What a recovery day is for
Adaptations to training don't happen during the workout — they happen between workouts. Recovery days exist to let glycogen restock, microtears heal, and the nervous system reset. Done right, the next hard day goes better.
The recovery day stack
Pick from these in order of leverage:
- Sleep 8-9 hours
- Eat at maintenance or slightly above — don't underfuel a recovery day
- 20-40 min easy walk or light spin (optional)
- 10-15 min mobility — hips, ankles, thoracic spine
- Hydrate and add electrolytes if it was hot
What to skip
Skip 'just a few strides,' skip long foam rolling sessions trying to fix tightness from overtraining, skip strength work that leaves you sore. If you're doing recovery activities to feel like you trained, you're not recovering.
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