“No Pain No Gain”
If there’s one thing I have learned from once being part of team #nopainnogain (NPNG) is that myself along with seemingly generations of hell-bent chargers ended up (or are still) working through more pain than their peers that were part of #teamrecover. Let me be clear in that this does not mean that training isn’t painful. It absolutely can be! And it should be sometimes as well. Not pain in the sense that you injured yourself out of more training of course, but growth and muscle damage isn’t always painless. Change and growth does require some discomfort.
The NPNG philosophy that we often see promoted is pushing past limits all the time, maybe even ignoring signals of chronic and even acute injury, and constantly walking around sore. This may not mean the same thing for everyone, but generally this mentality is not only unnecessary, but it can stifle your progress.
Finding the balance between pushing myself and pulling back has been a life long journey for me. I’d like to share what I’ve learned to help you pull back if you’ve crossed over to the "dark side", or maybe help you not land there in the first place so you can keep feeling and performing your best.
Recovery is one of, if not the most, neglected areas I see in the overall fitness regimens of a huge proportion of the clients I have worked with. I don’t think this is a fluke or some sort of bias to the type of client I may attract as it is a tendency of many humans. We want to be able to keep going and going; but we need to find a sustainable stride with this. Most people do not put enough focus on that part of their life or implement It into their fitness routine. Whether that focus is put elsewhere each day or or into pushing too far during training, it can lead to problems (like a forced recovery through injury or burnout).
What is RECOVERY?
Anything that allows you to engage the more restorative side of your autonomic nervous system and physiology can be considered recovery. AKA the parasympathetic branch as opposed to the sympathetic, we are making a focused effort in recovery sessions to align our physiological processes with this branch and hang out there for any extended period of time. We are meant to live on that side of the autonomic nervous system most of the time, after all, not feeling like we are running from a pack of cheetahs. Unfortunately, many of us are spending too much time in this mode due to hectic and packed work and life schedules. We may also be overly biasing the sympathetic side with our types of workouts or simply not coming back down from those heightened states after them.
Recovery is not just sleep and mediation. Movement can be restorative as well, when performed at the appropriate intensity or with the right focus. Other things that ground us and connect us to ourselves and others can be recovery as well. This can be something like spending time with your family or partner. Whether you use a movement based recovery activity, or one that isn’t, the main purpose is still the same when it comes to balancing out your autonomic nervous system activity and getting some restorative physiology kicking in to help you rebuild and recharge.
You can think of the nervous system and physiological balance like yin and yang. One does not exist without the other and both are essential for life but need to be in balance to thrive. You can definitely be out of balance with one or the other. If you want to picture the sympathetic branch (fight or flight) other processes that may drain different areas of your mind and body as your yang that is mostly accurate even though life in general drains energy. These are inevitable, part of many important life processes, and even essential; but we can’t just have the one. We need to spend LOTS of time (and energy) on the other side of our nervous system and physiology to be our best. There are even restorative practices like yin yoga that do just that to bring some balance and restoration.
Why Does Recovery Tend to Be an Afterthought? What Are Common Roadblocks?
I recently saw what seemed like a parody (but it wasn’t) of an entrepreneur talking about how they create “multiple days” within a 24-hour block while sacrificing sleep and almost everything else so they could hypothetically do 3x the output of anyone else in that same 24-hourperiod. For most all of us, time is the culprit, as only so much can be allotted to things like work, family, health and fitness, sleep etc. For the vast majority of us, recovery protocols usually take the back seat because they are often an afterthought and not deemed to be as essential as other things that we “need” to do like work or take care of family.
Putting more work or sympathetic type activities in the place of where some parasympathetic should go is a VERY common mistake we see but it’s also no surprise since our culture tends to reward “grinding” or “sacrifice” over slowing down or giving back to ourselves. In fact, many people have a hard time simply because they feel it is selfish. Perhaps reframing selfish as just a neutral term that means “oriented to the self” can be a starter. If we are better able to reframe recovery practices as essential as all the others we engage in like work and working out, we may find that we not only feel better, but perhaps we can normalize what is optimal over grinding.
Being as regimented about recovery as with other areas of your life can actually enrich your health and happiness (and many other areas like performance). When you find time to prioritize recovery you may also find that other areas actually thrive more since it is a net gain in resources/recharge.
Exactly How I Balance My Training and Include Recovery Daily/Weekly:
Generally each week and even as my current block of training gets tougher week by week, I still try and structure it in a way that allows me to get the most out of the least amount of work and time spent in the gym. Efficient and smarter programming around limitations and what is the least but most effective dose daily (or not training each day) is key. I need to save as much mental space, energy, and time as possible for my clients and family. For me this is avoiding getting overuse injuries or burnout since I train others using my body all day and sometimes need to fit my workouts in where I can. This allows to be my freshest possible. Finding my minimal effective dose for volume, intensity, frequency, etc has been extremely helpful as a base to my training block to block
I listen to my body and implement a RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion) based training system most days. That means I am looking for specific effort and feel and not a specific number on the bar or time on the clock. What this allows me to do is push my body the way I need to for the given day without burying myself if I’m not feeling my best (or maybe better than usual). I can find the exact intensity called for without it mattering if I’m at exactly 85% of my max barbell back squat. Instead I try and find that days RPE 8/9 or the safety squat bar. So far the science on this topic would suggest that is is just as good or better as far as progress goes and it may be best for you too if you’re not worried about getting to the Olympics (and maybe even if you are).
I keep it simple but have played with less simple. I tend to prioritize easily accessible and easy to do things like breathing exercises when it comes to recovery because the more barriers there are in the way of doing something for my recovery, the less likely I’m going to do it. I have played with sauna and cold emersion and still do from time to time because I like to use them together as a flush, and for stress tolerance. However, it’s not my go-to. These things can definitely help you relax, flush tissues, improve cardiovascular health, etc.; but I have seen them actually amp up people (sauna is generally seen as stressor) or just have unwanted effects. If I’m doing anything more elaborate like this or anything else, it’s going to be when the the time and timing is right and in line with what my body responds to best.
My recovery “sessions” are non-negotiable. Literally it is not something I sacrifice. However, that doesn’t mean that it is an elaborate or lengthy practice. I make an appointment in my calendar and honor that time each day and have days where that’s also the main focus. I have added an additional one of these days now that I’ve cracked into my 40s. I mentioned that they are not elaborate because realistically they can’t be for me. Sometimes it’s 3-5 minutes of breath work, while another day that is more dedicated may be a long hike with my son in a pack on my back.
Baking recovery into each one of my training sessions is key. It assures that I will do it since I train most days or am at least active. By literally making it a part of my session I make sure that I’m not leaving the gym still revving hot with my physiology thinking I’m running from those cheetahs again. I like to couple down regulation focused breathing with gentle stretching but sometimes it’s just that breath work on my back.
I use a recovery menu. Like a menu at a world cuisine restaurant this has the full gambit of what I would consider to be restorative for myself. It provides a reminder and also a way for me to make sure I do something since some days specific items may not be appealing or doable. If I’m not feeling like a hike or maybe I’m feeling a little sick, there is always an epsom salt bath. Sometimes this is just going on a walk with my dogs and son through town to unplug so I can connect with myself and family.
Every so often I take time off. This can be a really easy one for some or a tough one for others. I can tell you it is REALLY tough for me to not be in the gym; but because of this I find it important to get away from it several times a year (at least twice) and do something different. Sometimes that’s a complete rest and just doing some swimming or walking and hiking. Other times it’s lighter types of movement that is low impact and fun. This gives my body a true full rest (my nervous system included) and that can be very important for how I tend to run as I generally am more sympathetically driven as far as my nervous system is concerned. I need a full swing in the opposite direction to reset as far as how my life and training can be at times.
Key Takeaways to Focus on Recovery That May Help You:
Recovery is not just sleep or meditation. It can be Many things that help you uniquely recharge
Identify your health and fitness goals so you can identify a program that gives you the most effective (and maybe minimally effective) dose
Try using auto-regulation in training to keep balanced and avoid getting tweaked or run down while performing your best (more on this to come). This can be tougher when you are new to any type of activity since you don’t have the experience or training to know your limits yet, but there are still ways to use it to make it work for you.
Make non-negotiable dates with yourself for your recovery activities. This is so important because if you don’t give your recovery the same importance you give other areas in life, it will likely be neglected or lack the focus it requires. I tell clients that sleep is crucial, but it doesn’t count as one of those recovery dates or activities.
Bake recovery right into your training so you know you will at least get some and also get back to a better place for your nervous system. For example recovery style workouts if you feel like you enjoy being in the gym or a specific activity for recovery like a walk or hike. Consider adding a few minutes to the end of your training sessions to really make sure it’s there.
Make a recovery menu. I have used this one with many clients after hearing about it from Andy Galpin and it’s a great way to make sure you do at least something. Certain things will be appealing or more doable on any given day and this will make it less likely to wiggle out of sight all the choices you will have. Make one with at least 5-10 items or what you feel gives you enough scope and variety. It can consist of things like baths, walks/hikes, active recovery workout, massage, connection with family and friends, reading, meditation or breathing exercises, etc. It just has to be activities that serve to calm you rather than amp you up or increase stress.
Signs You’re Not Getting Enough Recovery
You feel off or rundown most days
Depending on various stimulants like caffeine or pre-workout (not always the case but we’re talking riding one caffeine wave into another and late into the day)
You’re easily agitated
Brain fog
Getting sick more often
Performance suffering
Workout motivation drops off significantly
Ability to do the things you love decreases or losing interest in those things
Feeling disconnected
You’re achy and inflamed
Training above a 4/10 in terms of soreness frequently (this is subjective but can be objective)
Chronic pain/injuries
Sleep is disrupted or poor quality
Heart rate variability is not so good
Resting heart rate elevates from what is normal for you
There are many more potential signs and everyone is a little different here
If you’re reading this and thinking to yourself that you need some help finding ways to better recover we are here to help. This doesn’t just mean recovery from from working out. The last several years have posed more challenges than ever as far as most of us feeling more stress in your lives than ever before or maybe greater complexity with less levity. We can help design a complete health and fitness protocol for you that gives you the most effective and minimal dose along with the proper nutritional support and lifestyle adjustments to help you feel your best. So if you sometimes feel like or know you are part of #teamnopainnogain, we would love to help you find yourself a spot on #teamrecover. Contact us directly at info@resilientbody.com or simply reply to this email.