Recovery is Work Too

I have written on this topic many times, but no matter how much I think about this I cannot seem to convince myself to really believe. Here is the rule, plain and simple. Recovery time is equal to importance as the exercise itself.

This means that when you do a workout, or engage in a physically demanding activity, you must dedicate time to recovery. If you do not then you will pay the price. At some point your body and mind will demand the rest period and they will win. When your body and mind unite against your stupidity, then you will be forced to layoff. If you implement any program without recovery built in as part of it, then you will fail.

I know this to be true. This is backed by scientific research on the subject and it is backed by my personal experience. Yet, I ignore it. I think I can do things without recovery time. I think that I will push harder, force myself to keep going. I will forget this rule and then in a few weeks when I find that all my will, energy and enthusiasm has faded, I will find myself not doing my new program any longer and just laying around. Your body will get its recover time, whether you like it or not.

I started running everyday a few years ago. Then I started training for long distance races. I was committed to completing these races and placing well. So I gradually started increasing the amount of time I spent running. One day, I noticed that I was no longer improving. My performance had completely flatlined and I was not getting anywhere. After doing some research, I discovered that I was not allowing enough recovery time between runs. When I implemented breaks in my schedule, suddenly my performance started to accelerate again. Recovery was necessary for me to perform at the level that I wanted.

Taking time off, taking a break, relaxing is surprisingly hard to do when you are motivated to keep up a habit. When you finally get enough drive together to start a program then you are excited and eager to keep going. So naturally, you ignore this recovery concept and you just keep going. Your enthusiasm is a great thing that helps to motivate and keep you progressing. This is the problem. We think the hard work is the actual activity we have planned. The reality is that the entirety of the activity which must include recovery time is hard to implement and easy for us to dismiss.

When I first got a Garmin watch to track my running progress, it would always pop up after my run notification me of the recovery time required for the work that I had put in. I would quickly ignore this message on my watch and move on. Here the watch was reminding me each and every day that I need to build in recovery time and I still would not do it. This is not hard to understand. When muscles do work, they break down. That is how a muscle functions. If the muscle breaks down, then there must be time to allow it to repair, so it can grow back stronger, right? I think we all know this concept, so why is it that we continuously push ourselves and ignore this fact? We are just not inclined to believe recovery is important.

I had a weight lifting trainer once tell me that the secret to getting bigger muscles was to take more breaks. I never understood what he meant, but now I do. You have to give your muscles, your body, and your brain time to recover and recuperate from the activity. Now your body always keeps things in reserve, just in case you need to react in order to survive. When you work without recovery you are tapping into these reserves and it is not a good thing to be constantly doing that. And here’s the bottom line: if you don't consciously allow time for recovery, your body will force it upon you when you least expect it. Whether you’re running, lifting weights, or simply pushing yourself mentally, recovery is not optional—it’s mandatory. It’s the unseen part of the process that determines whether you succeed or fall short, whether you progress or burn out.

I’ve learned this the hard way more times than I care to admit. I push, I grind, and I convince myself that more effort is the key to more results. But the truth is, without recovery, there is no progress. Recovery is not weakness; it's a vital part of any sustainable routine. So the next time you’re tempted to skip that rest day, remember: growth happens in the pause, not in the push.

You can try to defy this, but in the end, your body will remind you of the truth. Listen to it. Take the rest.