Yes! Woohoo, go for it!
This is what we would LIKE to say, but the truth is it’s a very individual process…
Everyone has different hormones, genetics, body types, lifestyles and training backgrounds though, so, therefore, everyone responds differently to training and nutrition protocols.
“Personally, I’m very competitive,” says Alexa Towersey, celebrity trainer and the expert behind our Fire Up Program, “so I’m always pushing the limit of where I can take my training and my psychology.
“However, this doesn’t mean I go balls to the wall all the time in my workouts, because as I get older, my body doesn’t respond as well to high volume and high intensity. These days I stay leaner, healthier and happier when I focus more on recovery and stress management.”
Want to work out like a boss?
If you do want to push yourself to the limit and workout like a total machine, the most important thing to do is LISTEN TO YOUR BODY.
We know this can sometimes be challenging, but believe or not your body will tell you whether it likes or dislikes what you’re doing and this often ascertains whether you’ll get the results you want.
As long as you aren’t a total newbie to aerobic exercise, sweating it out with some regular high intensity exercise is an awesome way to both increase high end cardiovascular fitness and burn serious calories without compromising muscle.
If you haven’t worked that body of yours aerobically in a while, then build your fitness up with some jogging or a fun athletic style class at the gym.
As well as this, if you have any niggling pain, please get yourself off to the physio before you start pushing yourself to the limit.
If you have an injury, for the most part you CAN still train, although feeling sorry for yourself with a tub of ice cream every night is pretty tempting! Pilates is a great training option if you need to work around injuries, and learn to engage the right muscles to correct potential imbalances or instabilities.
Struggling to find your mojo?
“I think if you’re always looking for external validation or motivation it’s always harder because you’re not thoroughly invested in what you’re doing,” says Alexa.
If you’re passionate about your goals and know WHY your goals are important, you will be more successful than if you were just doing it for the sake of it or because you feel others have specific expectations of you.
Alexa says training has always been an outlet for her and when she feels physically strong, she feels mentally strong.
So find your why and make sure you’re working out for YOU!
It could be that you are trying to achieve a pull up for the first time, setting a personal best in a deadlift, running your first 5km race or dropping a dress size. There’s nothing more motivating than achieving something you set your mind to!
If you’re looking for some expert guidance, check out the high intensity, low impact 4-week program, Fire Up by Alexa Towersey.
