RESTARTING AFTER SUMMER HOLIDAYS

Dr. Lorenzo Lotti, Running coach

September is the period where many people, once their summer holidays are over, resume their daily routine, including sports and running.

There are many runners who follow a routine or training plan from September to June, but who take advantage of the months of July and August above all to rest and unplug from the effort involved in tackling sporting goals.

I advise you to never stop working completely because inevitably when you start again you will have lost a lot. Instead, it can be a period to reduce volumes and run at will to regenerate, it is a good time to alternate other sports such as cycling or swimming, or simple walks.

In principle, interruptions of activity that do not exceed 7 days of use should not give us problems, since the drop in performance is minimal, even if it may seem the opposite. It is from the first week that our physical condition declines a little, and it is from the third or fourth week onwards that the decline is much more pronounced.

Here are some tips for restarting after the summer holidays:

• Start with a lower training frequency, if our routine was 4 workouts a week we start with 2 for the first two weeks, then 3 for the third
• Alternate sports that are less traumatic for our body such as cycling and swimming. These disciplines will be an excellent resource for improving your aerobic base without negatively affecting your muscles.
• We start with slow sessions and at a varied but not maximal pace, shorter and not repeated sessions for the first month
• Associate running with a plan of muscle strengthening exercises, which is essential to support us and help us maintain the right posture when running
• It is very important to resume or maintain a correct eating routine, a healthy and balanced diet
• Sleep hygiene is fundamental, going to bed and waking up at the same time with the right hours of sleep. It is very important to sleep with regular cycles of at least 8 hours to allow the body to regenerate and recover
• Combine proper sports supplementation and muscle recovery products in these phases where after some time you can get them to work hard again. In particular, in this phase, I use it after training with variations Balsamo BeC. It is a balsamic cream rich in essential and natural oils, particularly suitable for sports massage, which I myself carry out with self-massage to reduce the sensation of muscle fatigue resulting from prolonged activity. Quick shower or if I have time a hot bath with a few drops of Idrobagno iu These bath oils are fantastic because they have an anti-fatigue action that stimulates peripheral circulation as well as leaving a scent that reminds me of SPAs.