One of the biggest mistakes beginners make during a workout is ignoring their body’s need for rest. This doesn’t mean that no-rest workouts are bad, but rather that they can’t go on as long or be done as often as regular workouts until your conditioning improves or you risk over-training, which is pushing yourself beyond your capacity for recovery.
Rest Intervals: One of the best ways to really jack up the intensity of your exercise is to decrease the time you rest between sets. Conversely, if you find yourself recovering poorly simply extend this time. Extending rest periods will reduce the amount of lactic acid build up in your muscles, and allows your body to catch up as it were.
Periodization and Time Off: While it may sound blasphemous to some, taking some time off from working out can really add a new dimension to your health and training. What I mean by time off is exactly how it sounds: do absolutely nothing for a few days (preferably a week). Think of it as studying; in order to achieve maximum benefit, your mind requires periodic breaks. Your body works in the same way. You will likely find that you come back to your lifts with far more intensity and strength!
Periodization is a form of changing things up to avoid hitting plateaus and increase recovery ability. You work both fast and slow twitch muscle fibers during this type of training, changing workouts every few weeks. Imagine you always lift heavy, using low reps. For a few weeks, try lifting lighter with high reps and possibly change up the actual lifts as well, hitting the same muscles differently. Bodybuilding.com has a great list of articles which go further in depth.
Sleep: I am going to write an article next week solely on sleep; however I feel it necessary to mention here in these recovery tips that getting a full night’s sleep is paramount. I would recommend 8 hours minimum, preferably 9, in a dark place where you will not be interrupted. Using an alarm clock is often necessary these days, but waking up naturally with the use of light is best for your body. You can buy “alarm clocks” which use light to wake you up, gradually getting brighter and simulating daylight. Avoid caffeinated beverages at least 5 or 6 hrs before your bedtime. For folks like myself who can go straight to bed on a full stomach of espresso, your body is not getting a deep enough sleep even though you don’t wake up during the night, so cut out the coffee and black teas.
While it is important that you break down muscles in order to grow, it is also important that you take the time to let them grow properly. If you ever feel you need a break, take one. This goes for your mind as well, nothing can kill a routine like a decline in morale.
Tomorrow I will go into when and why to use all of the techniques I have gone over this week, as well as some additional little blurbs on recovery. This will tie everything together, allowing you to take all of this information and construct a recovery program as rock solid as your exercise regime.
