Rest is Training Too: The Power of Recovery Days
In The Era of More
In an era of constant consumption (social media, news apps) and go-go-go mentality, resting can feel like falling behind. "But, she's doing this today," or "he's doing that and that" are thoughts and feelings increasingly voiced.
As an athlete with goals, whether you're recreational or pro, it's easy to fall into the trap of constantly doing more. There's always an area to improve in, another attempt to give, another training session to tick off in pursuit of the next most challenging climb.
But at some point, the go-go-go will come to a complete stop. You'll fatigue quickly and start routinely underperforming. Worse, you'll succumb to a significant injury, sidelining you for months. Alternatively, you'll burn out and begin to hate the training, resenting the need to do more.
We've all heard that rest is critical to improving. Yet, it's easy to neglect the power of recovery days when caught up in the never-ending cycle of chasing the next thing.
Rest is training too. To remind you of the importance of rest, let's explore the benefits of recovery days.
What do Recovery Days Do For You?
Recovery days are essential for three main things: adaptation, mental reset, and injury prevention.
Adaptation. This is the most significant benefit of resting. When you train, you are breaking down your muscles, creating micro-injuries. These injuries are beneficial, but only if you allow your muscles time to rest. Recovery days are when the magic happens and your muscles adapt to the training load by repairing themselves into a stronger version. Without rest, you break down muscle too fast for them to keep up with repair and adaptation.
Mental Reset. Rest days give you a mental break. Constantly thinking about, prepping for, and training is mentally exhausting. Rest days allow you to focus on other aspects of life that bring you joy and fulfillment. Missing climbing is okay; it'll make you excited to go back to the gym.
Injury Prevention. Training without recovery days can lead to injury as your muscles and tendons are overworked. Rest days are like getting your car's oil changed. You can put it off for a long time, but eventually the car is going to make weird noises and in the worst case, break down.
What to do on a Recovery Day?
When you've been going non-stop for a long time, taking rest and recovery days can feel stressful. If you’ve wired your brain always to chase the next thing, sitting still can feel overwhelming. However, a recovery day doesn't have to mean sitting around, doing nothing. In fact, that's the worst thing you can do. As long as you listen to your body and keep the intensity low, you can opt for some light activity with friends or take care of niggles and bad skin.
Instead, here’s a list of fantastic recovery day activities:
Go for a long walk
Go on a leisurely bike ride
Get a massage
Do a mobility routine
Take care of your skin
Hang out with friends
Bake a fun snack
Clean out your climbing bag.
Recovery days are productive. Think of them as a scheduled session in your training program. Just like you are serious about getting in your power endurance and strength sessions every week, make sure you are equally serious about rest days. Your body will thank you, and you will make faster progress in climbing. Don't believe us, you'll have to try it out for yourself!