Burnout: Back of The Pack At The Track
The rest of the sprinters had finished. I was last across the finish line. I look to my left and the coach calls me over -
"Is everything ok? It looks like you're not enjoying your training anymore"
I wasn't. I hated that I felt slow at the track. I had always been the one in front. But now? Even though I was giving 110% I was falling to the back of the pack. It was as if someone had poured concrete into my legs. I was tired and drained all the time. When I was training I started to get splitting headaches. I wasn't recovering and I was always sore. To the point where my performances were going backward. It was a constant uphill battle.
If any of these feelings sound familiar it could well be burnout. And we're going to tell you how we make sure you don't find yourself in the same boat. Burnout: a person under stress for a prolonged period of time and is in a state of exhaustion.
Back when I used to work on the gym floor I was doing 50+ hours a week, 15 hours spent working with 1-1 clients, and 6 hours weight training and 3 hours sprinting. It was pretty hectic.
And it took its toll on me. From the outside, I was happy and healthy Ryan. On the inside, I was broken. So I decided to go the docs.
He told me I was showing early signs of burnout…
I was training too much - which I knew. But there was nothing I could do about it. This was serious though. You hear stories of people with burnout having to take years off work. Couldn't afford to do that I'd be letting my clients down. I came from the doctors to the gym. The managers standing there -
"Why are you late? There's a class waiting for you."
I replied -
"Didn't you get my message? and I need to have a word with you now"
We went to the office and I carried on speaking.
"I've been to the docs, I'm showing early signs of burnout...
And to be honest, I can't cope with the number of hours I'm doing"
Fine.
So we agreed to cut my hours back at work. I also decided to cut my training back. It was great for a while. But I realised at some point I'd have to go back up to those hours. And the same thing would happen again.
After much deliberation, I moved my clients online and handed my notice in…
Which was great. Clients were still getting the results they wanted. And they were no longer tied down to the times when I was available. I never thought I'd say this, BUT the level of support my clients got was better than 1-1 in the gym.
As months passed I started to feel a lot better. The headaches had gone. I was back to enjoying my training. And I was back at the front of the pack sprinting again.
When you're tired and stressed your performance and fitness suffers…
And as my story shows, progress stops. We can't change the numbers of hours you work. We can't change the fact that your kids might get you up at 5am. But we can make sure your training gets you results without extra stress or risking burnout.
Every L6-30 workout adapts to how you're feeling so that you're always training at your most optimal, with every single workout, you move closer to your goal… meaning you're creating better balance. And we've done all the hard work for you right here.
