We live in a fast-paced society. Technological inventions like high-speed internet and drive-through restaurants have fostered a culture that expects results quickly. While these inventions have helped us become more efficient in our daily lives, the “results-now” mindset has made its way into the fitness industry. Every day we see infomercials that advertise “magic,” next generation training programs that guarantee results in 30 days, and new blogs are released about “the best exercises” to help you gain strength, lose weight quickly or look like a celebrity model. This type of media has seemed to create the idea that we need to exercise at a high intensity for many days out of the week and sometimes twice in one day. While high intensity training can be effective, it must be done properly and sparingly because overdoing it can produce consequences that may put our health at risk.
While we exercise, we are first breaking the body down instead of becoming stronger. During exercise the body responds in two main ways: First, our body releases “stress” hormones that cause our heart rate to increase and causes the breakdown of nutrients for energy, secondly, our muscles respond by tensing up to help us move in the direction the exercise demands. The longer or more intense we exercise, the harder our heart has to work, the more nutrients have to be broken down for energy, and the longer our muscles have to move under tension. This constant movement causes our muscles to become damaged by actually tearing.
This is a natural part of exercise, the reason why we feel sore, and, if we give our body time to properly recover, it is also how we become stronger. Ample recovery time allows our body to return to resting levels by “flushing” the stress hormones out of our system, replenishing lost energy and allowing our damaged muscle tissue time to heal. Constantly exercising at a high intensity, combined with minimal recovery time, can cause the stress hormones to stay elevated and does not allow sufficient time for our muscles to repair.
Although exercising at a high intensity past our comfort zone is necessary for our body to improve physically, this tactic should only be used a few times per week and should be combined with recovery techniques that are listed below. Here is an example of what a training week should look like:
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
| Rest + Stretch | Heavy Lifting Day | Light Intensity Cardio + Stretch | HIIT | Light Lifting Day | Moderate Intensity Cardio + Stretch | Rest or Light Activity |
If our exercising routine does not allow for rest and recovery, it can result in overtraining or training to the point where your body starts to negatively respond to exercise. Studies have shown that those who over train can become weaker, lose muscle mass and increase their risk for infection. Here is a list of symptoms for overtraining:
- Muscle weakness
- Excessive soreness lasting multiple days
- Decreased exercise performance after weeks of training
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Increased resting heart rate and/or blood pressure
- Increased time needed to recover from exercise
- Decrease in testosterone and human growth hormone, which are essential for muscle growth and repair
- Unexplained weight loss
- Decreased desire to train
- Mood disturbances
- Decreased appetite
- Reduction in quality and/or quantity of sleep
- Elevated cortisol levels, which causes a
breakdown of energy and muscle
How do we know when the body needs a break? Easy, when we really don’t feel like training. It is important not to confuse this with the feeling of not wanting to exercise. Individuals who are newer to exercise often need the extra push from family, friends or fitness professionals to get them to train. However, if you have been exercising consistently for weeks or months and your body feels like it needs a break, then take it. The body has the amazing capability of telling us when it needs time to recover before the onset of adverse effects occur. It is important not to get caught up with the fear of losing what we have gained or the obsession with reaching a milestone, which can trick our mind into thinking we have to constantly work. If your symptoms persist, please see a physician for help. Remember, we don’t become stronger during exercise; we become stronger as a result of proper recovery.
There is no one-size-fits-all plan to proper recovery. It is an individual approach that takes some trial and error to fine tune the best strategy for you. However, here are some tips that can help the body recover effectively:
| Recovery Strategy | Reasoning |
| Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet | Aids in muscle longevity, maintains energy levels |
| Consume a well-balanced meal at least two hours prior to a workout | Maintains energy levels during workout |
| Eat right after a workout | Aids in muscle recovery, replenishes energy levels |
| Stay hydrated | Aids in muscle recovery, maintains energy levels |
| Sleep at least 8 hours a night | Keeps stress hormones low, increases muscle recovery, replenishes energy |
| Vary your training schedule | Decreases chances of overtraining |
| Avoid high intensity workouts after a stressful day. Perform light intensity exercise or stretching after stressful days at work or in your personal life. | Body cannot discern stress from life versus stress from exercise. If your engine is already racing at its 100 mph limit, then why speed up the vehicle even further and increase the chances of breaking down? |
| Incorporate relaxation techniques to your weekly training regimen* | Relieves tension from muscles, decreases levels of stress hormones |
*Relaxation techniques: Stretching, foam rolling, yoga, deep breathing technique
Training should be simple. We already have a lot going on in our professional and personal life, so use the time in the fitness center as a time to unwind. You will be surprised about how much this positively impacts your performance.