The Importance Of Recovery

This post is directed at those of us who love exercise, who exercise regularly, who can't get enough of it. We thrive on the pump, the burn, the sweaty state we are left in after a grueling workout. Of course we are rewarded with the increase in performance, our bodies getting stronger, fitter, more mobile & flexible, greater endurance, and of course, we love to look better too! Whilst I love exercise as much as the next athlete, too many athletes fail to realise (or just forget/don't think about) is that exercise is catabolic – it breaks our bodies down. In order to achieve the anabolic effects we are really after, our bodies require rest in order to recover. We don't change or grow in the gym, we do so afterwards when we are resting. Too many athletes train too often. 

Think of a fighting video game; your character has a life or energy bar, and as you burn energy (or in the game, get attacked) that depletes down until you have nothing left – and you die. Of course real life isn't quite as dramatic, but the same system is in place. You have a finite amount of expendable energy. Everything you do takes some of that energy, and not just the physical activities, but the emotional & mental activities as well. If you are stressed, that will sap your energy. Yes, exercise is great for counter-acting stress, but that is another topic of discussion entirely. If you work a physical job like a builder and then train 7 days a week Crossfit style (for example, nothing against Crossfit, but it is the most brutal system that comes to mind!) you are heading for trouble. Without adequate recovery you energy levels will never fully recover, and you will have less in the tank for the next session. Eventually you will suffer as a result. Call it burnout, call it adrenal fatigue, call it what you want - it's the same thing.

So what is the solution? Plan your workouts around your recovery. Not the other way around.

Here is a great method of assessing how well you are coping with your routine:

Every day assess how good you feel (recovery) on a scale of 1-10 (1 being horrible and 10 being super-charged), then assess your workout on a scale of 1-10 (1 being as easy as reaching for the TV remote and 10 feeling like you have melted into a pool of sweat and blood under a ton of iron). If you keep a record of your recovery and your workout intensity, you will soon see if your workouts are taking too much out of you (or maybe that you aren't working hard enough!).

If your recovery is always high and your workout always low, step it up.

If your recovery is always low and your workout always high, dial it down a notch.

Plan your workouts around your recovery always.

Challenge everything, especially yourself.

Alex Kay Grimmer

For BodyQuest Kettlebell classes and Personal Training in Southend-on-sea, you can contact me HERE