RECOVERY DAYS & SLEEP: Why they're so important to training
It’s easy to think that more training means better results. But when it comes to fitness, working harder isn’t always the answer. Your body needs time between workouts to repair muscle tissue, restore energy and adapt to the demands you’re putting on it. In fact, recovery is just as much a part of training as the workout itself. Whether you’re a competitive athlete, a weekend warrior or simply someone who enjoys staying active, recovery and rest deserve a place in your routine.
Why You Need Rest & Recovery
When you exercise (particularly during high-intensity or strength training), you create small amounts of damage in your muscle fibers. As your body repairs that tissue, your muscles adapt and become stronger. In other words, the work you do in the gym provides the stimulus, but the rebuilding happens while you recover.
Your body also needs time between workouts to restore glycogen, the stored form of energy your muscles rely on during exercise. If you consistently train without giving your body enough time to recover, you may notice your performance start to suffer. Ongoing soreness, fatigue and muscle or joint pain can also become more common.
How much recovery you need depends on factors such as your age, fitness level, sport and training intensity. There’s no universal number of rest days that works for everyone. For example, the American Council on Exercise recommends that people who engage in high-intensity exercise schedule a rest day every seven to 10 days, but some athletes may benefit from taking breaks more often.
The key is to pay attention to how your body responds to training rather than treating recovery as a one-size-fits-all rule.
Types of Recovery
Active recovery can look like light physical activity after an intense workout. Instead of completely stopping movement, you give your body a chance to recover while keeping your blood flowing.
Increased circulation can help deliver oxygen and nutrients to tissues that are repairing themselves. It can also help move away metabolic byproducts that accumulate during intense exercise.
The goal isn't to recreate your workout at a lower intensity. It’s to get your heart rate above its resting level without putting the same demands on the muscles and movement patterns you used during training.
Some examples of active recovery include walking or light jogging, using a stationary bike or light strength training, all of which FHF has. We even offer a run club on those rest days where you can go at your own pace.
Active recovery can also be a great time to incorporate stretching or massage. Because your muscles are already warm, gentle stretching can help improve your range of motion while reducing the likelihood of injury. FHF has a PT on staff if you’re needing a little extra recovery!
Fueling Your Recovery
What you eat and drink after a workout can help your body restore the energy you've used and support the process of muscle repair. After exercise, prioritize enough calories and a balanced combination of protein and carbohydrates. Carbohydrates help replenish your muscles' glycogen stores, while protein provides the building blocks your body needs to repair and rebuild muscle tissue. If you have questions about this, you can always ask our Certified Nutrition Coach, Bre, to help with recovery tips and tricks with nutrition.
And remember: Sometimes the best recovery is no workout at all. Passive recovery, taking a day or two completely off from exercise, is an important part of a well-rounded training routine, too.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Sleep
Sleep is one of the most important tools you have for recovery (as well as overall health). A significant amount of muscle repair and growth takes place while you sleep. Adequate sleep also plays a role in hormone regulation, immune function and mood, all of which can affect how you feel and perform during your workouts.
For athletes and active individuals, not getting enough sleep can negatively affect your endurance and other aspects of physical performance. It can also affect the body's hormone balance, including increasing levels of the stress hormone cortisol, while reducing human growth hormone, which plays an important role in tissue repair.
When poor sleep leaves you fatigued, unfocused or low on energy, your risk of injury may increase. But getting enough hours isn't the only consideration. Sleep quality and consistency matter, too. A regular sleep schedule and uninterrupted sleep can help your body get the restorative rest it needs. If you're frequently waking up throughout the night or your sleep schedule is constantly changing, you may not be getting the full benefits of your time in bed.
Listen to Your Body
Some soreness after a new or particularly challenging workout is normal and commonly known as delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS), which typically improves within a few days.
What shouldn't be considered normal is soreness that consistently interferes with your workouts or makes everyday physical activity difficult. Excessive soreness can be a sign that you're putting more stress on your body than it can adequately recover from. In some cases, significant muscle damage can take several weeks to fully resolve.
If you're regularly experiencing excessive soreness, it may be time to reevaluate your training volume or give yourself more time between workouts.
Your body may give you other clues that it's time for a break, including:
Persistent feelings of fatigue
An unexplained or ongoing drop in performance
Musculoskeletal aches and pains
Recovery isn't a sign that you're falling behind. It's part of how you move forward. Giving your body adequate time to rest, refuel and sleep allows you to get more out of the training you put in — and helps you show up for your next workout ready to perform.
Come Train & Recover with Us
As a Freight House Fitness member, you have access to both our fitness and yoga classes, so you get the benefits of strength training as well as mobility at no extra cost. Our yoga classes focus on the muscles you trained that day, so you start the active recovery process right away. Sign up now to get started!