Why You Aren't Seeing Progress...

Let’s just start with saying…

Recovery is everything.

You will not make progress in the gym, in your fitness level, or in your physique if you aren’t recovering properly. PERIOD. You just won’t.

Recovery is more than just an off or rest day. People often neglect the other avenues of recovery that will level up their fitness game. Let’s talk about the other avenues of recovery you probably aren’t thinking about.

To give you some context - the differences between an elite/pro athlete and the average athlete is not just what they do in the gym, but what they do outside of the gym.

If you want to optimize all your hard work & make the most amount of progress, make sure you master these recovery modalities.

1) ADEQUATE SLEEP

I would argue that adequate, good quality sleep is the number 1 recovery modality. We have all heard that in the gym we cause micro-tears within our muscles, sleep is the period in which these muscle tears are repaired. Think of sleep as the ultimate repair manual/refresher. If you could sell sleep in a pill form, someone would be a multi-billionaire by now. It’s that important. Not only is sleep vital for your muscle recovery, it is so important for your overall health. Lack of sleep has been linked to obesity & insulin resistance… lack of sleep causes major hormonal changes.

The science doesn’t lie:

According to Upsala University (2016) a lack of sleep has been shown to cause a 20% decrease in insulin sensitivity. The individuals in this study reduced their sleep to 4 hours for two consecutive nights. (Insulin is a hormone that is produced by the pancreas in response to bring down blood sugar. When insulin sensitivity decreases we lose the ability to bring down blood sugar, ultimately resulting in insulin resistance aka diabetes)… NOT GOOD. Insulin resistance will cause fat storage. This same study found changes in gut microbiota that may suggest a link to poor sleep and obesity.

According to Endocrine Society (2015) losing as little as 30 minutes of sleep per day may lead to a 39% increase in insulin resistance and a 19% increase in risk of obesity. Even just as little as 30 minutes less per day can majorly impact your metabolism and hormones in a negative way.

2 Quick Sleep Tips — 1) If you have trouble sleeping try using blue blocking glasses before bed. Screen time in the evening hours blocks our bodies ability to produce Melatonin (a hormone that makes us sleepy) and disrupts our circadian rhythm. Wearing blue blocking glasses will filter out the blue light that screens omit which in turn allows the brain to properly produce the hormone that tells our bodies that it’s time for rest. 2) Another sleep tip is to get in direct sunlight during the day. Take off your sunglasses and go for a walk during daylight hours. Obviously don’t go outside and look directly at the sun (LOL)… but go for a walk or run with no sunglasses during the day. What this does is it allows our circadian rhythms to sync up to the natural progression of sunlight during the day. Our bodies are synced with the sun, we wake up around sunrise and get sleepy and go to bed around sunset (at least this is what is the desired sleep cycle). But unfortunately, now a lot of the time we are inside all day and exposed to artificial lighting and next thing we know it it’s dark and we have not been outside and exposed to sunlight at all. This can confuse the bodies circadian rhythm and cause disrupted sleep patterns.

*** (I will do a complete blog post just on sleep & sleep tips, but hopefully this helps for now) ***.

Focus on getting at least 8 hours a night of sleep.

everybody is different and some people thrive on more,

but try not to get less than 8 hours.

limit screen time in the evening & wear blue blocking glasses.

expose yourself to natural sunlight during the day.

2) STRESS MANAGEMENT

Stress will kill your gains. Stress will inhibit your ability to lose fat. Don’t let stress get out of control because it will damage your results. Life is going to be stressful… sometimes there is just no way around it. Which is why it is so key to find strategies to combat your stress. Use deep breathing, meditation, time with friends & family, laughter, hanging out with your dog, etc. You can use exercise as a way to manage it too, but, understand that exercise is a form of stress to the body, so be careful with that one. If you are feeling super stressed maybe opt for a low intensity walk instead of a high intensity workout.

Why stress is bad:

There is a hormone called cortisol aka “the stress hormone”. There is a common misconception about cortisol…that is bad and we don’t want it. This is not true, Cortisol is good, we need it to battle stress but the problem is it can get out of whack when we are chronically stressed. Cortisol is excreted from the adrenal glands in response to stress. It helps bring the body back down to a homeostatic or a balanced state. Cortisol levels should be elevated in the mornings and taper off throughout the day. If we are chronically stressed cortisol levels are constantly elevated. Elevated cortisol messes with our sleep and a number of hormones that control body fat and metabolism. Basically, high cortisol inhibits the body to lose weight & burn fat. So, to simplify — cortisol is good and we want it to deal with stress, but too much of it is bad and can cause major health issues.

Over time if stress and cortisol remain high the adrenal glands can become ‘fatigued’ and will lack the ability to keep up with the demands for cortisol, in turn leading to adrenal dysfunction. This is a very extreme state and at this point I would suggest seeing a naturopath to help you recover. BUT let’s be aware of our stress & manage it so we don’t get to this point :)

Another side effect of chronic stress is a highly active sympathetic nervous system (SNS). The SNS is activated in response to stress causing an accelerated heart rate, increase in blood pressure, and re-disruption of blood to the only the vital organs. We need this response — a release of adrenaline also occurs to get us through whatever stressful bout we are about to endure. The problem is that now a days humans are dealing with such fast-paced stressful lives, a lot of people are in this SNS activated state all the time. Whereas years ago it was only to deal with the stress at hand and then our bodies would return to a parasympathetic state (restful state). In a parasympathetic state digestion is occurring, heart rate and blood pressure are normal, and we are calm. Exercise is done in a SNS state, which is good because we need our body to respond to the stimulus that exercise is and then recover back to a parasympathetic state after. The issue again is chronic SNS — to much exercise, lack of recovery, and lack of stress management can keep us in this SNS state. Which leads to constant high blood pressure, constant elevation of heart rate, digestive issues, etc. So….. get in tune with your body and practice stress management methods to keep you in a parasympathetic state. Don’t overuse our bodies amazing sympathetic state and ability to respond to stress !

By now, i’m sure you are aware that stress can cause a number of negative impacts on your body such as inflammation, gut microbiome inbalances, digestive problems, hormone issues, sleep impairment, cognitive issues, the list goes on… Keep your stress low and manageable!!

Find ways to manage & combat your stress.

find a technique that works for you.

practice getting into a parasympathetic state.

be aware of your stress level & take days off if you need to.

Understand that exercise is a form of stress & know when to push through or pull back.

3) PROPER NUTRITION

Nutrition and diet is your source of fuel. What you are in-taking determines how your body is running. For proper recovery you must be eating ENOUGH. If you are trying to lose weight your calories will need to be dropped in order to create a deficit, and this is fine… But it’s important to be aware that if you are dropping your calories, you are still providing your body will less nutrients to adequately recover. So, if this is the case, you must ramp up your other forms of recovery. Ensure you are 100% perfect with your sleep, stress management, rest periods, rest days, etc so that your body can properly recover. It’s OK to desire to lose weight, and it’s OK to drop your calories in order to do so, but try to keep in as much food as you can so your body can recover properly. Do not over do it!

The other thing with nutrition — if you are in a caloric deficit and trying to lose weight, chose foods that are nutrient DENSE. This means eat more whole foods that are high in nutrients and cut out all of the processed crap. It’s common sense to point out that your body runs the best on whole foods opposed to processed. In a caloric deficit your body is already hard at work burning fat and trying to recover with lower food volume so do it a favor and give it the proper nutrients.

To recover properly you need to eat enough.

if you are losing weight & in a deficit opt for the most nutrient dense foods.

cut out processed food for the best recovery.

if you are in a deficit, make sure all other recovery modalities are at 100%.

4) REST INTERVALS BETWEEN SETS DURING YOUR WORKOUT

Are you taking adequate rest intervals during your workouts??? Rest intervals between sets and exercises during your workout determine the intensity and energy systems being used. The general rule of thumb is:

If your goal is maximum strength — rest periods will be 2-5 minutes.

• You MUST be taking at least 2 minutes of recovery between sets and exercises if this is your style of training. This style of training typically has lower rep schemes while lifting closer to 1 rep max. This rest will allow heart rate to properly recover and muscles to recover before beginning the next set or exercise. If you are not taking adequate rest doing this type of training you are increasing your risk of injury and you will not be able to maintain this type of training. The energy system needs to recover in order to deliver adequate oxygen to the working muscles. Training sessions will be longer due to rest periods but DO NOT make the mistake of shortening your rest interval. This type of training is very demanding on the muscles and the central nervous system.

If your goal is muscular endurance/hypertrophy — rest periods will be 60-90 seconds.

• This type of training keeps intensity moderately high. This style of training typically has moderate to high rep schemes. This rest interval should allow the muscles and heart rate to recover in time for the next set or exercise but still allow intensity to remain moderately high. Energy systems will be able to properly recover in this amount of time. Training sessions will be moderately long but definitely ensure to maintain these rest periods so energy systems can recover and you can still get the hypertrophic benefit. This type of training is demanding on the aerobic system as well as the muscles.

If your goal is endurance/conditioning — rest periods will be 0-30 seconds.

• This type of training is very high intensity. I would only recommend this type of training for individuals with a developed aerobic base and training experience. Only very trained individuals should be taking 0 seconds of rest as their interval. The rest interval is very short which is taxing not only on the anaerobic system but on the oxidative system. This type of exercise keeps heart rate ramped up the entire workout making the heart and vessels work hard to deliver oxygen to the working muscles, making these training sessions very demanding. The energy systems will be be able to keep up with demand up until a point which is why these training sessions tend to be shorter in duration. The higher the intensity, the lower the duration.

Rest intervals are very important to master during your workouts. Failure to do so can create inconsistencies, injuries, and unwanted stress on the body. It can also yield unpredictable and arguably dangerous methods and results. Whatever your goal is choose the appropriate rest period interval and stick to it! Make sure you have developed an aerobic base so that you can handle short rest periods before jumping into hard conditioning workouts.

rest intervals during your workouts matter — energy systems & muscles need to recover.

choose the APPROPRIATE interval for your goal so that your body can recover.

make sure to be consistent to prevent injury & distress on the body.

5) AMOUNT OF DAYS OFF PER WEEK

This modality can vary depending on the type of program you are doing. I personally believe that any type of program requires at least 1 day off. Building off the last tip about rest intervals, days off per week will vary depending on your goal and type of training you’re doing, as well as how quickly your personal body recovers from training stimulus. Typically, the general rule of thumb for intense strength training is that each muscle group requires approximately 24-48 hours of recovery. So, whatever your workout split is for this type of training will determine your rest days to accommodate this 24-48 hours of rest per muscle group. For the very high intensity training it goes back to what I mentioned above — the intensity duration trade off. Because this type of training is so intense it is recommended to not complete this every single day. Especially if you are doing all out HIIT workouts. This is very hard on the body and if you try to complete this type of training everyday you will burn out and your body will not be able to recover. The annoying answer is that every individual and even every muscle group will have a different sweet spot for days off per week. Some individuals can recover very quickly and therefore see the most progress and feel best with only 1 day off per week. Others recover slower and require more days off. Remember — all of the modalities above will aid in how quickly you can recover from your workouts, so master those if you find you are recovering slowly!

Active Recovery Days

I also live by the motto “move everyday” so if it is your rest day(s) try to incorporate some type of active recovery. Active recovery could look like a walk, light run, some stretching, mobility, a light yoga flow, or some very low intensity movements. The key to active recovery is to keep the blood flow to the muscles and get our bodies in the habit of moving - this will help reduce DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) and improve mobility. This is also where foam rollers come in — I believe that foam rollers localize blood flow to the region of the body that is being rolled out. A lot of people foam roll before or after workouts to break up the fascia (connective tissue surrounding organs/muscles), it is unknown if foam rollers do this. In my personal opinion (not scientific) I believe that they likely are just localizing blood flow to that region which is very helpful for recovery and muscle soreness. So do I think foam rollers are beneficial? Maybe. Do I think they are necessary for recovery - No. That is just my opinion, if foam rolling makes you feel better then by all means, please continue doing it! Although, in my opinion active recovery is extremely beneficial for the body. If you are experiencing DOMS or a lot of muscle soreness get out and go for a walk, stretch, or do something low intensity!

appropriate amount of days off vary depending on the individual & their goals.

understand your body cues & be aware of your sweet spot for recovery.

if you are having trouble recovering — master the other modalities first.

try incorporating active recovery days.

move your body in some capacity everyday.

6) MASSAGE THERAPY

Massage therapy is a great way to enhance recovery. I personally don’t know much about it, but I do know that a good massage therapist has the ability to get deep into the tissues to break up the fascia as well as distribute blood flow to that area. Keeping this one short as it’s not an area I know much about, my only advice I can give on this one is to find a good massage therapist who is certified and extremely educated in their craft.

find a good massage therapist that is certified

7) HEART RATE VARIABILITY

This modality is for the more experienced athlete/trainee. Heart rate variability (HRV) is defined as the variation in the time between each heart beat (Higgins, 2017). Our heart rate is designed to adapt to the environment and what our bodies go through, which means heart rate speed is supposed to shift throughout the day in response to this. Sometimes our heart rate is sped up like during a hard workout, and sometimes it’s slowed down like during rest, the difference between these reflects the heart rate variability.

So… what does this mean and how is HRV useful ???

Having a high HRV is beneficial because it shows that your body can adapt quickly in response to stimulus. In an online article by Health, Dr. Higgins (2017) explains that a high HRV is like a luxury sports car that has the ability to go from 0 to 60mph in 2.7 seconds (para 6). Which also means that it can recover this quick as well. He also explains that a high HRV is associated with a longer life and less risk for disease while a lower HRV is associated with stroke, heart attacks, and diabetes (para 6).

How Does This Relate To Recovery?

As explained above a high HRV is able to respond and handle stress more effectively. So, a lower HRV is less effective at dealing with stress or stimulus and takes longer to recover.

After a hard workout your HRV will likely be low because your heart was just ramped up and your body is in a state of stress. After you have recovered from your workout your HRV should go back up or return to your normal set point. If you notice that when you wake up your HRV is low, this could be a sign that you are overtraining and need to take it easy that day. Your body is not equipped to handle a high amount of stress like a workout in this state. Knowing HRV can be extremely beneficial for athletes and individuals with vigorous training schedules.

How Do You Measure it?

The gold standard is to have it measured by an ECG or EKG which is a test that records the electrical activity of your heart, typically these devices are only found in a doctors office or a laboratory, thus, they are tricky to access for daily use.

Luckily, technology has our back and has come up with devices to measure HRV. Devices such as the ouraring (https://ouraring.com/) can calculate this for you or you can use a heart rate trackers with a chest strap to calculate it yourself. These devices are the most accurate when you first wake up, because your heart rate is lowest at this time (if you don’t wake up to an alarm clock).

The best way to improve HRV is cardiovascular exercise and keeping stress levels low. The heart is a muscle and it must be trained.

So — If you are into taking your workouts to the next level try tracking this! I added some links for normative HRV values and a video on the topic but double check that I am correct as I am not an expert on this topic. Do your research! If this is way over your head and too much for you, don’t worry about it! Keep it simple and master the other modalities of recovery.

Check out these resources for more info on HRV:

ttps://ouraring.com/heart-rate-variability-basics/

• (Oura ring website explaining what HRV is)

https://elitehrv.com/normal-heart-rate-variability-age-gender

• (HRV normative data)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFawl2E5bJ0

• (A video of Mike Mutzel of High Intensity Health explaining why HRV is effective to track & what to use to track it)

hrv is an extremely useful tool in deeper understanding your body & your recovery.

keep stress low & add in Cardiovascular training to improve HRV.

this is an advance method of recovery — if it overwhelms you focus on the other 6 modalities first.

SUMMARY:

To quickly summarize…

• These modalities are ideas that you may have not thought of as forms of recovery from your active lifestyle.

• Recovery is more than a just rest day, as I said at the beginning — to improve your physique & your overall health MASTER these recovery modalities.

• To make progress, you must recovery properly.

• I would argue that the first 3 are the most important. Sleep being # 1, Stress management, & Nutrition followed. First, get these 3 in check. No supplement will replace these recovery modalities.

• If you want to improve even further, ensure to master 1 through 6, and for the more advanced trainee who likes tracking data try out # 7.

• If you have made it this far, I appreciate you & thank you!!! I hope you gained some knowledge and insight from this blog post!

References:

Endocrine Society (2015). Losing 30 minutes of sleep per day may promote weight gain and adversely affect blood sugar control. Sciencedaily. Retrieved from: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150306082541.htm

Higgins, J. P (2017). What is heart rate variability and do you need to know yours? Health. Retrieved from: https://www.health.com/heart-disease/heart-rate-variability

Upsala University (2016). Sleep loss tied to changes of gut microbiota in humans. Journal of Molecular Metabolism. Retrieved from: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2016-10/uu-slt102516.php

STAY HEALTHY & HAPPY TRAINING,

-HOLLY :)