust and what to do about it if you are already in this cycle?
- When starting something new always start slow and steady and find your baseline level of fitness. Gradually progressing from there is the best way to avoid injury.
- Make sure you have sufficient rest/recovery days between like workouts or activities, ie don’t run every day. Add in some different workouts on your off days or some stretching/pilates type exercise
- Track your activity, either write it down or use wearable technology (such as smart watches). This helps to give an objective insight into how hard you are working and frequency of said workouts/activity.
- Listening to your body – don’t push too hard too early. If something is hurting don’t push through, it might be worth getting it checked by an experienced clinician to make sure something isn’t going wrong in your technique or exercise regime.
- If you are unsure of where to start, talk to a qualified health professional to get started and get you on the right track.
Author: Evan Clayon, Senior Physiotherapist