Rest Day.. YES … now what ?

Rest days are programmed into good training programs for a reason, to REST and recover from the workouts of the week. There are some things that you should be doing on a rest day to make the most out of it! Rest days should not be days where you just don’t go to the gym stay in lounge pants and do absolutely nothing. Instead, they should be used to make the most out of all your hard CrossFit training. Here are 5 ways you as a CrossFit athlete should spend your recovery day in order to maximize performance for the upcoming week:

 

Get some solid sleep. Getting adequate rest is imperative to muscle growth and recovery. CrossFit training elicits neuro-endocrine responses which are hormonal changes in your body that signal to your body that it needs to adapt to the changes its undergoing. Positive physical adaptations which in this case is less fat and stronger muscles, can’t happen if you are not rested. The recommended amount of sleep for athletes is 9 hours. They say abs are made in the kitchen but muscle is made in the bed by rest.

Drink water. A LOT OF WATER actually. Your body needs it to repair and since your body is made up of mostly water you need to keep it hydrated with plenty of H2O! You should be consuming half your body weight in ounces of water every day. Your muscles cells are 75% water, and blood contains about 83% water.  Even at 1% dehydration, an athlete suffers a significant decrease in performance. Water is vital to many physiological processes that foster superior athletic performance. Without the optimal functioning of these processes, muscle tissue and neurological recovery will be slow.

CrossFit workouts are doing a number on your body and you need to recognize the damage in muscle tissue. Just as an injury and goes through a process of healing involving inflammation, muscle spasms, and soft tissue adhesion so does the muscles post workout. The most commonly used method of mobility techniques is Self-Myofascial Release or SMR. SMR exercises use tools such as foam rollers and lacrosse balls to help soften and lengthen muscle tissue that may be restricting blood flow or proper joint positioning. Practicing SMR on your rest day will help to relieve these adhesion (which most of us refer to as “knots”) and restore muscle range of motion and function for CrossFit exercises.

Rest day is the perfect time to prepare your meals ahead of time. Instead of making the trip to the grocery store several times per week to buy whole foods or even worse going through the drive through daily, planing your meals will leave you in a healthy position NOT reaching for the nearest junk food lying around. In order to prep properly, first have a plan, set up a grocery list, shop, chop and prep

 

Go out and just PLAY ! Trying new sports is a great way to put all your hard training to the test! Start thinking of rest days as active recovery days by using them as preparation for your next torturous WOD. By doing so, you’ll avoid injury, stay focused, and hit new PRs!