The one thing athletes do that you’re not doing
It’s 7 in the morning. You wake up tired and sluggish, feeling last night’s decisions already gnawing at your body. You brew your morning cup of coffee hoping that the caffeine jolts you back into a state you’re more familiar with. Why am I so tired? You think to yourself as you scroll through your phone and it doesn’t take a minute until you start comparing yourself to others on social media. Your gym friends, other influencers, IG models, and your favourite athletes all seem to be working super hard and never stopping
You start wondering how they’re able to perform that well while you are feeling like you’ve been hit by a train. Why are they outperforming you, and seem to be going 110%, pedal to the metal, full throttle without slowing down while you can’t even get yourself out of bed without feeling your joints aching and needing the help of caffeine to be able to function.
The answer might actually shock you.
It’s not that they train hard… you do too. You tell yourself all the time that hard work pays off and you should always be the hardest worker in the room so you put in the work but the work puts you down, often.
It’s not that they’re genetically blessed… you tell yourself that you are as well. So it must be something else.
Sure, you could say it’s the steroids and we can’t argue against that. But that’s a different topic for a different post.
The world’s best have one edge over you, something that you too could utilize for better gains, performance, and health.
Do you want to know what that secret is? What makes the difference between winning and losing?
Between staying healthy and feeling beat up?
Between enjoying what you do Vs hating every minute of it?
Hitting new PRs vs plateauing for years?
Lean in closer… the answer is a 4 letter word.
REST.
“Rest? You’re telling me I can actually get better by doing less and … RESTING?”
YES! That’s exactly what I’m telling you.
Why rest days and deload weeks are important.
First let’s clarify what a rest day is and what it isn’t.
We all know somebody who seems to hate resting. You know the type. The ones who get all fitness related gifts on Christmas. Even on their off days they’re hiking, playing a sport, swimming with the dolphins, climbing mountains or probably running a 10km on an empty stomach because “fAsTeD cArDiO iS bEtTeR fOr FaT lOsS”
What your energizer bunny friend is doing is active recovery (or not even that if they’re pushing too hard) and though it’s not harmful they’re not really resting and they’re missing out on complete REST benefits.
When we say rest, we mean “do nothing” type of rest - the type of rest that doesn’t require you to exert a lot of physical effort. It’s low impact both physically and mentally.
Why is it so important then?
Rest days give your body, central nervous system, muscles, tendons, and bones all a nice break. It’s like you’re giving yourself permission to do nothing so that your body can catch up, keep up and adapt to all the stress you’ve been putting it through. It helps your muscles and body grow stronger, and more resilient. It helps your brain to calm down and tone the aggression down.
Yes you could still do your 7-10k steps a day on those days so you could keep your NEAT high. *NEAT, otherwise known as “Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis” “Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) is the energy expended for everything we do that is not sleeping, eating or sports-like exercise. It ranges from the energy expended walking to work, typing, performing yard work, undertaking agricultural tasks, fidgeting, and doing other things like cleaning the house or doing dishes.
But that isn’t an invitation to be doing more. Do less and watch how your body will grow, feel stronger, refreshed, and ready to tackle more work during the days to follow.
We’re not going to scare you straight and bring up autoimmune disease from doing too much or tell you that you might be overtraining and overreaching and burning out. Sure, a lot of professional athletes put themselves through too much and end up biting off more than what they could chew. But that requires insane amounts of work and little to no recovery to happen. You’re not there so don’t worry about that…For now.
What are deload weeks?
Deload weeks are weeks that have lower volume/intensity and sometimes less workout days (YAY more rest days!). They are a necessary part of any successful training program or routine and should be factored in during every training block (most common deload weeks come after 4-6 weeks of loading)
Besides the obvious physical benefits comes a myriad of other benefits such as psychological, social, and professional.
Switching off for 2-3 days a week helps you stay balanced. You can’t always be aggressive and stressing your body, pushing it to its limits every chance you get. You have to practice zoning off and finding that YIN energy. Think light yoga, meditation, long walks, breathing work, etc
The social benefits are also huge. When your brain is not thinking about the heavy back squat session or how many rounds you can get in that AMRAP you’ll have more time for friends, family, and your pets. Yes your family and friends calling you obsessed sometimes sounds like you’re “too cool” or “unique” but it’s often a message or a request… what they’re really saying is “We need to spend more time with you because we love you.”
Professionally, the time off the gym can also be used to develop your skills, get more work done, read more books and grow your business (and your mind).
Even if you’re a fitness professional and you work in a gym which tempts you to always be working out… you could be taking time off to educate yourself, keeping up with the latest research, pursuing more knowledge or even working on a side hustle.
Typical signs your body is begging for some time off:
Bad quality sleep 😴
Low libido 🛏️
Low appetite 🍽️
Joint pain 😩
Mood swings 😐
No enjoyment in the gym 🏋️
Fatigue 🥱
No improvement in strength, size, or conditioning 💪
Not being able to lose fat 🔥
Anxiety and insomnia etc 😰
Conclusion
Ditch the no days off and no pain no gain mindset, and replace it with one that is more logical, and loving towards your body, mind and soul.
Be a better listener when your body is trying to cry out for help and begging you to take your foot off the gas.
Remember, nothing happens overnight and everything is a process.
Get off the fast lane, and enjoy the scenic route 🙂
- Nizar