For some athletes and active individuals, taking it easy is the hardest thing to do. Even athletes who understand that effective training means pairing hard work with adequate recovery struggle to actually follow through with their recovery plans. Yet, if you can avoid three primary mistakes, your performance in training and competition will soar to new heights.
Recovery Mistake #1: Failing to Take a Day Off
Your body and brain don't perform at their best under constant pressure, and a day without exercise can be just the break you need to keep your performance moving in the right direction. Most athletes benefit from taking one complete day of rest every seven to ten days, on top of other recovery activities like easy, low-intensity exercise sessions. Days off are even more important for novice athletes - like first-year cyclists, triathletes and runners, who should take at least two days of rest every seven to ten days.
Recovery Mistake #2: Cutting Too Many Calories
Too often, when an athlete does a recovery workout or takes the day completely off, they also cut down on the amount of food they eat. You're better off continuing the eating habits you normally have on training days - minus the foods you normally eat during exercise - than making drastic reductions. Recovery days are the time your body uses energy to adapt to your workouts to make you stronger and faster.
Recovery Mistake #3: Going Too Fast During Recovery Workouts
Active recovery is great for accelerating the recuperation process, but those low-intensity walks, jogs, rides and swims only work if you actually slow down. Many athletes start out at a recovery pace and then grow impatient and speed up to their normal endurance pace. This is too fast for recovery, which means you're adding to your accumulated fatigue instead of helping to alleviate it. Riding, running, or walking with someone considerably slower than you is one of the best ways to ensure that your active recovery days don't get out of hand.
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