Training Withdrawals — They Really Suck
Cocaine, by all accounts, is an incredible drug. I’ve heard it releases almost as much dopamine as a McDonald’s cheeseburger and can leave you feeling amazing and alive for a brief period of glory.
Unfortunately there are some pesky side effects, most notable, probably, being the addiction and withdrawal symptoms.
It’s normal though, at least in our heads, that there would be such negative consequences of something so clearly bad for your health. What about things considered healthy and good? They have all of the same symptoms.
I live and breathe for tennis.
For the last 5 years of my life, I have trained 10 times a week, often multiple times a day and have been constantly working towards my ultimate goal of becoming a professional tennis player. Training, so hard and so often, resulted in some amazing things. I looked good. I felt good. My energy levels (except for pre-season) were through the roof. Then it all stopped.
My life, like so many others, was turned upside down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. My college in USA shut down its athletic department, I moved back to New Zealand and my training all but stopped. Running twice a week (on a good week) really didn’t hold a finger to full time training…
What Changed?
Almost instantly, my mood changed. Within a week of returning to New Zealand my energy levels had plummeted, I slept longer and napped more, lethargy set in and my training died. Without the structure and clear goals set in place by the coaches and trainers I was so accustomed to.
I found myself lacking motivation and struggling to get out of bed, let alone run 10km.
As a result, my body didn’t take long to change either. Due to the fact the country was in lockdown, I couldn’t go to any courts or gyms, and my home-workout game was very weak. I lost strength first, my muscles actually growing due to lack of cardio and plenty of eating to fuel them, but it didn’t take long for them to start turning into fat. Within two months most of my hard-earned definition was gone, and I felt terrible. Running up my front lawn got my heart rate up more than an hour of tennis used to.
Worst of all though, were the cravings.
Like an addict I found myself searching for any way to get on a tennis court.
I considered breaking lockdown numerous times, risking my health and others just to get my fix. Then was the irritable stage, my temper shortened and I got frustrated. At the world, at the government, at whoever crossed my path at the wrong time of the day. Finally was the depression. I had no access to the thing I loved most in the world, no way to further my dream of being a pro. The withdrawals were rough.
The Takeaway
I didn’t write this to complain about the injustices of lockdown, nor to garner pity. I was locked down in Mew Zealand, one of the most successful countries in the world when it came to dealing with the pandemic. No, I wrote this to implore those of you in a slump and stuck inside, to go the extra mile to keep working out. Set up that home gym, buy some resistance bands, jump on YouTube for workouts. If you convince yourself, like I did, that it’s hopeless and you can train at all, you’re not only lying to yourself, you’re also costing yourself weeks, if not months of time that you could be using to get that one step closer to achieving your dreams.
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