Burnout

Control burnout. Burn out is a real thing and it can get to any of us, so I wanted to share a couple of tips that help me with controlling burnout.
First, usually when I start to get burnt out its not one thing, I don’t just get sick of the gym or working on a certain project. Instead it is usually a combination of things that start to get to me. So, what helps me in this situation is to prioritize and make sure I find time to set aside for myself to do whatever I want to do, or just time to relax. In this situation it is simply me just planning ahead a bit, if I don’t do this everything feels dire, I forget things or feel like everything is a rush, and I can let myself get overwhelmed. However, if I plan it out it never seems as daunting of a task. Work backwards when you are planning things out, and start with your end goal, then work and prioritize backwards step by step in order to achieve it. This step by step backwards planning ensures that by the time you get to the end of your planning your task is accomplished.

One other thing that always helps me, is that, whatever series of tasks you have, start on the longest or the most difficult first. You never want to, but if you can knock out your most difficult task first, for me at least, it gives a sense of confidence and motivation because the hard part is already done. Now things don’t seem as daunting and the thing you have been stressing about the most is already complete.

Another kind of burn out many of us suffer from is burnout from exercise. You start slacking because you are repeating many of the same versions of workout, day after day and week after week. It starts getting a little more difficult to drag yourself in to the gym and hit the workout with any sort of enthusiasm, and at this point you are losing momentum. So here is a simple and easy way to fix this problem. Mix it up, change your goals up and find something else in the gym to focus on. If you have been doing the same weight training program for so many years, start focusing on your cardio, and focus on your 5K time. Tell yourself that you are going to dedicate the next 1-3 months on cutting time off of that. This can give you enough break to become enthusiastic about our weight training program again and you can get back to doing that. This will turn you in to a much more well-rounded athlete as well.

I know this is short and it is a bit of an oversimplification on burnout, there maybe other things going in your life that are out of your control, but that is for another blog. We had a good saying in the Marine Corps. “Prioritize and execute” and its such a good way to get things done especially when you feel overwhelmed.
Get after it!

Shoulder Press:
5 Sets:
8-10 Reps
Superset Pull ups or lat pull downs in between for max reps

Rest 2 minutes

30 incline Bench press
Find a weight you can do 10- 12 times and try to get these 30 reps in as little time as possible

Rest 2 minutes:

4 Sets
25 push ups
30 DB curls

This workout should only take 25-30 minutes
Hit it hard and push the pace