So you're sore huh? You worked out so hard yesterday that you can't
move normally today. You think your body can't do anything but rest.
So many times your body will be so sore and you don't want to move at all
because you don't want to think about how sore you are and every time you
move it feels painful.
What is the Solution?
Move more!
But I can't move!
Move More!
The key to recovery and becoming more fit, has nothing to do with taking 2 or 3 days to rest after a hard workout. The key is to workout the next day! Then another day after that! Your body will forget how sore you are once it is properly warmed up and you get into the next workout.
Yes your muscle tissue is broken up. But the lactic acid that builds up inside the muscle need to be broken up and pushed through to allow the body to recover properly. The only way that can be done is by moving, getting the heart rate up and sweating.
Even if you are not training at the gym or a boot camp any given day, that is not a reason for total rest.
Off days should consist of short distance run(800m), Series of dynamic warm ups(High knees, butt kicks, punter kicks, Power skips, etc.), Body weight movements(2x 10 Squats, Push ups, Pull ups, Sit ups, Dips, Lunges) and light weightlifting(10 Dead Lifts, KB swings, Barbell Shoulder Press). None of this is full speed ahead. We are focused on taking the body through various ranges of motions. After this is complete spend 30 to 45 minutes stretching or doing active release therapies(Deep tissue Massage/Trigger Point)
Avoiding this will result in constant soreness, tighter bodies and slower recovery.
3 comments:
love the post - I just sat down to write a bit about RESTING :) you beat me to it! I'll take your advice this weekend and move a little but take time to recover from your killer workouts this week.
Thanks mike, I always get confused about rest days and I am not good at compeletely doing nothing. Now I feel better about doing shorts runs or yoga on my rest days.
Thanks Mike! You just inspired me to get out in the backyard while my baby is sleeping, and swing my kettlebell around and do some squats and push-ups. 20 minutes of that goes a long way...
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