Often times we are told to give it "All we got" and "Go at 110%." I've fallen for this many times and at times I don't realize that I'm doing it because I'm so far into the zone. In my early gym days in my late teens, I would hammer out what I could do and see how far I can push myself. At one point, at 19, I was pushing so hard that I woke up so stiff and hurt that getting out of bed felt nearly impossible. For years, I would do my best to find the right kind of workouts that challenged me and see what my limits were. Being burnt out wasn't uncommon.
For some odd reason or another, routines were never my strong suit, no matter how hard I tried, doing a consistent program just never felt right with me. I would be into it for a bit but it becomes less and less of an exciting thing to do and the spark I have goes out faster than when it was lit up. There was a time where I consistently did the Matt Furey Exercise Bible but after several workouts finishing a full deck, it became boring and I wasn't putting in the enthusiasm I normally would put into. Another time would be doing Animal Workouts (Even though they're a favorite), I would just naturally stop and move on because it just never felt as exciting as I want it to be.
People get caught up in the ways of being told that if you did X amount of squats everyday, go to the gym X times a week or run X amount of miles, you'll be in awesome shape. How about going in for the long haul. Unless you're an athlete or just flat out crazy and have an obsession, there's only so many times you can do thousands of squats, going to the gym is great but do you really need a building to go to to get in shape? Running can be good for a while but there's a high risk of developing problems with ankles and knees. I personally believe that doing what suits you is what gives you the greatest benefit, but don't do it because some nutjob with a greedy hand and very little knowledge of real fitness told you what to do.
Being burnt out can be debilitating not just physically but even more so mentally and emotionally. You get so excited and enthusiastic that it just won't end until you've reached that point. When you're burnt out, you shut down and it's hard to determine when you'll get back up on your feet. After more than 15 years of doing something every single day, I've learned and continue to learn that it's more important to do something that makes you happy than to do something that burns you to the ground and having to crawl out of the ashes every single time and repeat the process.
As you have seen with my workouts over the years, I'm always changing things up not because I don't enjoy a good routine every now and then but to constantly use my brain and find things that are fun to do and do them because of the challenge and seeing what is possible. I do have a form of ADD, I will admit that and I get bored quickly when it comes to workouts, so I'm always having to shift and find things to do that keep me wanting more and backing off if needed. The funny thing is, my constant changing of workouts has kept me in far better shape than a 3-4 week routine because when I change workouts often, I'm not neglecting anything and I learn how my body reacts, with a routine; I end up feeling I'm neglecting certain areas or overusing the muscles i'm working and needing to back off due to nearly injuring myself.
Workouts should suit the needs of an individual but at the same time, if you don't have a passion for them or don't get that spark or twinkle in your eye when you're training, it won't help you in the long run and you'll be doing workouts like a Zombie; no real attachment, no enthusiasm and never feeling happy or looking forward to what lies ahead. I train because it makes me happy, it's one of the few things in my life that has constantly been my rock and place to go. I have lost friends, fallen short on relationships, lose family members in death, times going through depression and have been to the hospital on a couple occasions but aside from my wife and the people in my life, working out has been my life saver because without it, I wouldn't be who I'am.
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