Ma Coaching
TRAINING
Today We Rest
Rest and recovery are the most important ingredients in a training programme , and your rest day should be considered a training session , just like any session or interval or long run . – BY RAY ORCHISON , CERTIFIED COACH
the muscles stronger and equates to faster and improved performances . Determining exactly how much rest you need is a little trickier , as our bodies are unique . As a rule , regardless of your level of fitness or ability , every runner should take at least one day ’ s full rest a week . For some runners , however , two days ’ rest is required , and if you are just starting out , rather include two rest days in your week . Also , if you ’ re getting on in years , accept the fact that your body is not going to heal itself as quickly as that of a 20-year-old , so give your body more time to recover .
erhaps the most important scientific training principle that leads to improved fitness and performance is the principle of overload and
Padaptation : “ In order for training adaptation to take place , the intensity of the physical activity must exceed that to which the individual is already conditioned . The body must receive a progressive and systematic overloading .” In other words , if we are to become stronger and faster runners , we must stress our bodies beyond our current capacity . However , when we do this , we effectively damage the muscles , by creating little micro-tears in them , and if we do not allow these micro-tears to heal , we do further damage the next time we train or compete , which results in decreased performance and injury .
Therefore , the key to the principle of overload is rest and recovery , which allows the body time to repair these small micro-tears , which in turn makes
YOU ’ LL KNOW WHEN
The key is to listen to your body , then you ’ ll know when it ’ s time for extra rest – and you will not lose any fitness or forfeit any progress by taking a rest day . You only stand to gain from rest ! The second part of rest is active recovery , when you continue to exercise , but in such a way that you allow the body to continue its healing process . This might entail a swim , bike , gym or aqua-jogging session , where you can continue building endurance or strength , but without using the same muscles over and over . Include one or two of these sessions in your weekly training .
Lastly , be careful not to overstress your body . Running hard every day is a sure way to end up injured , or sick , because your body is not given time to repair itself , so alternate hard sessions with rest , active rest or easy sessions . For example , a hard track session on Tuesday would be followed by an easy 5km run on Wednesday , and a hard hill session on Thursday can be followed by a core workout session in the gym on Friday , or a long , slow run on Sunday followed by a full rest day on Monday .
About the Author Ray Orchison is a Johannesburg-based USATF and NAASFP certified coach . Find him at www . runetics . com or ray @ runetics . com .
Images : Fotolia
NUTRITION
Fruitful Relationship
Most of know that we should be eating two to three fruit portions per day , but there remains confusion of how to tally up portions , and what exactly counts as a fruit .
– BY CHRISTINE PETERS , REGISTERED DIETICIAN
he Department of Health bases its recommendation about fruit and vegetable consumption on a 1990 report from the World Health Organisation ( WHO ), looking at the amount of fruit and vegetables eaten in regions like
T Italy and Greece , where high intakes of fruit and vegetables are linked to low rates of chronic disease and some cancers . The WHO thus recommends that 400g of fruit and vegetables should be consumed per day , and to make it easier , health experts have divided that 400g into five 80g portions , two to three of them coming from fruit .
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ISSUE 91 FEBRUARY 2017 / www . modernathlete . co . za
There are several reasons that fruits are so important :
• They ’ re rich in fibre , important in healthy digestion , and help prevent certain conditions such as constipation and bowel cancer .
• They ’ re packed with antioxidants that stop free-radicals attacking and damaging our cells , helping prevent health problems like heart disease , strokes and cancer .