Rest and Recovery

If training three or four times a week is good, then wouldn't it be better to train every day?

Training can become addictive. We often feel that the good results we experience can be further enhanced if we push even harder. To a certain extent, this is true. However, our bodies do not grow stronger when we exercise.

Exercise is only the stimulus. It's recovery that allows our bodies to grow stronger!

Without adequate rest and recovery the result is a weaker body with decreased performance, loss of energy and risk of injury or illness.

Rest and recovery needs to be included in the training schedule both in the short term and long term. Types of recovery include:

• adequate sleep each night
• proper nutrition
• a couple days without strenuous activity each week
• soft tissue work (stretching, massage therapy, foam rolling, etc) on a regular basis
• periodic breaks from strenuous training for one or two weeks every few months
  

We may feel that taking time away from training will cause us to lose the gains we worked so hard for. Actually, taking time for adequate recovery will make us stronger in the long run.

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