As you will soon find out, I am a HUGE fan of recovery. While training for my first triathlon, I found that my time away from the pool, the bike, the trails, and the gym, was just as, if not more important during all my training.
Recovery is time you take short term and long term where minimal to no exercise is done in order for your body to “recover” from the previous workout or training program.
Whether or not you know the importance of taking time to recover, I find that most people often feel guilty in taking time off. I know this is true because I felt and feel the same way from time to time. But getting a better understanding of what occurs during recovery has helped me steadily improve in my sports as well as stay away from injury.
This is what happens during recovery:
Recovery is the time the body adapts to the stress of exercise and where the real training effect takes place. It allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissues. Exercise causes changes in the body such as muscle tissue breakdown and depletion of energy stores (muscle glycogen) as well as fluid loss. Without rest, there is no time to repair and replenish and the body would continue to breakdown, making the body weaker as oppose to stronger.
Adaptation to exercise:
The Principle of Adaptation states the stress of physical exercise the body adapts and becomes more efficient. At first it’s difficult, over time it becomes second nature. Once the body adapts, it requires additional stress to continue progress. That said, there are limits to the amount of stress the body can tolerate before it breaks down and risks injury.
Sleep deprivation can hinder sport performance. Consistently getting inadequate sleep can result in sublet changes in hormone levels, particularly those to stress, muscle recovery, and mood. No one completely understand the complexities of sleep, some research indicates sleep deprivation can lead to increase levels of cortisol (stress hormone), decrease activity of human growth hormone (which activate during tissue repair), and decreased glycogen synthesis.
One should aim for a balance of exercise with rest and recovery. Adaptation and recovery takes athletes to a higher level of fitness. An increase in intensity and effort is followed with a greater need for recovery. Being aware of your body, the way it feels and how motivated you are is extremely helpful in determining your recovery needs and modifying your training program accordingly.
Recovery? Youshouldtri!
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