Rest and your body will be thankful

You don’t have to be a pro-athlete to reap the benefits of a good rest day. Liz Connor finds out what it’s all about

If you’re looking to get stronger, leaner and fitter, it’s easy to believe the fastest way to see results is to go hard with your exercise – as often as possible. Recovery isn’t a new concept, of course – but thanks to the rise of high-intensity workouts, the term has become a lot more sophisticated than just taking a day to catch up on Netflix. There’s now a growing trend for supercharging your rest days with dedicated gym classes, gadgets and techniques designed to help you recover better and faster.

SO WHY IS RECOVERY IMPORTANT?

“I always tell my clients that recovery is important to build into any exercise regime,” says Jake Roston, a trainer from PureGym (puregym.com). “It’s the time the body takes to adapt to the stresses of exercise, replenish energy stores and repair damaged muscle tissue.”

Jake explains that when we workout, we make minute tears in our muscle tissue, which is how we get stronger. “During recovery, the body repairs these tears, making them more resilient to future exercise,” he says. “Without recovery, you’d continue to rupture your muscle, which can result in injury.”

There are other negative effects to not recovering properly too. “If you’re not employing proper recovery strategies, you may see sub-optimal results from your training and slower progress,” says Elliott Upton, senior personal trainer at Ultimate Performance (upfitness.co.uk). “Lack of proper rest can also impact your immune system, your mood and your sleep too.

“It’s important to remember that you do not adapt and grow during your workout, you adapt and grow when you recover,” adds Elliott.

HOW MUCH REST AND RECOVERY IS REQUIRED?

As a general rule of thumb, Jake says average muscle recovery normally takes between 24-48 hours.

“Many people can suffer from Doms (delayed onset muscle soreness) for up to 48 hours after a hard workout,” says Elliott, especially if you’re new to exercise, have had a long period off or are starting a new training cycle. If you’re finding the soreness is lingering for four to five days after though, he warns that you may be training with too much volume and intensity.

Rest and recovery doesn’t just mean doing nothing, though. “Fitness recovery can take many forms, such as stretching, yoga, foam-rolling or even focusing on your post-workout nutrition,” says Dave Mercer, a personal trainer at Nuffield Health (nuffieldhealth.com).

Elliott agrees that “nutrition is really key – and following a high protein diet is important for anyone who trains hard. Protein’s primary role in the body is growth and repair, and this can help to minimise muscle soreness after a workout,” he adds.

He always recommends his clients set up their diet to help combat inflammation, and advises avoiding foods that put the body in a pro-inflammatory state.

“In an inflamed state, it’s not only the risk of injury that increases, but the time taken to recover too,” he says.

“Eating a diet rich in green vegetables and essential fats containing anti-inflammatory omega-3s, like oily fish, while limiting overly processed foods is a good rule to follow.

“Foods that are pro-inflammatory include refined sugar, alcohol, trans and hydrogenated fats, and pro-inflammatory omega-6 fats like seed and vegetable oils.”

‘ACTIVE RECOVERY’ IS ALSO A THING

“Staying active, moving your body and using your muscles is important, even when you are recovering,” says Elliott, referring to “active recovery”.

This essentially means undertaking low-intensity exercise between heavier workouts.

“Types of active recovery that are low-impact and not overly taxing on your body can be things like a gentle walk, swim or bike ride, or even yoga,” he adds.

Recovery isn’t just for the body though – rest days are important for mental health too.

The boom of franchise and independent studios focusing on relaxation and recovery is not a coincidence, like meditation studio Re:Mind (remindstudio.com), which offers pay as you go breathing and mindfulness classes.

“The growth of the health, fitness and wellness industry in recent years has been instrumental in getting people to sit up and pay more attention to recovery as part of a greater appreciation of our health,” explains Ben McNamara, community manager at Theragun (theragun.com)

Theragun is a vibrating pro-therapy tool that uses “percussive therapy” to treat stiff muscles and banish pain.

You run the massage head of the £375 G3 device along your body, so it can eke out knots, cramps and spasms.

And the idea is that it’s portable enough to throw in your gym bag so you can get the effect of a deep-tissue massage on the go.

Whether you’re training for a dedicated fitness goal, or just getting into the workout game, the time to take your recovery seriously is now.