29/11/2020
The Science behind Rest & Recovery
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Recovery from training is becoming recognized as one of the most important aspects of physical activity and overall wellness.
Understanding Recovery
We eat, sleep, train, repeat—constantly striving to get bigger, stronger, faster or slimmer—but is there a point where too much becomes harmful? Many recognize the need for recovery after exercise, but do we understand what it takes to fully recover and whether we have actually achieved that state? We hear terms like overtraining and nonfunctional overreaching (the threshold just prior to overtraining) and wonder “Why do they get so much attention today?”
Homeostasis is a state of balance within the body that occurs when the variables in a system (e.g., pH, temperature) are regulated to keep internal conditions stable and relatively constant (Pocari et al. 2015).
Stress is a stimulus that overcomes (or threatens to overcome) the body’s ability to maintain homeostasis.
Recovery is the body’s process for restoring homeostasis.
Types of Recovery
It’s helpful to think of three categories of recovery:
Immediate recovery, which happens in the short time between successive efforts, e.g., between repetitions within a set of biceps curls
Short-term recovery, which happens between sets, e.g., between interval sprints or weight training sets
Training recovery, which happens between workouts or competitions
Monitoring Recovery
Usually, an evening of restful sleep coupled with good nutrition and hydration will restore homeostasis and full recovery. However, we can now monitor various physiological parameters in real time to validate recovery and improve the recovery process.
Eat Right. Train Hard. Feel Amazing 💯
