Workout Recovery Time Cycle

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Recovery Time Cycle

Hopefully, if you are reading these regular articles then you are in fact performing some form of regular exercise and this should be leading to a more healthier you.  One of the common pitfalls of those who commence a training program (and even more seasoned athletes) is over training.

Today we are going to cover the recovery time cycle and why it is important to listen to your body when training.  If you need a break, your body will most likely tell you in some way.

Next, we will provide you with some effective but simple tools to assist you to determine whether or not you are over training.

So, what is the Recovery time cycle?

When you exercise, whether it is in the gym, on the field or even in the garden, you are effectively placing your body under stress and forcing it to adapt to the increase in workloads to improve, grow, lose weight or become stronger, depending on your individual goals and specific training program. Commonly referred to as catabolic, your exercise regime is generally causing damage to your body.

It is during the times when you are at rest (sleeping, lying on the couch or sitting at your desk at work) that your body recovers from those training sessions.  During this recovery period, your body will make adaptations to the stresses you placed it under and this is called super compensation.

This is a period when the muscles are stronger and larger in response to the recent workout. The period of supercompensation does not last for very long and is dependent on a number of factors, food, sleep, rest, fitness levels and sex just to name a few. Elite sports people are always looking at ways of recovering faster, so they can train again. Anabolic Steroids speed up the recovery process, enabling those who use them to train harder, more often.

So, in order to maximize your training you need to be able to time the next workout so that you train when your body is at maximum super compensation, that way it has recovered from the previous workout and fully adapted to the stresses of that workout.

So, the question is, when do you know when you are ready to train again?

Simple really but it takes skill to read the signs.  Your body will tell you when you are ready to train again.  Listen to it.

Pain is an indication that something is not quite right.  It may be that you may need a stretch or it could be even more serious.  As you become accustomed to listening to your body, you’ll pick up natures signs.  In the next couple of weeks, we’ll show you other ways of monitoring yourself such as sleep, stress etc.