TheTeamFury.com
Rest is a weapon
by Myles Jury
Whenever I watch a mixed martial arts fight or boxing match, its always fun to do some research on fighters before the actual fight and see how their training was leading into the fight. Watching training videos is fun and very educational in my opinion, the different methods each fighters uses to get ready for war and how they prepare their bodies is a great way to pick up tips on training. I love watching fighters do crazy stuff leading up to the fight- like running up hills while pulling someone behind them, throwing thousands of punches a week on the heavy bag or bringing in tough sparring partners.
Aside from the glamour of watching all these fighters train like BEASTS, I noticed one common overlooked aspect of training which is “REST”. The definition of rest is “to cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength.” For the body to work in tip top shape there is a whole process the athlete has to go through and rest is right at the top of the list. I like to think of training as a “plant,” (yes you read that correctly)- A plant needs water, soil, sunlight, etc. to grow and survive. What would happen if you stood over the plant and poured water on it 24/7? The plant would die, because it would literally be drowning from too much water, training is the same idea. Just like a plant getting drowned by water, an athlete can literally drowned with too much training! Again, there is a process to training- you need to train, recover, rest and repeat. If I was to train all day and never rest my body then all that training would break down my muscles and immune system, then I would end up sick and injured. There is a huge balancing act that needs to take place with your training and also with your rest. When we train hard as athletes all we are doing is breaking down our bodies so we can build them up even stronger. Notice the second part of that sentence “so we can build them back even stronger” – we build them back even stronger by getting the proper amount of rest. Lets go over some signs of over training first and then we can talk about some ways to make sure were getting the most out of our recovery;
Signs of Over Training
- Body Feels constantly fatigued- If your body never feels completely 100% energized then your probably not resting enough. This shows the amount of output (training) you are doing is more then the amount of input (rest) your getting.
- Not sleeping at night- If your tossing and turning at night then this could be from your body being so over used that its not able to relax and sleep properly.
- Vicious Mood Swings (mostly angry ones)- If your constantly cranky and find yourself getting angry about the littlest things, it may be time to take a couple days off relax and then revaluate your training schedule.
- Getting Sick or injured- Probably the most obvious sign of over training and not getting enough rest is getting sick. When your workout hard your immune system gets broken down along with your muscles and tissues. If the immune system doesn’t recover then a lot of times a simple cold or sickness will take over putting you out of the gym for days.
Ways to Recover
- Get 8-9 Hours of sleep a night- Can’t stress it enough getting the proper amount of sleep each day is vital to recovery.
- Drink lots of water (at least a gallon a day in my opinion)- Keeping the body hydrated prevents injury/sickness as well as keeping your body safe from dehydration which can happen from working out.
- Eat a high carb food within 30 min of a tough workout- When working out intensely your body is burning the most energy so it can become depleted. Eating a sweet potato or pasta within 30 min of post workout can help restore the energy for your body, so you can get back to training with out feeling tired/out of energy.
- Have a post workout shake- Having some type of nutritional supplement to mix with water after a tough work out is a great way to recover. Depending on the brand of supplement you choose -A lot of companies have products loaded with carbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals. Try Advocare- Post Workout recovery Drink (insert Link here) two level scoops have-36 grams of carbs, 12 grams of protein and 25 Vitamins/minerals. In my opinion this is a great way to get a lot of bang for your buck.
- Get a Massage- I know they are not cheap but they are definitely worth it. Massages help loosen muscles and decrease stress which helps in your bodies overall recovery. I recommend 90min at least.
As you can see the “recovery” aspect of training is just as important (if not more important) then the actual running, lifting, boxing, wrestling, etc of your training schedule. Make sure to examine your training schedule and check to make sure you’re getting the optimal rest in between and after each workout.
One of my coaches John Boesky put it best when he told me, “Myles, Rest is a WEAPON.” This simple and powerful statement is often easy to be overlooked at times. So next time you have a long week of training make sure to respect your body and give it rest. This might mean going to get a massage, sleeping in an extra half hour-hour a day (that’s right I’m recommending you sleep in. You can send me a message saying thank you) or adding a nutritional supplement after your work out. Everyone is different so make sure to do what is right for you and always remember -REST IS A WEAPON!
Tune in next week at TheTeamFury.com as Myles Jury along with his most inspiring and educated friends and partners, release a new “Team Fury Blog” every Monday focused on self improvement through experience and education.
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