Over Recovery Syndrome

I have identified a new syndrome – the over-recovered athlete. I look at the landscape and I see athletes and teams spending as much or more time doing ice baths, cryotherapy massage etc. as they do in actual training. Rest and recovery are fine and necessary but only of benefit if you first do the necessary work. I am fearful that today we have a generation of over-recovered and undertrained athletes so overly mindful of training load that they are not doing enough to stimulate adaptation and prevent injury. Overload and progression are the first principles of training you learn. Progressive overload with rest and recovery cycled just like training are the answer. Sometimes TUF – Training Under Fatigue if acceptable and necessary. Look carefully at what you are doing and what you are not doing to prepare and sometime exceed sport demands. Remember after the work the rest is easy, but first you must do the work!