Are you addicted?

By Coach E

I was having a discussion with Phil who is following Shoulder Control and was hesitant to take the advice I give in the course to avoid anything that causes upper body muscular soreness during Phase 1, which lasts about 4 weeks.

With all of the elite and everyday athletes I’ve worked with since starting as a trainer way back in 2004 when cell phones had real buttons and some even needed to be flipped open, it’s a discussion I’ve had many, many, many times.

Exercise and especially intense sport training and play have similar effects on our brain as drugs of abuse.

It increases serotonin levels, which is a chemical that boosts our mood.

Regular (intelligent) workouts help to balance stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol.

Dopamine is a chemical that gets released when something good happens to us unexpectedly that also gets released via exercise.

Phil’s preferred form of exercise is Boxing/Muay Thai, which is a great workout and because you can hit things as hard as you can, it provides a type of satisfaction you don’t get from lifting weights up and down, up and down.

Because I think my response might be beneficial to everyone addicted to exercise, I’m sharing my response to Phil here:

” I do recommend it for a reason… 4 weeks is a drop in the bucket if you want to be doing (your thing) pain-free for LIFE, which is my intention with the course and my recommendations.

I know it’s tough mentally to get away but just like relationships, a little time away makes it so much sweeter when you return. ????

If necessary, do some light shadowboxing and work footwork, head movement, hips. But go easy on KO punches on the heavy bag.”

That’s my perspective.

Do with it what you will.

About the Author

Eric Wong (aka Coach E) is the founder of Precision Movement and has a degree in Kinesiology from the University of Waterloo. He's been a coach since 2005 and spent his early career training combat athletes including multiple UFC fighters and professional boxers. He now dedicates himself to helping active people eliminate pain and improve mobility. He lives in Toronto (Go Leafs Go!) with his wife and two kids and drinks black coffee at work and IPAs at play. Click here to learn more about Eric.

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