Resting, recovering, tapering, they all come back to the same question, “How long is an appropriate recovery time?” It all starts with how much energy you’re putting into your workouts.  The harder you work, the longer it will take to recover.

Let’s look at anaerobic weight lifting first.  What are your goals?  If your goal is to be stronger for an endurance activity and you do not want to bulk up, your rest time between sets should be 30-60 seconds between sets.  If your goal is to be stronger, you will want to rest between 2-5 minutes to let your muscles recover before overloading them again.  The longer you rest, the more time your body has to re-fuel your muscles.  Therefore, the heavier the weight you’re lifting, the longer it will take to replenish your muscle glycogen stores for your next bout.

Now let’s look at aerobic exercise on a larger time scale.  The same rule applies here also, the harder you work, the more recovery time you will need.  The recreational athlete who rides their bike or runs for 4-5 hours per week will not need as much recovery time as the serious endurance athlete who spends 15+ hours per week training.  If the recreational athlete decides to participate in a race, such as the local Run and Ride, they only need a few days to taper down their workouts to allow for recovery before race day.  In the case of the serious endurance athlete, their taper may need to be 2-4 weeks, depending on where in the season they are and how important the race results will be.

Now what do I mean by taper?  A taper is usually a large reduction in duration, and a moderate reduction in frequency of workouts.  The intensity of the workouts, however, may increase to maintain the current level of fitness.

So, how much recovery time is appropriate for your training schedule?  According to the NSCA Strength and Conditioning Journal, 2007, Vol. 29, the following is recommended.  If you are training 6-10 hours per week, you’ll want to start your taper seven days prior to your major event.  If you are training 10-15 hours per week, taper for 14 days, and if you are training over 15 hours per week, you’ll want to start tapering 21-30 days before your major event of the season.  Minor, shorter tapers are good to include before less important races to prevent burnout, allow a break in your routine, and learn how your body and mind react to a taper schedule.  Therefore, you can fine tune your taper and know what to expect as you approach your big event.

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