Drills and Workouts: Three Secrets Elite Athletes Know About Recovery

As you progress through your exercise program, one thing you’ll want to keep in mind is how your recovery is progressing. Recovery is something that requires constant effort and should always be monitored for the best results. If you are not recovering, you will pay the price. You won’t see…

• the progression of strength you seek,
• you won’t feel your best, and
• you may even come to hate the process of exercising altogether.

The good news is that recovery is something you can work on to improve. When you understand a few fundamental concepts, the process becomes much more comfortable.

Let’s look at three “secrets” every elite athlete knows about recovery and what it means to you…

1. Recovery is not constant. The first point you need to keep in mind is that the recovery will never be constant. For example, if what you are doing for one month is working, that is no guarantee that it will work the same the next month and give you similar results. The reason may be during the following month; you may have a completely new circumstance that you are working with.

For example, you may have been given a promotion at work, which is great; however, this may also mean that you are now more psychologically stressed. Unfortunately, this increases your overall stress level and may mean that recovery is not progressing as well. Either you need to do more to restore yourself or find a healthier way to deal with your psychological stress.

2. Recovery requires fuel. Another point to consider is that recovery requires fuel. If you’re not eating enough food, you’re not going to recover optimally. This is a fact, but it is something that many people completely overlook.

Recovery requires that you provide carbohydrates, fats, and protein in your diet. If it’s at some extreme, it won’t bounce back as much as it could.

3. Recovery requires dedication. Finally, recovery requires dedication. It can mean saying no to a night out with friends when asked why you need to stay home and sleep. It could mean not playing basketball with your friends because you did a hard leg workout the day before and you didn’t have it in you. It could mean spending time foam rolling each week when you would be doing something else instead.

All of this is necessary for you to see optimal results, so don’t rule it out. The harder you work, the better your progress in the gym. So it all comes down to priorities. What is the most important thing for you?