[avatar user=”elsabe” size=”80″ align=”left”]Elsabe Janse van Noordwyk[/avatar]

A “recovery” or “rest day” is the time when the body adapts to the stress of exercise, it allows the body to replenish energy stores and repair damaged tissue (muscle breakdown). It depends on many factors to determine how often and how long it should be. The rest period depends on the type of sport and also if you are in the conditioning, pre-competition or competition phase. The rest period during these phases can be one day to a week. To ensure complete recovery, there should be a rest period at the end of one season to the next as much as 4 – 6 weeks. While resting the body recovers and therefore diminishes the risk of injury.