Page 10 - MAY SFM 2017

Taking a Break and Being Lazy

By Phil Eich

You are t-minus two months away from the greatest time of the year - great weather, free time, and NO SCHOOL.

SUMMER VACATION.

After working hard (or not so hard) all school year, it’s time for a break, some well earned time away. But as an athlete, it can be tricky to balance enjoying the
summer months and ensuring that you continue to improve as an athlete.

I Feel Like Garbage
Every summer, my parents would pack up the car and we would drive down to Chicago to visit some family for a week. I loved hanging out with my family, being in
a different city, and having a full week away from training.
“Great!”, I thought. A week of rest would give me the mental and physical recovery I needed to come back and hit the weights hard. I would come back from this
week better than when I left.
Our week in Chicago ended, but when we were home, I was still feeling like I was in “vacation mode”, and so I gave myself another day away from the gym before
getting back into it.
Then some friends from across the state wanted to hang out for a few days.

I knew I was pushing it, but I convinced myself that I needed to enjoy my summer vacation, and that even more rest would mean that I was even more recovered -
when I got back to training I’d be ready to crush it.
But I started to feel like garbage. My joints hurt worse than they did while I was actively training. My muscles were stiff, and I felt sluggish. When I finally got back
to working out, I was tired, unmotivated and weights that once were a piece of cake felt like I was lifting the world. I took an “easy week” in the gym to get back
into the flow. The following week was was better, but training was still poor.

When all was said and done, four weeks had gone by without any progress. My desire to to enjoy my summer vacation ended up being bigger than my desire to
succeed in my sport, and I paid the price.

Taking a Break and Being Lazy

I thought I was taking a break, but I was really using summer vacation as an excuse for being lazy. Four weeks of little to no training in the world of athletic per-
formance is a BIG DEAL. That could be thirty more pounds on a back squat, three tenths off a 40, or hundreds of missed reps. It wouldn’t be a stretch to say that
most high school athletes go even longer than four weeks without any serious training during, and all those missing pounds and reps will directly translate to how
you do on the field or court. When the pressure is on and you need to drain a three to win the game, those missed reps could be the difference between making
the play that everyone talks about for years or hanging your head in shame because you couldn’t help your team when they needed it the most.

Some tips to help you keep on track during the summer:
1. Have a plan. If you’re not following a program you won’t be motivated enough to get into the gym and be productive. Talk to a coach, to your
friends, or look online for a program and then follow it. Don’t miss a day.
2. Have a group. Training partners help keep each other accountable. Find some friends you can trust and go to work.
3. Have self-discipline. There will be days when you feel unmotivated, distracted, or tired. Having the will to make progress even on day

There will be an immense temptation to think that you are obligated to sit around, do nothing, and “just enjoy your summer”. You can enjoy your summer AND
train. You can do both. You can relax and train hard. With a plan, some training partners, and a lot of self-discipline you can take a break and not be lazy.

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