Hopefully, it is no shock that I’m talking about RECOVERY as part of my Master the Basics series. 

Recovery is more than a rest day. Exercise is the stimulus. When we recover, we adapt to repeat the stimulus more efficiently. Therefore, all the benefits of exercise occur because of recovery.

There are two essential things to understand about training that can make you much more efficient with recovery. 

1.  What forms of training create a large recovery debt? Resistance training, impact training, long-duration activity and explosive forms of training rank high. Whereas short duration, low impact, and most mobility practices do not.
2. Do three variables need to be managed to aid recovery?
   • INTENSITY (the weight you lift or the speed you run) 
   • VOLUME (the number of reps and sets) 
   • FREQUENCY (amount of sessions)

These cannot all be high at the same time.

You can’t train at high INTENSITY and high FREQUENCY. It’s simply not possible. You accumulate fatigue, and your performance drops as the week progresses. 

Same with VOLUME, if you train with a high level of reps and sets or long sessions, you cannot lift heavy and might need help doing lots of sessions.

Of course, you can increase work capacity, but no one is exempt from these rules.

How to master recovery:

1. Train SMART – not all sessions need to be “balls to the wall”. There are considerable benefits to things like LISS (low-intensity steady state) and other recovery protocols. If you like to train frequently, reduce the intensity.
2. Back off in some sessions so you can go hard in others – very little comes from many long half-arsed sessions. Focus on quality work.
3. Be performance-driven – weight lifted, volume-load achieved, max run time etc. If you need help to improve, this could be a sign you’re doing too much.
4. Be PROACTIVE, not REACTIVE – pay attention to how your body feels when you push your limit for a while. Learn when is the right time to back off and implement recovery protocols like deloads. Don’t wait until you are crushed to focus on recovery.

Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram, where I share exercise techniques and show you how to maximise your training. I hope you enjoyed this blog post, if you have any questions, I host a weekly  Q&A session on my Instagram channel. Otherwise, please feel free to email me at andy@andyvincentpt.com. 

If you want to get in touch and see how I can help your fitness and become your Online Personal Trainer, click here.