In this episode of The Iron Lab Podcast, Coach Jo and Coach Kim dive into the art of balancing the time to push through and the time to pause in your fitness journey. They discuss how to recognize when to power through a workout and when rest is essential for long-term progress. By listening to your body’s signals—like mood changes, fatigue, or pain—you can make informed decisions that enhance recovery and prevent burnout. 

The coaches also explore strategies to break through plateaus, including various training routines and incorporating new methods, such as changing your tempo, adjusting your weight, and mixing up your reps to match. Throughout the episode, they remind listeners that life is a marathon, not a sprint, and sustainable progress requires balance.

The episode is packed with practical advice, from starting workouts with minimal effort to prioritizing sleep as a recovery tool. Jo and Kim encourage listeners to incorporate flexibility in their training plans and emphasize self-awareness as a key to making smart fitness decisions. Whether you’re navigating a busy schedule, battling decision fatigue, or aiming to build consistency, this conversation offers actionable tips and motivation to achieve your fitness goals while respecting your body’s needs.

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Transcript:

Coach Jo 00:09

Welcome to Perfectly Unfinished Conversations, the Iron Lab podcast with Coach Jo…

 

Coach Kim 00:14

…and Coach Kim…

 

Coach Jo 00:15

Where you ride shotgun with us as we have raw, real, unfiltered, and unfinished conversations about trying to eat, sleep, train, and live with some integrity in a messy, imperfect life.

 

Coach Kim 00:27

We're all about creating a strong support system, taking radical personal responsibility, having fun, and being authentic. And one of the most common themes you're going to find in this podcast is the idea that we create positive momentum in our life, by doing what we call b-minus work.

 

Coach Jo 00:45

We’re making gains and getting ahead and loving life without self-sabotaging our goals by striving for perfection. We get it done by moving ahead…

 

Coach Kim 00:55

…before we're ready…

 

Coach Jo 00:56

…when we aren't feeling like it…

 

 Coach Kim 00:58

…and without hesitation.

 

Coach Jo 1:00

Be sure to subscribe now on Apple or Spotify, so you don't miss a single episode. It’s good enough. Let's go.

 

Coach Kim 01:11

Hey everybody, welcome back to Perfectly Unfinished Conversations, the place where we keep it real about all things health and life and trying to maintain some sanity along the way.

 

Coach Jo 01:22

That's right. And if you're here, you probably relate to the struggle like everybody else, of balancing 500 things a day and wondering to yourself, when should I actually rest and when should I just push through?

 

Coach Kim 01:33

Yeah, so today's episode is dedicated to figuring that exact thing out. We mentioned this in our last Podcast, episode number 13, Consistency and Discipline: the sisters that you want to be BFFs with, and we're going to come to you with this whole conversation. So we've called it, Take Your Training up a Notch: Do you really need a rest day? Or are you just being a little bitch? And because, let's face it, there are days where we genuinely need to listen in and give ourselves a break, but there are also times where we sort of need to kick our own ass.

 

Coach Jo 02:12

Exactly. I mean, like between me chasing my two boys to hockey practice every other night. And you know, well, you struggling with iron and ferritin and perimenopause.

 

Coach Kim 02:20

right? So Jo and I totally get that life doesn't always make it easy to know when to push and when just to take a damn nap, and maybe napping is not your thing. Like, I'm not a napper, but there are other important requirements for recovery. So today we're going to dive into that tricky balance. And we're here to keep it real, guys like get comfy, because this one is really for anybody who feels like they're walking that fine line between training in a way that maximizes our results and allows adequate recovery, which is also needed to maximize results. So let's kick things off with the idea of listening to your body. And I don't mean that, like, half assed I'm tired today, or I had a hard day at work, so I'm just gonna skip my workout. I mean, actually, trying to tune in and figure out what your body is telling you. 

 

Coach Jo 03:16

Like, sometimes your body's like, oh my goodness, I just had the best sleep, and I'm feeling super grateful, and the stars are all aligning, and Mercury is in retrograde. Like, get up and go, let's go. And other times it's saying, like, get your ass on the couch right now. Sit the fuck down and don't move. But it's about knowing the difference between these two. And that's ultimately where most people, they get tripped up on.

 

Coach Kim 03:36

This is, yeah, this is where our brain can interfere along the way, like we like to shame ourselves for not being tough enough, for sturdy enough. We think we should always want to train. So it's super easy to confuse being lazy with actually needing rest. I'm so used to now getting my training done without wanting to, like, it's just not an option. I go and it's done, unless there's something else that's going on for me physically, like I've recognized that there's a difference between I just don't feel like it, and my legs feel like they've been through a meat grinder this week, or I didn't get a wink of sleep last night, or I had physio this morning, or I feel like I'm coming down with something.

 

Coach Jo04:24

The meat grinder feeling like that's real, especially after strong first lines workout this last Wednesday, like that's me currently in my upper body. It feels like it was put through a meat grinder. And listen, when you're consistently pushing your body hard, sometimes those signs can actually be more subtle, like maybe you're getting a little cranky towards your family at home, suddenly everything feels like a huge effort, like you have decision fatigue on everything. 

Coach Kim 04:51

Yeah, or you're just in a crappy mood for no reason, snapping at people, things like that. Mood swings can actually be a huge sign that you need rest. So if. You're feeling extra triggered by your partner, or are yelling at the coffee maker for not brewing fast enough. It might be a day to reassess your training approach.

 

Coach Jo 05:10

Everyone’s husbands and wives and coffee machines everywhere are like, Thank you. Please know the difference. So for everyone listening, here's Lesson number one, don't confuse discomfort with exhaustion. Sometimes pushing through the”ugh” can give you a great boost, but if you're dragging your ass around like a zombie, take the day off, trust us, your gains, your benefits, they're all still going to be there tomorrow. Yeah. So let's talk about now when it's time to actually push yourself, because there are those moments when you've just got to quit the whining, you got to buckle up, and you just have to go for it, telling that little annoying coach inside your head politely to please just be quiet today. 

 

Coach Kim 05:53

Right. So this is where it can feel tricky. Like there have been many times where I don't feel like training, or I have low energy, and I, I've totally surprised myself and had just an amazing session. So there are times where you sort of have to just get over yourself and show up. We talk about this as doing it whether we feel like it or not, and that's where the real growth happens.

 

Coach Jo 06:16

yeah, like when I'm dead tired after a full week of solo parenting, working full time hockey practices, oh, and just trying to keep my house from looking like a hurricane went through it, I still sometimes need to get that workout done, because the truth is, half the time, once you're up and moving, you realize, okay, I'm stronger than I thought. And truthfully, that workout alone that I do in the craziness actually brings me more energy to the table than I had before.

 

Coach Kim 06:42

That's right, the hardest part is most often just getting started, I do it no matter what my brain tells me. And you know, even this morning, like I plan to get the cardio workout in today. I need more cardio. We agreed on that. And at, you know, the class starts at 9am on the dot, and at 8:57, I'm like, am I, am I not? Am I? Am I not? And I finally, I just fucking just go, just walk downstairs, take your water glass and go. So on those days where I push myself through, I actually unlock an incredible self confidence and resilience that feel so good. And I think that's also when I build better mental toughness, like, and then that transfers to other areas in my life too. 

 

Coach Jo 07:29

Yeah, like, totally. Like, I'll get through a really hard workout, and then suddenly dealing with my kids' bedtime tantrums doesn't seem so bad. I am more patient, for sure. At the end of the witching hour nights. It's almost like those hard workouts, they prime you to handle whatever chaos the day is going to throw at you.

 

Coach Kim 07:47

Right, so if you're someone who is feeling, hmm, like, I always say apathetic, like, if you're kind of like, I don't know, I don't know, do I want to, like, my don't really want to, I could check my emails, or I could get groceries, or I really need to go home and let the dogs out, but you're not truly exhausted. Like, maybe it's time to ask what's getting in the way here, because we know that true physical depletion feels like we're dragging ourselves through the day or feeling like we can't cope with normal stressors. Like those aren't signs to ignore, but most of the time, I think we just don't feel like doing the hard thing. That's your sneaky brain, you know? And that's okay, like, don't make a habit out of it, but don't let your brain talk you out of training today, because that's when your results really get lost. So this is also where we can bring in one of the training tactics that I harp on a lot when I'm coaching classes, which is waving the load. I call it waving the load. I see the same people choose the same weights for every workout and going the same pace, like it's usually full speed ahead. They've got weights they feel comfortable with. This is human nature. It's not criticism. Like, this is the way we do it. And so it's easy to get stuck in the same routines, but there is a huge value in mixing up your training. And so if you want real progress, you have to be willing to do it different. And this is where tempo and load and training styles come in. 

 

Coach Jo 09:18

Yeah, yes, ma'am. Because honestly, doing the same thing over and over. It's not only going to be a boring AF, like it's a one way ticket to a plateau within your metabolism and your muscle synthesis. Your body adapts fast. We always have to keep it guessing, and if you're not changing some of those key training variables, you're most likely going to leave all the gains on the table.

 

Coach Kim 09:41

For sure. So let's break this down. Saying, say you're doing resistance training, there are always ways to tweak that, like adjust the tempo, which is the speed of your reps, slowing down on the way down, like dropping into a squat, pulling yourself down deep and slow, make it way more challenging, even when the weight stays the same, and sometimes you might even have to lighten up to do that with better quality. 

 

Coach Jo 10:08

Yeah. Then there's the load, which is ultimately the weight itself. Sometimes going heavier and doing fewer reps, like Max five per side only can shock your muscles into growth, or you can do something like AMReps, as many reps as possible, or EMOMs, which is every minute on the minute, which is another great way to push endurance and strength together, strength and endurance together. 

 

Coach Kim 10:31

I love that. Actually, I love EMOM training. I think it's so beneficial. Our favorite. Here it is, yeah, and it has such good translation, because, like, you can do it with multiple styles, any kind of gear, cardio, all of it, and you can, you can also do it by waving the load. You can come in and do an EMOM with five really heavy squats at the top of every minute on the minute, right? Or you can come in and you can do 25 fast, light body weight reps every minute on the minute, they both have value. So that's I totally think, that this is where people fail to understand the value in totally mixing up their, the way that they're approaching their training. But also, we can't forget styles of training, so switching from straight up progressive overload or resistance training to things like high intensity interval training or hit or functional fitness. Body weight can also give your body a different challenge and hit muscles you normally don't work. I've said about taking our team member Sarah, who does our pop up power flow yoga on the couple of times where I've been able to hit a Saturday power flow class with her. I think I'm pretty strong and I think I'm pretty proficient, and yet, doing that style of training, my body is so not used to it that then coming back in on Monday, I'm like, geez, I'm sore in all the areas that I'm not usually sore in. So those styles bring a mix of cardio, strength and even your mobility and flex. So here's another thing. Two of the things that I've added in the last few months are walking, which I walk all the time anyways, but I've added a weighted vest, so just a little different variation on something. I don't do it every time I walk, because you, my goddess friend, have reminded me that sometimes I can just walk without having to have a purpose in the walk, right? 

Coach Jo 12:29

You can look at the leaves. 

Coach Kim 12:30

Yeah, totally. I can just walk and enjoy the walk. And then yin yoga. So I got two winter goals. I gota walk a minimum of 22 kilometers a week. I love it. No matter what the weather is doing in Canada, and I'm going to add Yin in at least once a week, because I hit Yin on Tuesday night with Tracy after coaching leg day and doing that leg day workout, and I could feel my body smooth out like I could feel it happen. So, 

 

Coach Jo 12:52

I love that, and I think it's a good goal too. Like anytime we coach those evening sessions, just to stay, especially if it's on a yoga night, just stay, get that yoga class in after coaching, I love your goals. For me, as we head into the winter months and away hockey tournaments, my plan is to work out in the hotel gym for every tournament. And this is big for me, because a) hotel gyms, they suck. They don't. It's all treadmills…

 

Coach Kim 13:16

They do. God love you for that. That's a great goal, because there's not a lot of real good gear there. 

 

Coach Jo13:21

No, there's not. And they like mainly dumbbells, and even the dumbbells are very weird looking like everything is very odd. So I'm just, I'm going to do it no matter what. I went on a treadmill last time and I walked backwards for 20 minutes just to help with my knee strengthening. And you know what? That felt great. So that's one of my goals, and my plan on Fridays, we always practice, usually at the same facility, and that has a walking track above the rink that they're actually practicing on. And another mom and I plan on walking the track for the hour and 15 minutes we are there on Friday nights, so that's what we're gonna do. And really like just functional fitness, like and that can help with life. ADLs, activities of daily living. ADLs, it's all about making you stronger and more stable for all daily movements, you know, and that's, that's what we need as we all age, or, you know, for me, like Chase or wrestle crazy kids around.

 

Coach Kim 14:12

So if you're feeling stagnant in your results or the lack of results, you could try playing with these variables, right? Like it's amazing what a little change in tempo or rep scheme or training approach can do. So let's talk flip side now when rest isn't optional, when it's actually a non negotiable, like real talk, if you're experiencing constant lingering fatigue that doesn't go away after a good night's sleep, it's time to take a seat.

 

Coach Jo 14:47

Exactly if every movement feels like Dragon lead across the floor, like your feet have lead cement blocks in them, or you're just in a permanent bitchy mood, that's your body saying, like, take a break or I'm gonna break you.

 

Coach Kim 15:01

Or if you're dealing with actual pain, like when you were talking a week or two ago about Brandon and hurting his back, Jo’s husband heard it hurt his back. Injury is always a time to reassess the plan. 

 

Coach Jo 15:13

Yeah, the poor guy, but that's the thing. Like, when it gets to that point, it's not about having to be tough through it. We feel like we have to be so strong and tough through those types of injuries, it's really about being smart. If you push through real, actual pain, you're just asking for a longer, like, for longer time off down the road, because you're risking an actual injury, all the aches and pains within your body, they're speaking to you. And it's our due diligence, our job to listen to that.

 

Coach Kim 15:43

Yeah, we see this all the time, also on the floor, where people will ignore pain. They will push through it. And I'm talking, I'm not talking like, full on injury, like, oh, and sometimes they do actually, you know, we've had people who are trying to manage pain, back pain, for example, and come to class anyways. And we've had people who try and try and try, and then they're forced to take time off. And this is kind of where you have to be able to begin to go okay, like, for example, me with my trap and my rotator cuff, which is now troublesome. It's not a back injury, and there are still plenty of ways I can train through it and around it while I'm doing physio, while I'm rolling, seeing ART, whatever, right? And so we know that it can feel like taking a rest means you're falling behind or being lazy, but really, you have to be able to listen and make the assessment in a way that sets you up to win in the long term. It's an investment in your future self. And so when you rest, you're recharging so that you can come back stronger. Your body needs it has to have time to recover and heal. You need food, you need sleep, and you need the other good stuff, like sauna or physical touch and relaxation and non exercise related movement, which is what you were talking about with just going for a walk, just a straight up walk without a purpose. No one ever got stronger by always pushing and never pausing. 

 

Coach Jo 17:10

Yeah, I just had this conversation with a client after our LIVESTRONG class this morning, like a few hours ago, she said she was frustrated with her twisting movements and having to modify, and that she can't do everything because she knows she can do it, but right now she can't because she's dealing with physio, and it'll be two more months until she can do her full torque, twisting core movements, but reminding her that she was still able to get into the gym today, she was still able to move her body, we were able to provide modifications throughout she's got a workout in and that we will heal and we will work around it as we go. 

 

Coach Kim 17:43

And I love that persistence like you sort of do. This is again, like, if there's a day where where she really, really was suffering, then she needs to be able to take a day off and not feel ashamed or guilty about that, or let her brain shit talk herself, right? But there are still lots of ways that a great coach can help you to figure it out and modify.

 

Coach Jo 18:05

Yup, and she's and it's good for her to be honest and have that conversation too. And that's that's as coaches, we want those conversations. We want you to tell us how you're feeling, because if you're just living with it, we don't live in your body. You live in your body. You know what it feels like. We can't just have like a magic like X ray machine and see these, like red pulsating dots, and knowing that those are the areas that hurt you. You have to communicate it to your coach. And we're just speaking, you know, as coaches today, because we both coach a lot this week. But like, you have to really think of it this way, every athlete in the world, and like we're talking professional athletes, they have planned rest days or periods, like months, weeks, etc. It's part of the formula for success. So why would we think we're any different?

 

Coach Kim 18:51

Yeah. So moral of the story is, if your body is giving you signs to slow down, it's not weak to listen, it's actually pretty darn smart. Okay, so next up, a topic that can be super confusing, which is training while sick. How do you know when to push and when you need to crawl back into bed, or, more importantly, when it's time to come to the gym and when you should just stay home? 

 

Coach Jo 19:16

Great question. And honestly, it's something that comes up a lot like, Here's a general rule that we like to use here at Iron lab. We may not say it exactly the same sometimes, but if your symptoms are above the neck, like a stuffy nose, maybe a mild sore throat, light activity can be okay, like grabbing the lighter kettlebells, or even not being here and being outside and like mobility work, stretching, more yoga, short walk, like, are you able to breathe appropriately? Basically, like, you know what I mean? That's what we kind of say.

 

Coach Kim 19:46

right? And the key phrase there being light activity, right? This isn't time for high intensity interval training. But if you're dealing with symptoms below the neck, like chest congestion, fever, body aches, blah, blah, blah, it could be just the big old sign to sit it out.

 

Coach Jo 20:01

Yeah, like fever especially, that's a hard No. That's your body saying it's fighting something off. And you do not want to add more stress to your body with a workout. It needs to heal. You're asking for a longer recovery time if you push through that.

 

Coach Kim 20:16

Well, or make it worse. And here's the truth of the matter, it like it kind of feels like, should we do we really need to have this conversation, but you'd be surprised. There are lots of people who wake up in the morning and know that they're getting coming down with something, and they'll still come to the gym. And I always say, if you're getting sick, don't bring it here, like, that's when you're most contagious, if you're, if you're, if you wake up and you're starting to get a sore throat, or you're starting to feel like you're sneezing 100 times. Please don't bring it here. But if you're getting over a cold, if you're five, five days through, and you feel not too bad, but you're still kind of hot, you know, coughing and hacking up a lung. You still might not be through the worst of it, but you've probably thought most of it often are no longer contagious, like come back to the gym and ease in and, you know, work your way through it. That's different than that active stage of illness. 

 

Coach Jo 21:08

Remember that sometimes rest is the best way to stay on track long term. If you need a day or two to get over a bug, like, that's a lot better than pushing and making it worse. So the next time you start sniffling, like, do a quick body scan, like your own X ray scan from head to toe, and ask yourself, like, is this above the neck? If so, maybe some gentle movement is okay. And if not, find a good series on TV, get lost in a giant plushy blanket and just go chill out on the couch listening to your body. Guys, it's never a waste of time, especially when you're sick. So just remind yourself you're going to come back stronger if you give yourself the time to heal. The gym, your workouts, they're always going to be there. The walking path, it's always going to be there. Yeah, so we've covered pushing, we've covered resting, but let's get real, and really, the last thing we want to discuss is, how do you actually figure out when to do each one, and it all comes down to developing self awareness, a giant submarine radar for your own body.

 

Coach Kim 22:10

So here's the thing, unless you have an aura ring which will tell you how to plan your day, approach your day with your training, and some people really love that technology. I don't have one. Self awareness takes practice. If you don't have an aura ring that says, No, don't train today or Yes, now's the time to get it. Self awareness is a failure, fail forward process right? You're not going to get it right every time, and that's okay, you but you have to learn how to pay attention to how you feel after you make the choice. It's constant assessment. Like, you can't just tune out and do you know, push through everything.

 

Coach Jo 22:52

Definitely, if you push yourself and realize halfway through the workout or whatever, like you're falling apart, like, make a mental note and next time, maybe ease up a little bit.

 

Coach Kim 23:01

Right, or if you skip a workout, but later in the day you feel like kind of sluggish and that you regret it. You know, that was probably just a mental block you should have pushed through and and I really do believe that most of the time it's a mental block, right? Like, most of the time we're just like, yeah, I could really do something else, right? It's all trial and error. We're failing forward, but you gotta, you gotta watch out for a sneaky brain.

 

Coach Jo 23:26

Yes, we fail forward. Always. For me, I do a quick mental check in before I commit. I say to myself, Joely, are you really tired, or am I just avoiding the hard stuff because that workout downstairs looks sweaty and I don't want to work harder fuck up my freshly blown out and curled hair. If it's the latter I go if it's real exhaustion. And most people know when I'm really exhausted around here, because I do not have a poker face. I really just don't push it.

 

Coach Kim 23:50

Yeah, same here. And here's a little trick that I use. I give myself kind of a 10 minute rule if I start a workout and I genuinely feel off or like I can't sustain the plan or the pace, I'll ease up, I'll lighten up, I'll do less, but 90% of the time it's a mental block. 

 

Coach Jo 24:10

I love that. I really love that, and really it's about being okay with the decision you make. We're not here to beat ourselves up like that shit is in the past. We are here to figure out what worked, what didn't, and what keeps us feeling good and strong in the long run?

 

Coach Kim 24:24

Alright, so let's wrap it up and leave you all with some practical tips on balancing between the push and the pause.

 

Coach Jo 24:31

Yeah, here's one set, a minimal effort. You don't have to go all out every time. If you're not sure, just start small. Maybe it's a walk, maybe it's a short workout, or you grab the foam roller, and you loosened up your gams and your limbs. Like, if you feel up for more, great. If not, you have to remind yourself, like, that's still a win. You moved more than you would have if you just sat on the couch. 

 

Coach Kim 24:55

I think this is an underestimate. It's something we underestimate as well, right? Like, I think. We get it in our head that a good workout is an hour.

Coach Jo 25:02

Yeah? And then, like a sweat fest, and you're just murdered.

Coach Kim 25:04

Yeah, murdered. That's right. And the the fact of the matter is, is that 15 minutes is better than no minutes always. So another tip would be have a backup plan, like maybe you planned a hardcore leg day, and you get into it and you're just not feeling it like this is where you scale down to something lighter, like mobility work or stretching. And if you're actually here in the gym, or you get to the gym and you you know, have have got your weights in front of you, get your ego out of the way and go get something else, like movement doesn't always have to be intense, and the only one judging you is you. And in fact, as a coach, I tend to have more respect for the people who can self assess and go, You know what? Like, I need to actually go heavier today. Like I need to go get a bigger weight. Or, you know what, I just feel like crap, and I really need to ease up and go a little slower, or even go, you know, I honestly think that I see people do this better, where they will go to body weight or ease up first, then they will actually walk over and get something bigger. Occasionally they will, but, you know, movement doesn't always have to be intense.

 

Coach Jo 26:18

Now, let's throw in some real talk here too, because sometimes the best choice out of all this is just that extra hour of sleep. There's no shame in it at all. Like sleep is the ultimate recovery tool. Put yourself to bed like you're putting a bed of toddler. Bedtime is bedtime. No excuses. Phone away. Close your damn eyes.

 

Coach Kim 26:37

Yeah. So remember, folks, listen to your body. Don't fear taking rest. Don't fear the pause and recognize when your brain just doesn't seem to want to be on board, versus truly that your body just needs rest.

 

Coach Jo 26:51

Yeah, because life's a marathon, it's not a sprint. We're in this for the long haul. So give yourself grace and trust that balance will get you further in your journey than burnout ever could.

 

Coach Kim 27:00

Yeah, amen to that. Thanks for tuning in everyone. We hope this episode helps you find that perfect push-pause, individual balance.

 

Coach Jo 27:10

Yeah, and don't forget, if you enjoyed today's episode, subscribe and share it with a friend who could use a little reminder or a little push, just a gentle reminder to take a rest.

 

Coach Kim 27:20

That's right, take care friends, see you next time.

Coach Kim 27:22

Bye bye,

 

Coach Jo 27:24

You probably got a sense of who we are by now and what our personal approach is to developing a lifestyle that creates really great health and strength. Using a relational common sense coaching approach that is backed by knowledge and personal experience

Coach Kim 27:39

There are a couple of ways that you can work with Jo or I, one on one, remote or you can actually train here at Iron Lab. 

 

Coach Jo 27:47

The first is the Metabolic Blueprint, personalized coaching program, which is customized for your life and your body. 

 
Coach Kim 27:55

We work together very closely either in person or remotely to help you conquer old diet drama and to get lasting results. 

 

Coach Jo 28:04

Ideally, we'd love to teach you how to never buy a quick-fix diet program or app again.  

Coach Kim 28:11

Next, there is the accelerator academy, which is up to 12 months of self-paced weekly bite-sized lessons and journaling exercises, that we’ve created to help you create the lifestyle habits that generate a true transformation. 

 

Coach Jo 28:26

Find out more on our website: ironlablacombe.com/metabolic-blueprint