ADHD and Fitness, Part 3

Earlier we discussed some of the benefits of exercise as it pertains to ADHD.  In this post, I’ll go a little more in-depth into how to incorporate various activities into your life skills development.  It is very important to have a workout plan…as an ADHDer, you know you’re probably not very successful at “just winging it”, so you’d better start working on a feasible course of action!  If you’re terrible at organizing your daily life, the best way to start (in my opinion) is with a specific recurring activity that has independent goals.  A fitness program is the PERFECT way to learn aforementioned skills.  I’ll discuss setting realistic goals, scheduling, and tracking your progress (sounds exactly like what you should be doing for your daily life, huh?).  You can use this system for any number of pursuits, but since I’m big into fitness, this is the example I’ll use.

First thing’s first:  preparation.  We ADHDers tend to either grossly under-prepare or grossly over-prepare for, well, everything.  As you’re deciding which activity to pursue, ask yourself the following questions:

·         What experience do I have?

·         What equipment would I need?

·         How much will it cost, and what can I afford?  (give yourself a “price point” on more expensive items, if you decide to pursue something that requires equipment, classes, or a gym membership…the one possible exception is running shoes.  Don’t skimp on running shoes.)

·         Do you have any injuries or other physical limitations to consider?

·         What days and times do the classes or teams meet?

So, now you’re ready to make a training plan.

Now keep in mind we’re going to use a 5-day training plan.  Make sure you are RESTING on those other two days.  Don’t go all ADHD on your plan and think that more is always better.  You have to let yourself recover.

Let’s say you chose lifting weights as your primary physical activity.  You’ve got a couple years of experience (but it’s also been a couple of years since you trained), you found a gym in your budget, you bought a new pair of shoes on sale, and you’re in good health.  Let’s roll.

First off, you probably need to do some basic homework on your chosen activity.  In our example, it’s been a few years since we’ve set foot in a gym.  It might be a good idea to read a few articles on basic weight training.  Learn about a few different basic training schemes, learn which exercises go with what muscle groups, and study a few training splits recommended by experienced lifters.  Remember:  no more “winging it”.

The next step is scheduling.  You may or may not have found a time management system that works for you, and your personal time may be in a shambles, but this is a good way to help you navigate time management.  Pick a time to go to the gym.  Look at your schedule.  Allow yourself at least 90 minutes for your excursion (since we tend to underestimate the time it takes to do things…we forget that we have to actually GET to and from the gym too).  Based on your work schedule and the fact that you’re a morning person, let’s say that 6:30am is the best time for you.  Write it down somewhere…a daily checklist, your day-planner, set an alarm, whatever method you choose.

Now you need to set some goals (now I KNOW you have problems staying motivated and following through…so stack the deck in your favor and build a framework).  Let’s break it down into 3 categories:  short-term (within 6 months), mid-term (6-12 months) and long-term (12+ months).  Be realistic…you’re not going to gain 30lbs in a year (not 30lbs of muscle, anyway).  They can be very simple, or they can be specific.  Let’s say your goals are:

·         Short-term:  Do 10 dead-hang pull-ups without stopping (by 90 days from now)

·         Mid-term:  Bench press 200lbs (12 months from now)

·         Long-term:  Enter the Europa Super Show amateur bodybuilding contest (enter date)

So how do you reach those goals?  Planning, consistency and hard work.  You have to frame your short-and mid-term goals in the context of your long-term goal.  In other words, you can’t just work on your pull-ups, then work on your bench press after you meet your pull-up goal.  You have to do both of those things while setting yourself up to reach your long-term goal.  Since your long-term goal is a bodybuilding competition, you’re going to shoot for overall size, symmetry and muscle quality.  Then you can work on your short- and mid-term goals in the process of meeting the long-term goal.

Break off your planning into small chunks…one to four weeks.  Any longer than that, and your brain tends to disengage…you allow yourself to “wing it”, you forget about your planning, and you lose sight of your goals.  Next thing you know, you’re skipping workouts and eating junk.  Put your planning session on your calendar and set a reminder.  Next, get a sheet of paper and write down your workouts for the next week.  Put it in a folder or binder.  This is going to double as your training log.  You know you need to do a 5-day, well-balanced split.  So your first weekly plan might look like this (and notice how I incorporate the short-term and mid-term goals):

·         Monday (Back):  Pull-ups 3 sets to failure, Barbell rows 3x10, Seated cable row 3x10, Back extension 3x10

·         Tuesday (Chest & Abs):  Bench press 4x10, Incline bench press 3x10, Pec-deck 3x10, Crunches 3x30

·         Wednesday (Shoulders):  Machine shoulder press 4x10, DB lateral raises 3x10, Reverse pec-deck 3x10 superset with Dumbbell shrugs 3x10

·         Thursday (Bis & Tris):  Cable pushdown 3x15 superset with Barbell curls 3x10, Machine curl 3x10 superset with Close-grip bench press 3x10, Reverse cable pushdown 3x12 superset with Hammer curls 3x10

·         Friday (Legs):  Leg press 4x15, Walking barbell lunges 3x10/leg, Leg extension 3x15 superset with Lying leg curl 3x10

At the end of the week, look back over your workouts, and think about how you felt.  What was really hard?  What was really easy?  Do you need to increase your weight or reps a little next week?  Now you can set up the next week’s plan.  When done over a period of months, you can better track your overall progress and adjust your “big picture” training plan and identify deficiencies.

One last word of advice:  whatever pursuit you choose, don’t be too hard on yourself mentally.  You’re going to have days where you feel like crap.  You’re going to miss workouts.  You’re going to have to adjust your goals sometimes.  It’s OK.  Unless you’re training for a national championship, remind yourself that you’re human.  Don’t use that as an excuse to slack off, however!