Let’s say you are training for an event – a fun run, a martial arts competition or a marathon. You are probably training several times a week to develop the skills of your sport – a running group or regular martial arts classes, as the case might be.
You wish to turn up at your very best at this event and have decided to invest additional time and attention into your preparation. You seek out the support of a trainer or strength coach to guide you. Naturally, you would expect that your training program would consist of technical and tactical training sessions (which you already do), sessions dedicated to strength and conditioning and sessions focusing on improving other aspects of sport performance as they pertain to your chosen discipline.
When an athlete comes to me for coaching in the scenario described above, one of the initial things we do is to assess what their weekly training and work schedule is likely to look like, including sessions with me, technical sessions and any other training they might do at the gym or outdoors. At this point, in some cases, to the athlete’s surprise, we start to look for sessions and activities that we can cut. Yes, cut! That’s a big one for someone who is used to training daily and some days, twice a day, to get their head around. Often dedicated individuals striving for their best might have the idea that they need to do more, not less, in order to perform better.
You see, rest is as much a part of a training program as all the other components mentioned above. (So is nutrition, but this is for another post.) It is absolutely vital that an athlete should have sufficient time to recover from the demands of physical training. This recovery includes eating optimally, sleeping well, regular rest days, planned de-loading weeks and regular self-care and stress reduction practices.
In fact, it is during the recovery time, not during the training time, that the athlete’s performance improves, as their body adapts to the stimuli of the training sessions.
It is important to note also that when we train at a high volume and intensity, and work and have family responsibilities the balance can be very easily tipped into overtraining. Once this happens, it can result in injury, and overtraining can be very difficult to reverse. This is why I work closely with the athlete and monitor for signs of overtraining, as well as guide them on how to self-monitor.
The point is, don’t be tempted to rush into training more or harder, instead look for ways to train smarter. Take into account your work and family responsibilities leading up to the race and revaluate where you might need to re-balance. Ensure you build sufficient rest time and recovery protocols into your schedule so that on race day you can turn up at your best.
In summary, rest is an investment in your future performance.