REST is every athlete's secret weapon

Training for any sport needs discipline, diligence and perseverance. Discipline to wake up early every day and train, diligence to complete the daily scheduled activity and perseverance to continue training until you see results. People do not become athletes overnight. Months to years of training makes an athlete.

We often follow training programs from known athletes in any sport. Body building regimens by Ron Coleman, Endurance training from Ryan Hall, and even Running drills from local athletes like Vertek Buenavista. These athletes have spent most of their lives training. We follow their regimens religiously and yet see no results. Our muscles do not grow as big, endurance not as long and speed not fast enough. What is the missing link? 

A lot of factors affect your gains in every program. Vital to any training regimen is REST. Athletes train all day and rest at least 6-8 hours every day. Unlike regular people who work all day and train after, we often sacrifice time to rest for training days. This not only detrimental to your training but will predispose you to injuries as well. Rest is very important in that muscles, stressed during progressive resistance training, running, swimming or cycling, recover when we rest. They build better and repair faster when we give them time to do so. The lesser your rest days the lesser your gains. Rest days do not necessarily mean not training at all. Pro-Runners rest by cross training to swimming or cycling and body builders rest by doing cardio exercises. Doing other exercises at a lower intensity other than the ones you train daily is RESTING.

Let your body heal after intense training. Your muscles will develop better and faster. Include recovery days in your training program.