The idea that someone somewhere is always getting better than you should never leave your mind, particularly if you’re an athlete. In a world where everyone is always trying to get the edge on the competition, how could anyone take a day off?

In today’s slumping economy, weekends are no longer for participating in family activities or putting your feet up to watch your favorite sports team. We must constantly ask ourselves, how did we get better today? How can we improve? Did we train enough? Are we producing enough to keep our jobs? What can we do to take our game to the next level? The mindset that our opponents are training harder than us has led athletes to believe that days not spent in the weight room are days off and days that the competition is separating from the rest of the pack. There isn’t any such thing as a day off.

The question that we aren’t asking ourselves is how can we progress when we aren’t at work, in training, or in sport? The recovery process is vital. Yet, it is the most disregarded aspect in an athlete’s performance enhancement and injury reduction. Scheduled rest days are essential in any program because cellular adaptations occur in the hours outside of the training sessions. There is much emphasis on what occurs during the athlete’s supervised training but not nearly enough on the hours outside of the weight room. The duration of training and sport-specific practices is only a fraction of the athlete’s day consisting of, give or take, four or five hours. That leaves nineteen to twenty hours where most of the gains and benefits of conditioning are in the direct hands of the athletes.

As strength coaches and motivators, we must educate our athletes on the importance of recovery and the reasons behind taking days off physically. There are many factors that come into play in the athletes’ ability to effectively rest and recuperate proceeding training sessions. The amount of time and quality in which an individual can fully recover in between training will determine his performance abilities in the subsequent session and, most importantly, on the court, field, track, or ice.


Here are some ways to ensure that days aren’t ever taken off:

  • Adequate sleep
  • Proper nutrition
  • Hydration/rehydration
  • Contrast showers
  • Active recovery procedures
  • Techniques to increase flexibility such as static stretching
  • Techniques to increase joint motion such as mobilizations
  • Methods of massage such as self-myofasical release through foam rolling, tennis ball mobilizations, and other forms

While the body requires physical recovery for future strength gains, mental preparation can and should always be advanced. Recovery techniques geared toward athletes’ restoration in combination with psychological development are essential to an individual’s success in the weight room and sport of play. Champions are made in their preparations, both physically and mentally. Rest days aren’t days off. Every day must be taken advantage of to gain the edge on your opponent. There isn’t any such thing as a day off. So are how are you getting better today?

 

“Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” — Muhammad Ali