Learn How Best To Rest & Recover
Many people and many programs overlook this one very important element — how to rest and recover. What most people fail to recognize is that resting and recovering is just as critical as proteins, oxygen, and other nutrients if you aspire to gain a fit and healthy physique.
During workouts, your muscle tissues break down, temporarily making the body weak. It is in the resting period where the body recovers and makes all of its gains. It is one of the major and unspoken issues with even some of the most followed exercise and weight training programs. In most programs, there is no time for your muscles to rest, reset, and recover. This is when your muscles are most vulnerable to strains and tears. Without rest, you may develop joint issues and chronic fatigue while gradually weakening your natural immunity system. Thus, this makes you vulnerable to get hurt and fall sick more often.
Give your muscles enough time to rest, reset, and recover (Image Source)
How Much Rest Do You Actually Need?
To be specific, it differs from individual to individual. It is pretty much like how some people need 9 hours of sleep every night while some do just fine with 6 to 7 hours. To simply put it in perspective, based on research, years of experience, and the law of obvious: when you work out, it causes billions of microscopic size tears in those muscle cells. And after a thorough and proper workout, they need 24 to 48 hours to recover 100%. It might be enough when your workout was inefficient, jerking dumbbells up and down with no actual intensity. But that won’t be enough when you are firing 90 to 100% of your cells, as thoroughly as you do during a tough session. Your muscles will require at least 3 to 4 days to recover if you are pushing to maximum intensity in your workouts. It is common sense that a skin cut or abrasion does not completely heal in 2 days. So, how will the fired muscle cells manage to recover in 1 or 2 days?
So, how to find the resting period that is optimal for your body? It all depends on how often you train. If you are a beginner, you will have a longer recovery time. So, if you work out twice a week, then you will need at least 4 days in between full body workouts. However, if you are doing a split, then you can train upper body two days after you train lower body.
When you upgrade to work out intensely four times a week, the optimal resting time is usually like most other slow rep members. Thus, the optimum resting period is going to be between 5 to 7 days for each muscle. However, just remember to listen to your body. Its all about how you and your muscles feel.
Listen to your body to know what optimal resting period it needs (Image Source)
Your Daily “Power Time”
Here is something that needs to be kept in mind: your rest period needs to be used to actually rest. This golden opportunity to rest should not be wasted by adding extra stress or aggravation to your routine. So, you need to take one hour every day and make it your “power time”. Treat yourself with this free time, rejuvenate your body and nourish it during this time. Don’t think of this ad
vice as sissy or meek. People grow strong and big with quality rest. You may even call it the actual fitness time. Just like stress reduction is a daily physical necessity to keep away diseases and maintain health.
When the human mind is in distress, it stimulates the release of cortisol and other distress hormones. This elevates your heartbeat rate and also your breathing speed and blood flow. It is the standard human body response for flight-or-fight — the natural protocol for countering danger. When this elevated cortisol level is something you experience often, it will have devastating consequences for your health. Blood pressure will hike up, immune system and sleep pattern are affected, and digestion system is severely altered. So, stress reduction is of significant value to your overall fitness.
So, What to Do in the “Power Time”?
The power time is basically to relax and de-stress. It could be one hour or two, it’s up to you. The ideal form would be a nap in the afternoon or after work, which is arguably one of the most nutritious and rejuvenating activities to indulge in during power time. Naps are so effective that even US president John F. Kennedy and British PM Winston Churchill are known to have taken regular naps to regenerate their energy during turbulent times. Here are few suggestions to make your power hour more effective:
Besides increasing strength, balance, and flexibility, yoga also soothes and relaxes your body (Image Source)
- Yoga and Stretching
Yoga is an ancient practice that has become immensely trendy as of late and for a very good reason. It offers a lot of good outcomes if followed in moderation. Besides its many benefits, yoga increases strength, balance, and flexibility. It also helps in increased blood flow to the muscles and also releases endorphins. Yoga is also an amazingly soothing and relaxing practice. It forms a deep connection between you and your body and annexes the mental and physical connection of your body. A yoga session of an hour will have you feel like you have had a full body massage. Yoga is therapeutic and energizing. The ideal way to start is by attending one or two classes a week. They are usually not very expensive and can be found practically anywhere. As you gain experience, you will be able to practice it anytime, anyplace.
- Massage
If only folks went for one really therapeutic massage, just once every month, we wouldn’t have wars anymore. Honestly, everyone would be serene and too tranquil to bother arguing with each other. If you can’t go every week, then one or two a month is just as good. The healing and restorative powers it offers for muscles and mind are prodigious. After a massage, you will feel six times stronger, and you will recover quicker.
- Anything Else, from Bungee to Hiking to Meditation
Your power time can pretty much be anything that puts your mind and body on a non-stress pattern for one hour. For some of you, it could be something like reading romances in the Jacuzzi or watering the plants or jamming with your guitar. It could even be skydiving. You can take a walk through the woods or just stroll in the garden as greenery is known to have soothing effects unlike anything else.
Use your power time wisely to put your mind and body on a non-stress pattern for one hour (Image Source)
Stretching Is Very Important:
Stretching regularly is equally as vital for your body as exercise. It is probably the most ignored fitness regime aspect even though it offers some major perks. Now, there is no need to stretch your full body post workout every time; rather you can pick one key part of your body and focus on it each time. Look for the muscles that feel stiff and pay attention to them. Here are some reasons why stretching is a must-include portion of your everyday rest and recovery schedule.
- For The Body
- It improves flexibility and increases range of motion.
- It aids in correcting posture by loosening up stiff muscles that tend to pull body parts away from the intended position. Due to excessive time spent in front of laptops, chest muscles tighten which tends to pull the head and shoulders forward, giving that hunched back look.
- The potential of injury decreases as we warm up our muscles before intense activity.
- It boosts the blood and nutrition supply to our muscles, as a result aiding in the reduction of muscle soreness.
- For The Mind
- A quick 10 to 15 minutes stretch can amazingly calm your mind, offer you a mental timeout, and also offer your body an opportunity to recharge itself.
- There are classes like Pilates and yoga that can be an opportunity for you to stretch and release mental and physical tension for an hour.
Don’t forget to include stretching as part of your recovery (Image Source)
- Sleep
Getting adequate sleep should be your biggest priority. Most people fail in this chapter of resting and recovering. An average person requires at least eight hours of slumber each night, but still over 43% of US citizens barely sleep for six hours every night. As a consequence, they spend most of their time chronically tired. If only they were aware how much value sleep offers for health! When a person is sleep deprived, their immunity system degrades. They start to lose their ability to keep focused, and they may start to have severe mood swings. Sleep deprivation also causes weight gain as the human body fails to burn calories efficiently.
Commit yourself to at least 8 hours of sleep every night. Develop a routine of going to bed and waking up at same times. Avoid stimulants like nicotine and caffeine after 5 in the evening. Don’t ever use sleeping pills or alcohol to fall asleep quickly. Alcohol will give you a shallow and frantic sleep that is going to wake you up half way through the night. If your body is feeling too tense prior to bedtime, you can take a few minutes and lightly stretch or do yoga to help you relax. Or you can drink a herbal tea. Chamomile is particularly soothing before bedtime. If you have serious sleeping problems, then you should see a specialist.
Nothing can have an impact and effect on your health, fitness, and overall well-being greater than adequate sleep. Start this from tonight!
Rest & Recover Summary!
- Be committed to rest as you are committed to exercise and nutrition.
- Rest around 3 to 5 complete days depending on how your body feels.
- Treat yourself with “Power Time” everyday to help your muscles relax and recover.
- Never over-train, keep consistent.
- Stretching is very important. So, stretch daily for at least 10 to 15 minutes.
- You must sleep 8 hours every night.
- Do not take stimulants after 5pm.
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