Interseason = recovery

First and foremost, the body needs to recover from the efforts made throughout the season. In addition to the usual training sessions, there are also more intense periods such as training camps, competitions, etc. All this means that the body's energy and physiological "capital" needs to be replenished. All this means that the body's energy and physiological "capital" must be replenished. Maintaining a constant level of effort in terms of volume and intensity throughout the summer is not only dangerous, but totally sterile if you're expecting an improvement in performance as soon as you return to work.

Recovering is not doing nothing

Nor should we fall into the opposite trap, i.e. abandoning all activity. In any case, this would be unrealistic for a practitioner, whose need to move is such that he or she will not remain in total inactivity. All the more so as summer activities, especially gastronomic ones, can lead to excess weight and a deviation from the usual diet. It's therefore important to continue eliminating accumulated toxins, while avoiding overeating and sleep deprivation.

What to do then?

Summer is generally a warmer time of year, when people are more relaxed. It's therefore an ideal time to leave pure technique (a little) to one side, and put the emphasis back on efforts more geared towards gentle endurance, flexibility and balanced muscle building.

Stretching is highly recommended, as is a proper warm-up, even if the duration can be shortened, with deep abdominal breathing and visualization. For strength training, we'll maintain the groups usually solicited, especially in the legs, and focus on those that are sometimes neglected, such as the upper limbs, back, lumbar squares, etc.

Minimal self-discipline

With no timetables or planned workouts, it's not easy to impose a rhythm on yourself. But, here again, let's be measured, let's not fall into the "Spartan" and let's train when the desire is still a little there!

Summer courses are here too

The summer months see an abundance of workshops of all schools and styles, in varied but sometimes bucolic, always pleasant settings. Without becoming a course addict, they allow you to discover new things, outside the usual framework, and to maintain activity while ensuring a minimum of relaxation.

In spite of everything, I'm sure that, like every year, we'll be looking forward to donning the karategi again for the resumption within our Clubs, and attacking new challenges.

So, see you in September and enjoy your vacations!