What would you say to a frustrated friend who tells you: "My car's not working and I can't figure out what's wrong with it. It was working just fine until it ran out of gas. Why won't it run?" You'd probably look at them in disbelief, ask if they are crazy, and then exclaim, "A car can't run without gas, $%*!!"
Chances are that that's not going to happen because EVERYONE knows a car can't run without gas. Yet, I see this happen every day in the realm of fitness. People forget to take a recovery week in between programs. They keep going and going, week after week, with an exercise program (Slim in 6, P90X, TurboJam, running, etc) without taking a break. Eventually and inevitably, however, they run out of gas (often without even knowing it) and cease to make progress.
People are afraid that if they cut back on exercising for a week (that is, limit their workouts to 2 during the recovery week), they will cease to make progress. The opposite is in fact true. Your body needs to recharge its batteries--physically and mentally--in order to continue to make progress. It really is as simple as that. Try it.
If you see yourself and your body as a car that needs to stop and refuel every so often to keep going, the need for a recovery week begins to make perfect sense.
Have a great day, everyone! Bring it wisely!
Barbie
p.s. If you're doing one of the BeachBody programs, the fitness experts recommend taking a one week break in between rounds (with P90X, the recommended recovery time between rounds is two weeks).
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