Each month I get to a point where I just need a break. Instead of trying to push through workouts and act all invincible, I remember the 45 minute rule. The one the Kiwi often preaches to his athletes (and himself). The 45 minute rule (to me) means going easy, I mean REAL, easy for no more than 45 minutes a day for for a period of 7-1o days. This means yoga, hiking, etc. No intense workouts. No long runs. No racing.
I know, shocker, right? So many of us are used to hearing push harder or longer and I’m saying don’t.
Move–> YES.
Train like an animal? No. At least not every day.
You’re questioning me, aren’t you? Well, I’ll let the Kiwi explain this one. The Easy session(s) rule. The reason why going 10-14 days without hard training just might be the best thing for you!
The Easy Session via Coach James (aka the Kiwi) Cotter.
I have been very lucky in the past to have worked under some of the most knowledgeable coaches in the sport. During those years I have picked apart and also applied some of their training aspects to my own training and to that of my athletes. As a coach, you always have to be evolving, learning, and catching onto trends of athletes.
The subject of rest is a problem for so many athletes, the problem being not many athletes like to take it when it is very necessary.
Over a period of time, I have found that the use of Heart Rate Variability (HRV) , along with feedback from my athletes comments, that sessions below 40 minutes around Z1/Z2 efforts (also known as Easy Zones) seem to allow for better recovery.
First –> what’ is Heart Rate Variability?
Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the beat-to-beat alterations in heart rate. Under resting conditions, the ECG of healthy individuals exhibits periodic variation in R-R intervals. The best time to measure HRV is first thing in the morning. See here for more details on how to measure it!
Second —> What do these sessions look like on paper? When should you take them? And for how long?
Let’s take a look!
Applying Easy Session Weekly
- In the cycle I use for training, I like to incorporate 1-2 x 40 minute sessions at very low intensity. I like to stick these in the day before a key session. I like to think 80% of your results come from 20% of your workouts.
- Looking at HRV data, 30-40 minutes + a good sleep seems to help get you fresher to hit the important sessions in the block. Being fit is one thing, but being fit and fresh is another
Applying WEEK LONG Easy sessions After a Big Training Block
- With so many events on the racing calendar it can be very easy to tax your system and race poorly despite thinking you’re really fit. Too much training and not enough rest can ruin your year if you’re not careful. When scheduling training, it is important to always stick in a 7-10 day recovery block after 10-12 weeks or training plus racing.
- Again, with data from HRV, it seems that sticking in 10-14 days or rest between your next training block. If monitoring HRV and sleep, most athletes will start to notice their HRV improving as well as quality of sleep.
As an athlete it is your job to arrive at the start line fit and fresh, not just fit. So look at those easy sessions as the key to keeping you fresh so you hit key sessions! Arrive at the starting lines ready to race!
What’s your take? Do you think easy sessions make you a better athlete or improve fitness?
[bctt tweet=”Why Easy Sessions Make you a Better Athlete @cotterjp via @LCCotter #fitfluential”]
I hope so!
Cheers to rest and recovery!
JC and LC
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It took me a long time to understand and actually implement rest into my fitness routine. Unfortunately, my body suffered from all my over training but now that I’m adding in some good yoga sessions, walking, or just days of doing nothing I’m starting to finally heal! Thanks for sharing!
you and me both friend
I am a hard core person with exercise so this was always hard for me.. I never did quite that BUT I learned to listen to my bod & do what it is telling me. 🙂 Great post!
This usually happens to me unintentionally because I’ll get burnt out and skip a week.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s so important to listen to your body and sometimes that means taking a step back to let your body recover properly. You don’t have to sit on your couch for a week, active recovery is the key! Great post. 🙂
you got that right!
The older I’ve gotten, the smarter I’ve become about getting the rest that I need. Thanks to the Kiwi for great information.
Always good for me to read another reason why rest is important – it’s so easy to slip into the ‘more is better’ mindset, but I’ve learnt time and time again that when I take a good rest I always come back stronger for it!
I’ve gotten so much better at this over the past few years (still a struggle but…). And, I actually enjoy a day or 2 off every week now!!!
It doesn’t seem crazy to me at all. In fact, it makes a whole lot of sense. When you give yourself a break, it allows you to rest, recover and recharge, which means you come back better and stronger. I actually apply this same principle to life and my work, in addition to physical activity. When I work too many hours at the office, I generally take the night off from blogging and everything else, so I can give my mind a chance to rest, recover and recharge. It’s the 3 R’s. Love the post, baby. Or should I say Mr. Baby.
I always believe that proper rest/taking it easy will benefit any athlete. Between not allowing your muscles to heal and basically running yourself into the ground, rest days are incredibly important. I get so tired of hearing individuals say they don’t need them, or seeing workout recaps where there is 5+ mile runs 7 days a week without any cross training/lower intensity workouts/rest. Boggles my mind.
I love that you highlighted easy sessions and HRV! Our culture has become fixated on this idea that if you are not maxing out, in pain, pushing it to the limits, every session then you are failing, and that just isn’t true. How you recover and how you come into your key sessions is so important. If you don’t come into your key workouts fresh you can’t put in that 100% effort that will give you the fitness gains to become the athlete you are training to be. Thanks for sharing how you put this into your training cycle, that’s something I need to take a closer look at in my own training.
I love this!! I have a hard time with rest, but I always schedule it to mae sure I get it in. Sometimes I am forced to rest more (like now with the flu) and am always surprised how fresh and fit my body comes back.
What a great post!! My favourite line, “Being fit is one thing, but being fit and fresh is another.” Soooo true and important to remember!
By the way- is that James’ brother in the last photo? They look remarkably alike!
YES! Thanks to both of you for posting and sharing insight- I think rest is imperative and I loved reading the background behind it- and also easing into it and not going full throttle on the ‘on’ days! Cheers guys!
I think it depends on hard you’re training too. People of different fitness levels might need to add in more or less of these easy sessions, so determining the right amount for any person is completely subjective. I wish the right answer would just drop from the sky and land on people’s heads so they know for certain how much they should be getting instead of guessing.
i think that just takes time. We have to be brave enough to listen to our bodies needs. ya know?
I’ve been on the ‘easy’ plan since NYCM. I’m just now starting some strength stuff, which is a total 180 for me. Hooray for a changeup!
I LOVE this approach and formula to training and resting! I think rest days ARE so important even during times where I just wanna go go go. That rest is the rejuvination your body NEEDS!
i think rest is brave… which is why i need to refocus on just that
I do believe in rest! 🙂 I’m not a runner but I lovery to wor out. Starting at 25 however is much different than my age now (I’ll be 40 in January ). I am finding that I still want to push myself but have to consider what works for my body 🙂 This is a great read!
and the older we get, the more we need. In a good way! it will keep us going!
I so so so need to adhere to this and will when I am home for Christmas week. The goal is to take a few days off and then rest of the time is going to be easy runs and long walks…I CANNOT WAIT! I’m used to 100% a lot of the time, but it’s taking its toll…I’m pooped.
you and me both. hugs
Not every workout has to be so hard. Sometimes it is just important to move and get the blood flowing. 🙂
“Being fit is one thing, being fit and fresh is another.” <– Yes! I'm not a competitive athlete, but even I can see a huge difference in my performance when I'm recovering well vs. when I "forget" to take rest days/do mobility work/eat well/etc.
I love this rule! So many people forget about important the recovery role is! After training for a run or triathlon I like to spend a few weeks trying to make my workouts shorter and less intense to give my body more time to recover. I’ve limited my running to once/week and I added more crosstraining and yoga!
I love this!! I’m big on recovery workouts and how much that can help your performance – it’s great to read more on James’ coaching style. I completely agree you should always be learning! 🙂
I’ve always forced myself to take rest days, but I do have trouble with two things. The guilt of not being active that day and the next day when I workout it’s usually a bad workout. My body has a hard time getting into it. I usually know that in advance and plan to do light cardio and a lot of strength & functional training. I’ve never figured out what that is though.
Absolutely! Couldn’t agree more. Hence my reasoning for taking it easy these next couple weeks. 😉 Thanks for this encouragement…it’s refreshing and so necessary for athletes (and, well, everyone!) to hear.
Such a great reminder. I just read an article about runners (athletes in general) tending to spend too much time in the mid-range of intensity and how that range doesn’t lend itself to gains so much. I know I have a really hard time pulling back but found a new running partner who actually helps slow me down some and it’s been a great, new balance for me.
I don’t do exactly the same thing since I workout differently, but I do change it up when my body starts screaming at me. It’s impossible to go to the gym and lift the heaviest weight possible day in and day out. Eventually you fatigue and your muscles need time to rest and grow. When I get to that point, I lift a little lighter and switch a couple of days to rest or easy cardio. It feels that much better when I get back to it!
This is why I love the Cotters–so wise and in it for the long haul health picture! And for those focused on speed, well, clearly the rest periods work for the Kiwi, no?
Misszippy,
I have found that I was digging a little too deep in sessions which was hurting my performance. I was very fit, just not as fresh as I should have been. Since playing around with HRV I have found I arrive at key sessions, in a condition that allows the greatest chance to succeed.
In the words of Carla, yes yes yes!! I am definitely not good at resting (it’s something I’m working on!) but I’ve got a coach now and that’s definitely on our agenda for the next little while. It’s mentally hard to wrap my head around, but I definitely know it’s necessary!
Great post! I’ve learned this the hard way and now always include a cut back week about every 4th week. It really makes a difference, even if I don’t feel like I need it at the time.
It seems that I have been enjoying those “easy sessions” for a good long while now! The competitive bug completely left me after my last half marathon, and I kinda hope it stays away awhile longer! It’s given me the chance to focus on other aspects of my life that I know need more attention anyway … like my relationships and my nutrition–> I make plans for what healthy things to put in my body each day instead of wondering how long/far/hard I should run. Maybe one day I’ll be able to balance both 🙂
That yoga studio… I want.
Rest is very important! With my strength training, an entire quarter is devoted to rest or deload. That’s a significant chunk! That’s there so the other 3/4 can be attacked hard and fresh. The body, as amazing as it is, needs appropriate time to recover and GROW. It’s just hard sometimes to remember that a lot of that growth happens during rest, so counter intuitive!
I’m not questioning you! I think easy sessions are so necessary.. otherwise, we burn out and/or get injured. Plus I just love walks and yoga 🙂 Happy Friday friend!
I couldn’t agree more. In my mind, rest is as much a part of training as speed work and long runs–sure, you may not necessarily want to do it, but do you always want to do speedwork? nope, BUT IT’S GOOD FOR YOU AND HELPS YOU TOO
yes yes yes.
I was all about the HARD until 40 and now, at 45, Im all about the gentle movement and rest.
Makes sense to me! One needs rest to recover and be refreshed to train again, facing burnout is not going to get anyone anywhere.
I think this is a very positive thing to share, as rest is often accompanied with a negative stigma, like you should be pushing harder, whether you are training for something or just in your day to day exercise routines. Rest is key.
Yep! You know I am a llll about this! Seriously, I cannot wait till we all meet someday, I feel like you and Steve will be able to chat for hours about how crazy James and I are 🙂
YES! Easy is what you need, and more than you think. I just want to share this post from runners connect that we posted just last week about this, I made the info graphic, so I am pretty proud, and it has been really popular online as runners can relate! http://runnersconnect.net/running-infographic/10-reasons-runners-dont-run-easy-know/
Have a RESTful weekend 🙂
This is really interesting and good to know! I am happy that I did this after my last marathon (although I didn’t know the technical stuff about why it was good!) A full week of no cardio felt really weird but I know my body appreciated it. And since then Ive been keeping my runs really easy, which is a needed break from all the training this year. Hopefully I will be ready to train hard again in January!
Totally agree. In fact, lots of my runs are on the easier side which for me, helps me to avoid burnout, injury and keep me fresh for long runs and fast paces.
I hope it works that way because that’s pretty much what I’ve been doing! Yoga and easy running 🙂 I think it makes sense to avoid all sorts of burnout.