"Rest is for the weak", sometimes you still hear that phrase in athletic centers and in teams during that locker room talk. Some people don't seem to rest at all (you know, the people that seem like they are in the gym for 5+ hours every day) and are getting the results they want. But, you are confused because you constantly hear that "you need time for rest and recovery".
Immediate vs Long-term Recovery (and why you should do both)
Immediate recovery is probably the recovery you are thinking of. This is the recovery that one does after an exercise session or event and done over the days following that bout, sometime called the cool-down or active recovery. This is low-intensity exercise is important for energy and fluid replenishment that was lost during exercise and to help with protein synthesis (which helps increase the gains and repair the muscle from the workout). A post-exercise meal will also play an important part in your immediate recovery as well to help with muscle synthesis and repair.
Long-term recovery is what should be built into a training program, which consists of days or weeks of active rest to allow the body to recuperate from the heavy training loads that are in a program. Whether it is modifying exercises, lowering intensity, duration, or weights, this stage of a program in important to allow the body to prepare for a heavy training load and prevents over-training.
Sleep
Individuals who are sleep deprived struggle when it comes to health, fitness, and performance. And we aren't talking about one or two nights of poor sleeping. Inadequate sleep over long periods of time can cause changes in hormone levels, especially the ones that control sleep, muscle recovery, and mood. Sleep deprivation can also cause increases in cortisol levels which can cause increases in stress, decrease the activity of natural human growth hormone, and decrease glycogen (storage glucose) synthesis.
Rest VS Recovery
There is an important difference between the two that we should also make clear. Rest is time meant sleeping and not exercising. Everyone should be taking rests at some point in the day. Recovery is the time used to apply different techniques to reduce muscle soreness, improve flexibility and mobility, and to restore energy stores. This is generally done the day of a workout. Again, both are important as they all help with athletic performance and keep you healthy and fit to continue exercising long term.
When to incorporate rest? Listen to your body. If you are have extreme soreness, are not feeling well, you are stressed, or you didn't sleep well, it may be a good idea to have a rest day.
When to incorporate recovery? This should already be in your program. These are the lighter days during a de-loading phase to help repair the tears you caused during a heavy and intense workout. everyone is different, but movement is key. Generally, someone may need one or two days of this before the next intense workout.
Balanced Recovery/Rest and Exercise:
Usually the general rule is the higher the intensity and greater the training effort, the greater need for planned recovery. The best way to determine this is to log your training schedule and log how you felt after the workouts as time goes on. Keep in mind the signs of over-training, as these are signs that you need recovery or rest added into the program somewhere.
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