HCFS ; The Importance Of Rest In A Regimen

The Importance Of Rest In A Regimen

( March 12, 2013)

Getting the proper amount of rest is a very important part of a trainees regimen. The fundamental factor is that the body only grows while at rest, and it is during rest that the body recovers and rejuvenates. Not taking off time can result in boredom with training, over training, and burning oneself out also. Rest breaks down into two main parts, the daily or nightly amount of rest you get, and resting your body from your regimen.

Why is rest so important ?

If you only get 3 to 5 hours of sleep nightly it is probably unhealthy to your body. An individual can perform at a minimal level with four hours of sleep nightly but level of performance is also dictated by one’s daily level of activity / exertion and what their body can handle. With this being said, these factors can cause it to vary on how many hours of sleep a person and function well with. Fundamentally for the heath-conscious person, 5 to 7 hours of sleep a night is healthy, with the higher end being optimal. In addition to this for the health seeker, is that the body grows and develops ONLY when at rest. More incentive to get proper rest.

Daily / Nightly Rest

Getting enough rest on a daily basis is of the most utmost importance. People have many different types of jobs, and some people work late or overnight, while some work more traditional daytime hours. Getting enough sleep at night is important, specially if on top of your daily responsibilities, you train very heavily. Naps are also a good thing too. So matter if your nap is 20 to 30 minutes or 1 to 2 hours, depending on your body and level of activity will dictate what is the best duration for a nap for yourself. You should wake from a nap feeling fresh and rejuvenated, not groggy and still tired.

Time off from training

Most dedicated trainees never want to take time off from their training. No matter if it is fitness and weight training or training in combat skills. Sometimes one needs to give their body and mind a rest and relax. How long is up to the individual, but the body needs recovery time, specially from things like strength training and weight lifting which involve breaking down the muscles so they grow back stronger. Not taking time away from training can lead to over training, injury, and other things that hinder results instead of help get results. When you train, you break the muscles down so they can rebuild stronger. Now ask yourself, if they build back stronger because of rest, and you train nonstop without proper rest, then what is the end result bound to be ? It will break down the body and not allow it time to heal, and that (just like a machine) will lead to catastrophic failure. Sometimes taking a break from training can refresh and rejuvenate you, opposed to never taking off time which can break down motivation and drive. Sometimes when one gets bored with training or unmotivated, this is the culprit. Taking a short time off to formulate a new regimen may be ” just what the doctor ordered”.

Being sick or injured

If you are coming off from being sick or injured, first and foremost make sure that you are better before you begin training. You break your body down with training, and if not better you will be ill all over again. If you are training with others, you do not want to be so selfish as to come back to training so soon “because you want to” that you infect everyone else you train with. Injuries go without saying. You could easily re-injure yourself training too soon. You may have to start training again at a lighter pace or rehab your injury prior to getting into more intensive training.

Layoff from training

If you have been away from training for a while and are coming back to it, you need to work back up to where you last were. You probably will not have the strength or ability to jump right back into training at the level of where you last were before you stopped. If you try doing so, you may injure yourself badly. Intelligent progression is the key. Listen to your body and do not overdo it. You did not get into peak condition overnight and you will not get back into peak condition overnight after a layoff from training for a while.

Pre-Emptive Rest

If you know you have an event coming forth that will dictate you be in top physical form, you can adjust your training for it. Most important of all, you want to be in peak condition before you take to action, but you also want to take advantage by being well rested beforehand. There is but only so much you can do to condition and prepare yourself for action. If knowing “showtime” is coming, the best thing you can do is get rest prior. You may be able to taper your training off a week or a few days beforehand, you may be able to only rest that 24 hour window prior, you may have less than that. Whatever your case though, if you know you will have to perform at your physical best at a certain time, you have the ability to get all the rest possible leading up to it so you can utilize all of your attributes and abilities to the best of your potential.