It is nearly summer and the trending question this week for a lot of folks is “what is the least amount I can do to take care of my knees/hip/back etc?”
Or in other words, “I’d rather be outside.”
Great question! I am so glad you asked!
I have a couple of different answers for you, depending on your situation.
You are just trying to take good care of the one body you get (not injured)
You can check out this blog entry for details on the most recent updates to the recommendations but the TLDR of that is that you should be getting 150 minutes of moderate intensity cardio (think conversational pace) or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity cardio (too challenging to have a detailed conversation) and resistance training 2x a week for most major muscle groups.
As runners, climbers, hikers, and bikers a lot of you aren't struggling with the cardio piece at all. It’s really the resistance training that we’re figuring out how to fit in.
What does that mean in practice? For some of my clients it means we are reworking their gym routines for 1-2 efficient workouts a week and they are also outside doing fun and active things regularly throughout the summer. Gardening and hauling buckets of soil? Resistance training. Holding onto an inner tube for dear life at high speed? Resistance training.
I think it’s fair to count these things as resistance training for a limited amount of time, but there needs to be seasons where we are committing ourselves to the gym a little more regularly to hit all muscle groups equally. (Tubing regularly will make some muscles strong, but others won’t benefit at all.) Aim for 2-3 days a week with some formal resistance training during the rest of the year.
If you're dealing with pain or are frequently injured
I like to talk with my clients who are dealing with pain about finding the “minimal effective dose,” or in other words, what is the least amount of something that you can do to manage symptoms.
Having dealt with Achilles tendinopathy in the past, I know that for me personally that “minimal effective dose” includes calf raises. Even if I skip most of a workout, I will be sure to hit calf raises.
The specific movement or movements are going to be a little different for every injury and at different stages of recovery, but if you know that one thing, it can save you a lot of heart ache managing ups and downs with pain. If this is you, I recommend the "minimal effective dose" for your symptoms in addition to the advice above for managing good overall health and longevity.
So there's my take on what you can do this summer! It doesn't have to be a ton but keeping up a little bit of formal resistance training is going to pay off in your long term health years down the road.
I will also bet that it will help your summer feel more enjoyable!
Just this morning a client told me she had a great time at the Dusty Bandita bike event a couple of weeks ago and she felt like she had so much more power in her legs to give because of the work she has been doing for her knee! She is currently doing 10 minutes every other day for her knee.
Happy summer!
Katy
P.S. If you’re looking for help getting more specific about what your "minimal effective dose" is, I will be launching a summer special next week to help you do just that! Keep your eyes peeled or reply to this email and I will send you the details!