Fuelling your Body
The fuel requirements for events of up to about 90 minutes in duration can be met by the normal muscle glycogen stores of a well trained individual. (Glycogen is the body’s ready source of energy stored in the muscles.) To fuel up, all you need is 24-36 hours of rest or lighter training, and a higher carbohydrate diet. Although a high carbohydrate diet should already be on your menu, you may like to reinforce the focus on “fuel foods” on the day prior to competition.
What is carbohydrate loading? Who needs to use this strategy?
How often to take breaks between workouts
How often to take breaks between workouts? Ordinary gym visitors (amateur athletes), we would advise to arrange a weekly rest from any workouts every 2 months. Of course, much depends on the intensity of the load – over a month of excessive workouts you can get overtraining. Therefore, we recommend exercising more than three times a week, and also monitor your sleep – so that it is not shorter than 8 hours, and your diet – you should get enough protein, carbohydrates and healthy fats.
As for professional-level athletes, they can arrange rest much less frequently, since they use pharmacological support and the food is all right. Many professionals do not rest at all if they are preparing for a competition, but absolutely all of them have a great rest after the competitive season – and their rest usually lasts much longer than one week.