Recovery is a facet in training that a lot of people ignore. I’m guessing that people think that they have to constantly be in motion in order to progress. They forget that that the human body, as resilient as it can be, has limits.

Recovery after training is required during the process of muscle and tissue repair and strength building. After a heavy weight training session, it even becomes more critical because working your body too soon simply leads to tissue breakdown instead of building.

A muscle needs anywhere from 24 to 48 hours to repair and rebuild. The problem most people experience during their idle period is trying to eat the right amount of the right food. The temptation of overindulging is much stronger because we’re not training. You can end up two steps behind because you drank or ate too much, one too many times on your off days. Some people overcome this problem by overtraining. To be more specific, they overindulge then “burn it off” by training hard, up to 7 days a week. They make very little progress for obvious reasons, plus they run a higher risk of getting a serious injury, which can put them on the bench indefinitely.

Treat your idle days with as much passion as your training days. Practice self-control, meditate, go for a long walk, stretch and sleep well. Anything that will help relax your mind and body in order to fast track recovery and maximise your progress.