Resting doesn't go
well by me. I'm a very active guy (Well I should be) and I don't like the
thought of doing nothing. And that's what most people perceive rest to be.
Doing absolute jack. Rest, or recovery as I would rather put it, is hard work.
Just like training, rest also has its principles and components to get the best
out of it. I will run through a couple of my findings and personal experiences
on recovery and hopefully we will have all learned something today.
THE DEFINITION OF REST/RECOVERY
When you look at the word "recovery" its definition by most standards means getting something back or finding something you've lost. Like, "I lost my legs on Monday night at the squat rack, but I recovered them yesterday". Recovery basically means getting your body back to the state you were before you trained or resting state (homeostasis). When you rest a number of things happen: 1) Your body returns to its normal physiological functions (you catch your breath, blood pressure returns to normal and so on). 2) Your energy stores are replenished 3) Your body gets rid of the by-products of the torture you put it through (lactic acid, hydrogen ions). 4) Hormones are released for recovery according to the type of training done ,and 5) You start looking awesome-duh!
When you look at the word "recovery" its definition by most standards means getting something back or finding something you've lost. Like, "I lost my legs on Monday night at the squat rack, but I recovered them yesterday". Recovery basically means getting your body back to the state you were before you trained or resting state (homeostasis). When you rest a number of things happen: 1) Your body returns to its normal physiological functions (you catch your breath, blood pressure returns to normal and so on). 2) Your energy stores are replenished 3) Your body gets rid of the by-products of the torture you put it through (lactic acid, hydrogen ions). 4) Hormones are released for recovery according to the type of training done ,and 5) You start looking awesome-duh!
For any of the above
to take place rest is needed and for optimal results there are a few things you
need to follow. I will briefly go over some of the components...
NUTRITION AND SUPPLEMENTATION
A big component in recovery is the quality of food you put in your belly or the lack of food in many cases. Eating the right foods aids in recovery in some cases. Obviously a big one is protein. It aids in the repair of all damaged tissue. Carbohydrates also play a role in the replenishment of energy stores. Antioxidants such as vitamin C and E have been proven to resist the effects of muscle soreness and damage (DOMS) in some cases, thereby enhancing recovery.
HOW MUCH REST SHOULD I BE HAVING?
Now this is a big one.
There are three levels of recovery. Immediate recovery, short term recovery and
training recovery. Immediate recovery refers to the recovery between each
action or repetition you do. For instance if your are doing step ups, when you
are at the bottom of your movement and your weight is on the leg on the ground,
your energy levels recover at a very low level before the next rep. Short term
recovery is the recovery between sets. That is pretty self explanatory. Taking
a break before your next set to perform the same or better than the previous
set. The type we are looking at is training recovery. The amount of rest in
between workouts of a specific muscle group.
Depending on the type of training 2 - 3 days rest is safest for complete muscle repair, central nervous system recovery. Two days for smaller or isolated muscle groups and three days for the larger groups. The more motor neurons and muscle fibres that are recruited to perform a certain activity the more rest is needed to recover. If you are still sore after three days you may have pushed it too hard and detraining starts to happen. Regression, not fun times at all.
The type of training you do also has a bearing on how much rest you should have between workouts. Open chain exercises and higher intensity workouts require more rest because of the amount of motor neurons and muscle fibres recruited to do those lifts. In short, don't go blasting chest every day because you need a big chest. You wont have a chest when you are done.
THE FINAL THOUGHT
Depending on the type of training 2 - 3 days rest is safest for complete muscle repair, central nervous system recovery. Two days for smaller or isolated muscle groups and three days for the larger groups. The more motor neurons and muscle fibres that are recruited to perform a certain activity the more rest is needed to recover. If you are still sore after three days you may have pushed it too hard and detraining starts to happen. Regression, not fun times at all.
The type of training you do also has a bearing on how much rest you should have between workouts. Open chain exercises and higher intensity workouts require more rest because of the amount of motor neurons and muscle fibres recruited to do those lifts. In short, don't go blasting chest every day because you need a big chest. You wont have a chest when you are done.
THE FINAL THOUGHT
Rest is very important
and is the phase in training where your body gets to regroup and recuperate so
that you may progress. The human body is built to adapt to anything you put in
front of it but you need to be smart about it. Allow your body to deliver the
results you require, after the variety of obstacles you have laid in its way.
With all that said, don't be afraid to progress and push your limits. Train.
Eat. SLEEP. Repeat.
MORNE "BIGGIE" SMAL
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