Rest
Firstly, I completely understand that I have inherited every single athlete from programs that encourages that swimming more means better results. All athletes that are focused on their training regimens, should be incorporating a range of workouts to build strength and maximize performance.
A critical but sometimes overlooked part of any training regimen is rest and recovery. Recovery is about getting back to that baseline and maximizing not only performance but also the athlete’s health. This is actually where we allow the body to build and repair to allow optimal performance and allow inflammation to go down.
Training stresses the body in various ways. Work, school, relationships and the busy pace of modern life can all exacerbate stress, which has a cascade of effects on the body. Stay in a stress state long enough, and there are negative impacts on health.
If you’re exercising and operating in this stressful, high-cortisol state all of the time, you aren’t getting back to the rest and digest state, and your body isn’t able to heal. That has implications on injury, illness, strength production – everything. Rest and recovery are important for everyone who is active, from student athletes to older adults.
Prioritise Sleep
During sleep, an athlete’s body is actively working to repair and grow muscles. Sleep is also helpful for regulating hormones, boosting the immune system and strengthening overall mood. Athletes need to take steps to foster good sleep, such as keeping a cool, dark bedroom that is free from screens, this will allow them to obtain the deep sleep that is required to repair their body after the stresses of training.
Build rest days into training
Designated rest days help athletes recover and heal after training and competitions. Some find that periodization – a process in which periods of training are alternated with periods of rest – improves performance and helps decrease injury. For instance, an athlete may train for three weeks and then take one week off for recovery.
This gives the immune system a chance to recover. Maintaining a strong immune system is key to warding off illnesses and injury, which is especially important when competing.
Everyone is different, some people can operate on different amounts of stresses and sleep. Ultimately, it’s about finding out what works for your athlete, but everyone needs some level of recovery.
No one can function without getting adequate recovery, rest and recovery is as important as the actual training however if you’re not allowing your body to recover from training, you’re not getting a boost from it.
Rest and recovery is all about giving the body time to repair, rebuild, and strengthen itself between workouts. Rest days are just as important as the training days.