Rest and recovery is an often overlooked component of an exercise plan. Your ability to get stronger and fitter is actually highly dependant on your ability to recover from the stresses of training. This allows you to go back and do it again,
Gains and improvements in fitness are about accumulating the ongoing effect of training. To get a long-term response or chronic adaptation over time, you need to be able to repeat that acute dose or session, and that’s where factoring in recovery is crucial.
The role of recovery
Exercise-related adaptations and improvements occur when the body is
resting and recovering. However, the flipside of that is that if there is insufficient recovery, you run the risk of becoming overtrained and excessively fatigued. Over time this can affect the body’s ability to improve.
If people aren’t adequately recovered their technique may change, which can make them more likely to get injured, and there can also be an increase in mood disturbance whereby they are tired and irritable.
Allocating rest days
you’re best to focus on which day of the week you feel most tired, then target that as a day to unload and recharge. How many rest days should be incorporated into a training program ultimately comes down to the individual and their training goals, baseline fitness and the frequency, duration and
intensity of their training, as well as the broader context our lives, for instance, whether we have a physically demanding job, or any lifestyle stresses such as insomnia.
Recovery techniques
1. Hydrotherapy
These include cold water immersion and contrast water therapies, with contrast showers being the most practical option in a gym context. Alternate between warm and cold showers, spending a minute in each for 3 sets
2. Sleep
Most of our physical and psychological recovery occurs during sleep, and there’s a lot of repair processes that happen, such as the release of growth hormones and testosterone. Regular bed and wake times, using blackout curtains and reducing technology use in the lead-up to bedtime can all help.
3. Compression garments
Compression garments assist in reducing some of the inflammatory or muscle damage markers seen within the blood following training, but they need to be worn for an extended period of time.
4. Foam rolling
Foam rolling helps to alleviate delayed onset muscle soreness and reduces decrements in dynamic performance measures. It can be a useful tool to help people prepare for their next session.
To create a program managing training loads, rest and recovery contact us today kmjgroupfitness@hotmail.com or visit www.kmgroupfitness.com
