You don’t get stronger during training. You get stronger after your body rebuilds itself from training. That’s why going hard all the time is an unproductive approach—it dulls both your mental and physical edges. Resting after a hard workout and giving your body what it needs to recover are the smartest things you can do.
FEED YOUR MUSCLES Within an hour after training, you’ve got to eat—otherwise your body starts eating itself. You’ve just depleted its stores of energy and fluids, so it needs refueling. The time to do this is right after finishing a workout, when your system’s craving glycogen. If you can eat (or drink) something that contains carbohydrates, proteins, and a bit of fat, you’ll bounce back from exertion far more quickly. On the other hand, if you spike a bunch of sugar into your bloodstream by, say, drinking a Coke, you’ll get a burst of energy, followed by a crash.
DRINK UP It’s as easy to get dehydrated after exercise as it is during it. There are dozens of fancy postworkout electrolyte-balancing recovery drinks available, but I generally avoid them because most are packed with sugar. Unless you’re competing in a stage of the Tour de France, you can stick with water.
TAKE ACTIVE REST Active rest—or movement that helps recovery—sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s a big part of intelligent training. The key is to alternate activities that use your body in different ways. For example, after a heavy weight workout, I’ll head out on a mountain bike ride. Following anaerobic exercise with something more cardiovascular helps flush lactic acid while circulating oxygen and other nutrients. Another way to approach active rest is to do something on your off days that gets you moving but isn’t a grind. Go for an easy swim. Kick back with a game of bocce on the beach. Not only will it give your muscles a break, it’s a license to play that will help you stay motivated.
GET ENOUGH SLEEP (AND MAYBE A LITTLE EXTRA) Never skimp on sleep. When I’m working hard, exerting myself physically, I’m an 8- to 10-hour-a-night guy. Not that I can’t operate with less, but over the long haul, I need at least 8 for a sense of well-being. That downtime is vital to your body’s ability to regenerate itself. All kinds of critical processes take place while you’re sleeping, including the pituitary gland’s biggest pulse of growth hormone. Your brain’s pumping out different wavelengths; your muscles get a chance to relax completely. Disrupting your natural sleep cycle is one of the most damaging things you can do. (And by the way, it’s not true that you can catch up on missed sleep.) If you consistently get less sleep than you need over a prolonged period, it will negatively affect every system in your body. Don’t feel guilty about being horizontal. On the contrary: If you need more rest, take it.
AND ENJOY IT Relax—you’ve earned some time off. Lie around. Nap. Get a massage. It took me a while to learn this, but now when I feel burnt out, I lift my legs up on the couch and enjoy it.
