Why rest and recovery helps you get fitter faster

Ok. I am not going to be popular, so I won’t bother to sugar coat this…

If you want to get the best possible results from your workouts, you need to work out CONSISTENTLY. 

Sure. You do need to “recover”; however there is simply way too much misinformation out there, generally promoting the idea that activity and recovery are mutually exclusive.

Have you heard these?

“Muscles need rest time to grow”

“You shouldn’t exercise every day”

On the one hand, these sayings have helped many (type-A overachievers mainly ?) recognise the importance of rest and recovery.

Yet, who says we shouldn’t be exercising every day!

It’s important to recognise the difference between being lazy and having an actual reason to take a day off. In other words, there are EXCUSES and then there are valid reasons for RECOVERY – which does not always mean time off exercising.

In fact, it may be the choice of exercise that will compromise or help accelerate your fitness goals.

Let’s have a look at these in turn.

EXCUSES

• “I just couldn’t get up in the morning”
• “It’s too cold”
• “It’s too hot”
• “I don’t have enough time”
• “When I have more energy, I’ll work out” (REALLY????)
• “I forgot to pack my clothes”
• “I feel tired”

Valid REASONS

• “I’m sick”
• “I’m injured”
• “I’m absolutely exhausted“
• “I didn’t sleep much / at all last night”

In truth, there is very little to stop you from exercising.

If you’ve had sufficient sleep; have had something to eat and if you can walk unassisted, then you can exercise. Otherwise fix the first 2 (nap, healthy snack etc), then exercise after!

It’s also when your CHOICE of exercise is all-important.

Enter: Active Recovery

Active recovery can be defined as “an easier workout compared to your normal routine”. Typically this workout would be done on an ‘off’ day from training – it’s less intense and has less volume (e.g. number of reps)

For example, if you’re focusing on building lean muscle – your main training days would be strength / resistance training, say 3 times a week. Active recovery on an off day would be going for a leisurely run, swimming or foam rolling (see more ideas below).

Also, when defining active recovery, context is important…

A marathon runner jogging at a slow pace would be an example of active recovery for him/her on an off day. It’s not going to impact their ability to train intensely during their scheduled training days – in fact, it helps accelerate their progress.

However, to a relatively unfit person just starting exercise, anything beyond running for a couple of minutes might be tough. The added stress on the body by going for a jog will outweigh the body’s ability to adapt to the main workout.

As a general rule, exercise qualifies as active recovery if you feel better after exercising compared to before you started.

It’s important to listen to your body, learn to recognise when you need to recover and adjust accordingly.

Most of our regular HIIT goers know how to adjust their workout intensity using the spread of group programs available at Perfect Fit and still train with us 4-5 times a week >> Get a 7-day trial pass here to give all our group classes a go. 

Why Active Recovery?

Active recovery may have a few distinct advantages over simply not exercising, the main one being its psychological benefits. Most people feel better with daily movement – especially if it’s outdoors (e.g. elevates moods, increases circulation)

Active recovery is often done at a level just high enough that it gets the blood moving in order to help reduce residual fatigue in the muscles. It enables your circulatory system to remove the chemical by-products of cellular activity during an intense workout so, in fact, it’s helping to repair and prepare for the intense training to follow.

Ideas for Active Recovery

These are some ideas we recommend for clients…

1. Massaging your muscles

This is a form of self-myofascial release (SMR) using equipment such as foam rollers, massage balls and the like.

If you’re training intensively, it’s essential to pass over all major muscle groups with a foam roller. I like to do this daily. Aim for 30 seconds on each large muscle group, avoiding joints and bony areas. Focus a little extra time on problem areas or pinpoint using a massage ball.

The best thing about self-massaging like this is that you get to control the pressure – the goal is to feel better after foam rolling.

2. Walking or hiking

Fabulous active recovery option. Not only does it get the heart pumping and circulation going but being outside can also increase your feelings of well-being.

If you’re using these as active recovery make sure it’s tailored to your level of fitness – if you feel worse after, say a strenuous hike, it probably doesn’t count as active recovery.

3. Lighter weight lifting

Performing an exercise that made you particularly sore, but using a much lighter weight may be restorative. As a guide, use a weight at or below 30% of your usual weight and perform one set just shy of failure.

4. Swimming

Particularly low stress and great for engaging the cardiovascular and muscular system without adding pressure on the joints. Another one to consider your current fitness level and monitor how you feel before and after this activity.

5. Cycling

Like other forms of aerobic exercise, cycling can be a great active recovery workout as long as you match the intensity to your current fitness levels.

6. Yoga

Mobility work can be a form of active recovery that can be done every day. Yoga is a great example of this – typically each joint in the body is taken through a safe range of motion.