The Art of Recovery: Lose Fat while Resting

We have just started a recovery time for our bootcamps and I too often get the question, why do we have off weeks?

There are several answers to that question, but the most important has to do with the body and its ability to recover and regenerate from stress.  For the sake of this article, I’m referring to the stress of exercise.  For the intensity we workout at in our program, necessary periodic rest is a necessity for our camper’s bodies so that they can recover, regenerate, and allow the body to stabilize itself physiologically.  Without rest, the body will be on a constant state of repair.

Being in a constant state of repair, doesn’t allow the body time to recover from stressful exercise.  Repair and regeneration must be a part of your exercise routine and that is your non-exercise days.  Training 5-6 times a week is optimal, and one might think that more is better, meaning 7 days or more sessions per week (twice in a day).  However, that can increase the chances of an overuse injury, plateaus, and many other overtraining symptoms that can lead to serious health complications.

Shorter more intense periods of exercise once a day for 5-6 days and once in a while adding a second workout in a day that is much lower in intensity or shorter in time duration is much more optimal for your body to see the results you are looking for without the compromise of becoming injured or worse.

It’s all about using your workouts wisely then  trusting the work you did to do the work the body does on a regular basis; respond to stress (good and bad) and utilize it to best suit the body.  With fat loss, the body needs to have it’s ‘engine revved’ before losing fat.  Since fat is such a difficult thing for the body to use up and is not very efficient when it comes to quick instant energy that the body can use quickly; we have to shake it up a lot with workouts to activate the fat loss process.  That is where weight training with brief intense intervals comes into play.  By working out hard for a shorter duration, then spending more time recovering while still getting maximum calorie burn benefits of the workout for a longer period of time, you allow fat to be utilized by the body for energy.  And you will allow fat to be utilized longer with a supportive nutrition plan.

Over time the body will even adapt to this, so changing up your workout regimen will help avoid the body’s attempt to adapt.  Rest periods and periods of recovery come into play here where the body will repair itself from the rigors of exercise.  Stress on joints, muscles, fatigue, and boredom will all be avoided by these periodic rest periods.

However, if you are one of those who HAS to workout without a week off, then opt for something completely different to your normal exercise plan every 4-6 weeks so that you too can avoid the lure of a plateau and continue seeing results with your effective exercise and nutrition plan.