Working out has always been depicted with images and soundbytes about sweating it all out, muscles getting all swollen and pumped, people catching their breaths, and testing their physical limits. But while these are associated with keeping fit, this does not draw the whole picture.
Taking some rest and letting yourself recover are equally important tools to progress and improve your physical fitness. Assistant professor Christian Wisdom Valleser of the Department of Sports Science, University of the Philippines (UP) College of Human Kinetics highlights this in an exclusive interview with GMA Lifestyle.
The SRA curve
For people who want to advance in workouts and see improvement, one must understand that rest and recovery hold the same importance as exercising. The reality is, you don't get better or stronger while working out; you do so when you rest and recover.
Valleser explains the SRA curve or the process of stimulus, recovery, and adaptation.
“Basically 'yun 'yung pinaka-simple explanation on how your fitness improves. You stimulate your body, you stimulate stress through exercise. Then you recover through sleep, nutrition, hydration. And then after you've fully recovered, doon papasok 'yung adaptation. And then after mo mag-adapt, eventually 'yung ginagawa mo na mahirap dati, na stimulus dati, magiging madali na siya 'di ba.
"So tataasan mo siya ngayon ng intensity or duration. So 'yung dating mahirap magiging normal. So 'yung gagawin mo ngayon, 'yung normal dadagdagan mo ng progression and then magiging stimulus siya ulit. Then kailangan mo mag-recover ulit, then mag-a-adapt ka ulit.”
The SRA curve is also the fundamental principle in practicing progressive overload, or the act of increasing the intensity, duration or volume of exercise in your fitness routine to avoid plateauing.
“Progressive overload, 'yung 'yung pinaka-basic na principle for all forms of exercise or all forms of training. 'Yung progressive overload na for adaptation to occur, kailangan meron kang overload na ginagawa. And then for adaptation to continually occur, kailangan din progressively tumataas nang tumataas 'yung stimulus.”
Active rest and recovery
Taking a rest essentially means decreasing your physical activity while recovery means letting your body return to its better state.
Resting during workouts is necessary to avoid compromising the quality and form of your exercises.
He illustrates, “During workout siyempre hindi mo mae-expect na makakapag-fully recover kasi nga nagpapagod ka eh. So just make sure that every interval, for example, every set, you've recovered from the previous set before you do your next set.
"So usually if it takes you two minutes, then take two minutes. If it takes you five minutes, then you take five minutes to rest. Sa takbo naman ganun din. Let's say tumakbo ka ng diretso for 10 minutes tapos maglakad ka muna for mga three minutes then takbo ka ulit. That's during your workout.”
He also further clarifies that one must not totally skip doing physical activities during periods of rest and recovery. Other ways to do this are by going on a slower jog, or lifting lighter weights, or by choosing routines with less intensity.
“Ang indication it's time for recovery is 'yung dating ginagawa mo, hindi mo na kaya. Nangyayari 'yun ideally mga every four to six weeks.”
“Active rest 'yung kapag gumagawa ka ng activity na lighter intensity than you are used to. Ginagawa ko 'yun one week, every one month, or one and a half month. Kasi may concept na 'pag exercise, hard work. Pero hindi naman every session or all the time, mahirap 'yung workout mo eh. Kasi 'yung katawan natin, kailangan din niya ng medyo longer recovery time.
“Sa exercise physiology, 'yung light activity tends to improve recovery better than no activity. Interestingly kasi lumalabas, 'pag gumagawa ka ng light activity, 'yung hindi siya overloading, hindi siya nakakapagod, it's actually better for recovery than no activity at all.
Now you know, taking a time out is just as beneficial for your body and performance, too!
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