Rainham’s Tip of the Week – Recovery

If exercise is good for you then training all the time should be good for you too?

However, when you train in the gym you actually stress your body and then the body adapts and super compensates so it can cope with the stress next time. This adaptation takes from 12 to 48 hours depending on the nature of the stress. And, it occurs while the body is at rest and recovering, or, by not doing the same exercises! If you were to return too quickly to the gym then you will continue to break your body down and do not allow it time to recover.

But to stress it you need to exercise. “Hence the gym”.

A good programme design will put focus on recovery and rest as well as gym training. Recovery could be using the steam and sauna rooms or going for a swim or yoga class. It doesn’t have to be resting completely, as the idea is to do something different. Also, if you train too much and do not allow your body to recover your progress will be low and may even stall completely.

Another very important component of recovery is diet. You need to eat the right food to replenish your body and to help repair it. So, good complex carbs and protein are essential. As are fruit and veg to provide the nutrients you need for recovery.

So, it is all about balance and that’s where your gym instructor comes into it. They will help to design a gym programme and recommend a good recovery strategy. So, please think about booking in to see your instructor about a new programme.

by Mark Dopson
Reynolds @ Rainham