The Importance of Recovery
Many people overlook the importance of taking a day or two off from heavy lifting at the gym then wonder why they stop making progress...
While you workout your muscles experience microtears to the fibers you are training...
That's right... Your muscles are literally being torn apart and broken down while you workout...
Then while you are resting, aka. recovering is when your body replaces those microtears with new and stronger muscle fibers...
This concept explains why the longer you workout, the more fatigued you start to feel...
If you bench press 100 reps, you will begin to feel very fatigued at some point sooner or later because the fibers are completely being ripped apart as you work them...
This concept also explains soreness... When you feel sore, it is because your muscle fibers have been broken down to a point beyond what they are used to...
The regeneration process can also take a bit longer which is why some people are sore for a few days after a workout...
This can become dangerous for those who overtrain or do not allow adequate time for muscle recovery before training the same muscle group again...
We all know that person who goes to the gym everyday and only trains chest, or shoulders, or arms... And we can likely determine who will get injured at some point sooner or later...
For example, if someone does bicep curls every workout, they are much more likely to experience a biceps tendon tear compared to someone who trains biceps 1-2x per week...
This concept applies to any portion of the body...
Inadequate recovery time + overtraining = injury
How long is enough recovery time?
This answer will be different for everyone...
If you are new to exercising a training program 2-3x per week can be very effective...
You still target all the main muscle groups, and allow 1-2 days of rest in between each workout...
More advanced lifters are able to train up to 5+ days per week because at this point their body has adapted to the amount of training they perform...
But it is still important to note that even though you train 5 days per week, you still give each muscle group 1-2 days rest before training it again...
Why does recovery matter?
The main reasons recovery is so important is to prevent injury, and allow the muscle fibers to replenish themselves to grow bigger and stronger...
If you never allow your muscle to take time to recover, you will never be able to reach its maximum potential in terms of strength and size...
It's like trying to save $1,000,000 but you never give your bank account the time it needs to grow without spending money...
The best methods for recovery
Recovering does not mean do nothing!
I heard an acronym from a fellow trainer that I took and ran with because I love it so much
KISS- keep it stupid simple
My go-to methods for recovery are going for a walk, static stretching to the areas that are sore/tight or that I trained that day, foam rolling, and drinking plenty of water
There is nothing fancy about it, but if you take care of your body, it will give you the results you are working for in return
Don't overcomplicate things, and don't overtrain without allowing enough recovery time, unless you want to become injured
If you have questions or are unsure on what an appropriate program should look like for your experience and goals, Platinum Training is always here to help!
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Keep up the hard work!