The focus of our last article was on how hard work is essential, but smart work, such as understanding your limits, listening to your body, and avoiding overtraining, is equally important. Today, we’ll supplement that discussion with practical advice on how to train throughout the year without it being too much for your body and mind.
Recreational athletes are likely the only group of people who, despite all the research and practical examples from athletes and bodybuilders/powerlifters, believe that intense training for 365 days a year is the only way to progress and succeed. Just as nature around us operates in seasons and just as professional athletes have phases (pre-season, main part of the season, off-season), you should also function that way, especially in the context of long-term and sustainable results plus the health aspect of the whole story. Apart from, “listening to your body” as an advanced technique for arranging your own workouts, programs, and cycles, know that recovery from training is just as important, if not more critical than the training itself.
Regarding monthly and yearly plans, set aside a period for active and passive rest. Active rest would include all those days when you don’t perform the main part of your program but are active in some other way, whether it revolves around lower intensity/volume training (deload week), a whole mesocycle of maintenance (my example are always three summer months of “lighter” training), days between workouts dedicated to recovery through stretching, massage, self-massage (foam rolling, not what you first thought), some sports activities with friends, and more. Passive rest literally means a break from all activities and is usually done after longer training blocks but can also represent a full day of rest during the week if you train 4-6 times. When you’re in a good and multi-year continuity and when training becomes a habit like brushing your teeth, I understand it’s hard to force yourself into such a thing, but the fact is that the occasional week or two of full rest is sometimes just what you need. During that time, you won’t lose all your progress and muscle mass, it’s not a, “low value” thing, nor will anyone think less of you because of it, unless you create that barrier in your mind. Rest is part of the process, and the sooner you realize and accept that, the better.
Original release date: July 14, 2022.