Recovery!!!!

We teach classes in our CompuTrainer Studio every day of the week now. Each class has a different focus. It could be an interval set or a strength development set or a technique set as well. We structure the weeks so that all athletes weather they are coached by Absolute Endurance or not (we have many athletes who are coached by other coaches and they are ALWAYS WELCOME) know what the focus is ahead of time so they can safely and effectively incorporate the workout into their respective schedules. While instructing the class this morning I made an observation that may help some of you.
Each class has warm up and cool down periods as well as hard portions and recovery portions. While the work to recovery ratios may change depending on the time of year or the type of workout, its safe to say there is ALWAYS a period of time in between harder efforts called recovery. When we put recovery portions into a workout, the purpose is quite simple. Allow the athlete to recovery sufficiently so that the harder portion can be done to the athletes full potential and thus provide the greatest benefit. This morning I noticed a new athlete pushing fairly hard during the recovery portion. When I queried him he said " I feel like I will get a better workout, a better sweat" if I go harder during recovery. UGH! As previously mentioned the work to recovery ratios will change and so will the recovery efforts. But for now when your workout says recovery, feel good about taking it. Feel fresh for the tougher portion of the workout and do those to the best of your ability. If you take the suggested recovery on a consistent basis, your performance will almost certainly improve. Have fun and we look forward to seeing you at AETT soon.