7 simple tricks to make your workout even more effective

Many ambitious athletes always want to train even more. In the right measures, that's great. But at a certain point, the muscles stop responding or the body stops breaking down fat. In addition, your performance will suffer and the risk of injury will increase.
Rest and recovery seems rather annoying to most people, but paradoxically, this "R&R" (English for "Rest and Recovery") is the key to achieving your goals.
Skeptical? Read on. These seven R&R rules will help you understand why this aspect of your training is so important and how to do it right to get the results you want.

Rule No. 1- Training free days

Every training program should include at least one - if not two - full rest days per week. For you, this means not jogging or biking, as well as not stepping foot in the gym. You're allowed to do anything that doesn't make you sweat. Make a Deal: Demanding exercise leads to countless, microscopic tears in your muscles. That's a good thing, because when your body repairs them, they get bigger and stronger. But when can it repair them? You guessed it: when you're cozy on the couch in front of the TV, for example, your muscles don't have to be active; and your body can regenerate them.
That's not all. When you rest, your hormone balance returns to normal. Your cells can re-synthesize glucose and store it in the liver. It's also super important that your body can lower blood fat levels while you rest.

Rule No. 2- Use the recovery phases actively

Not every break requires complete abstinence.
In fact, active recovery can help you recover - albeit in a different way - from an intense week of training. Social activities like walking, casual swimming or certain forms of yoga will help you rid your muscles of toxins and inflammation. Most experts recommend a casual run of 30 to 60 minutes one to two days a week, especially after intense workouts. Take it easy, because your recovery is the focus.

Rule No. 3- Take sufficient breaks during the workout

Hard training muscles also need regular breaks during training to resupply themselves with oxygen, blood and blood sugar. How long the breaks should be depends on your goals. For strength training, you can follow the guidelines below:

• Goal: fat burning -> pause between sets: 30 seconds
• Goal: muscle building -> pause between sets: 60 seconds
• Goal: Strength building -> Rest between sets: 90 seconds to 3 minutes
• If you do supersets or circuit training, complete the required number of repetitions and then rest for 60 to 90 seconds. For HIIT cardio sessions, a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 is recommended between
• Training and recovery useful (e.g. 20 sec sprint and 40 to 60 sec rest).

Rule 4- Train in cycles

Alternate hard days and weeks with periods of more moderate training. This will accelerate your progress and give you time to recover. Make a calendar plan and evaluate your programs over the next few months. Set no more than two to three hard weeks. This should be followed by a week of more moderate training. Moderate doesn't mean letting yourself go. You can very well train hard. Just differently. Instead of your usual exercises, you can combine your strength training with endurance sessions and focus on the often neglected things like flexibility, proper technique and joint stability.
It is also smart to do hard and moderate sessions within a training week. After two super-intense days, a day of active or passive recovery would be useful.

Rule 5- Listen to your body

Pay attention to your body to minimize the risk of overtraining. If you feel any of the following symptoms, you should plan an additional rest day and reduce the intensity and volume of your program for a period of time.

Watch for these signs:

• Lethargy and inertia
• Severe muscle pain lasting longer than two days
• Problems with sleeping
• Weak energy for five to 10 minutes during exercise
• Increased heart rate at rest
• Mood swings / depression
• Irritability and low self-esteem
• Persistent disease
• Rule 6: Eat, drink and rest

Consume plenty of fiber-rich vegetables to fight inflammation in your muscles. Combine them with high-quality protein and healthy fats to speed muscle growth and repair. Avoid junk food at all costs. Drinking is very important. Your cells are made up mostly of water. They need fluid to function properly. Water gives your muscles energy to contract. Drink 30 ml per kg of body weight. Be careful never to consume more than 250 ml in a quarter of an hour. Finally, it makes sense to eat right around your workout. Have some fruit and easily digestible protein (e.g. half a cup of yogurt) two hours before your workout. Within 60 to 90 minutes after your workout, a high-protein snack that contains good carbohydrates is the way to go.

Rule 7- Sleep at least seven to eight hours a day

During sleep, your body is very active and regenerates itself. Are seven to eight hours really enough? Many experts think that this is rather the minimum for athletes who train hard. If you train early in the morning, you will probably always sleep too little. According to a recent study, a morning workout significantly reduces sleep duration in elite athletes. However, if you want to "work out" in the morning, you should make sure you get at least eight hours of sleep. Otherwise, there is a risk of fatigue and overtraining. If that doesn't work because you stay up late at night, take a 30-minute nap. Your physical and cognitive performance will be greatly enhanced. Just be careful not to fall into a deep sleep during your nap.