The most basic strategy for recovery is sleep and rest. When we sleep, an increased rate of anabolism (the synthesis of cell structures) and a decreased rate of catabolism (the breakdown of cell structures) occurs. You need only 45-60 extra minutes of sleep each night for more human Growth Hormone (Hgh) to be released - just what an athlete needs!

Although sleep experts generally agree that most adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep each night for optimum performance, health and safety, the first thing they will tell you about sleep is that there is no "magic number” for hours of sleep per night. Not only do different age groups need different amounts of sleep, but sleep needs are also individual. Another reason there is "no magic number" for your sleep results from two different factors that researchers are learning about: a person’s basal sleep need – the amount of sleep our bodies need on a regular basis for optimal performance – and sleep debt, the accumulated sleep that is lost to poor sleep habits, sickness, awakenings due to environmental factors or other causes. When we don't get adequate sleep, we accumulate a sleep debt that can be difficult to "pay back" if it becomes too big. Consider, though, that lost sleep is lost for good. “Catching-up” on sleep is merely getting rested, it’s not getting lost sleep back. Seems pretty obvious that sleep is a beneficial activity.

Trying to make up for lost sleep in a day or two by sleeping in disrupts the body's circadian rhythm and continues to disrupt sleeping patterns over subsequent days. The moral of the story: get more sleep on a regular basis. Really. Plan your evening activities to get in bed 30-60 minutes earlier each night than you do now.

I mentioned sleep and rest as the most basic strategy for recovery, and rest does merit a few words. When I talk about rest, I mean rest from daily activities, not just from training. Often athletes mistake a day of house-work, hiking for 3 hours and painting the garage for “rest”. The type of rest I mean is the type of rest that makes a difference in your body. Reading, listening to music and stretching all count, as does watching a movie or T.V. Turn off that TV or computer an hour before bed though, as the light from monitors has been shown to stimulate the brain.

Another basic strategy for recovery is periodization of your training. By this, I mean a training program that incorporates rest and recovery days into the training week. A well-planned program will include an appropriate intensity of training with an equally appropriate period of recovery and rest days. Recovery weeks are also important. Early in the season, when training intensities are lower, rest weeks can be spread out every 4-8 weeks. As training intensity increases and races enter the picture, your rest weeks should occur more often.

I consider rest (off) days separate from recovery days. A recovery day incorporates some type of training. It can be a yoga class, light walking or hiking or a recovery bike ride. One of my new favorite active recovery rides is an early morning “bonk” spin to encourage weight loss as well as muscle recovery. Bonk spins (Google it for a complete description) are very low intensity rides from 20-90 minutes at less than 60% of maximum HR or Lactate wattage. This technique is mainly used in foundation and preparation periods of the periodization plan, not commonly during the race season. The beauty of the bonk spin is that not only do these spins encourage fat loss, they are the perfect recovery exercise for your legs. Easy spins also are a treat for the mental game. An easy spin where you can check out the clouds in the sky and the scenery that you usually miss as you peer at your HR and wattage is really quite refreshing. Try it on for yourself.

The topic of nutrition for recovery is beyond the scope of this article, but I’ll share two simple strategies. Start eating towards the end of your training for your recovery. Also, have your post-workout meal ready to consume within 20 minutes of completing your workout.

Recovery is where the effects of your training make gains towards the goals you set for yourself. The sooner you recover from fatigue, and the fresher you are for your next training session, the more you’ll progress. If you’re not taking care of the basics of sleep and rest, then your training sessions won’t be as productive as you intend.