Recovery Techniques
Keep overtraining away!

The recovery techniques built into the WLC Program really help to set it apart from any other weight lifting program out there. I've never seen a weight lifting program that includes so many revocery techniques that keep you progressing. Recovery is very important because the quicker your muscles recover from a workout, the more frequent you can workout and the more opportunities you have to build muscle. Many program ignore these facts and leave you out there to figure it all out on your own. Not WLC!

Overtraining will occur on the programs that ignore your recovery. You'll eventually get into a cycle of overtraining and you won't even know it. I was stuck for years. I believed in the program I was doing because I had good results for the first cycle thru. Every cycle after that got shorter and shorter and I became sick more frequently. I eventually figured it out, but I couldn't believe it was overtraining because of the good results from the first cycle. That cycle beat my body up so bad that I never recovered from it! I lost too much time and muscle building opportunities from that program.

I am going to discuss all of the techniques built into the WLC program to help you with your recovery from workout to workout and from beginning to end of every WLC cycle. I also want to talk about a few extra tips that you can use to help your recovery.

Overall WLC Program Recovery Techniques

1. You only workout 3 times per week
2. Each workout is around an hour long
3. At least 48 hours rest between each workout
4. You have 72 hours rest between each week
5. Compound exercises are utilized to minimize number of exercises
6. Stretching after every set improves recovery
7. WLC Diets designed to improve recovery
8. WLC Cardio to improve recovery

Week by Week WLC Program Recovery Techniques

1. Rise week designed to slowly work you back into weight lifting by slowly increasing weight and reps
   
   
2. Rise week where reps are constant and weight increases
   
   
3. Rise week where weight continues to increase
   
   
4. Recovery week where reps and weight are decreased
   
   
5. Intensity week where weight is increased but reps held constant and volume decreased
   
   
6. Recovery week where reps and weight are decreased
   
   
7. Intensity week where weight is increased but reps held constant and overall volume is decreased
   
   
8. Recovery week where reps and weight are decreased
   
   
9. Intensity week where weight is increased but reps held constant and overall volume is decreased
   
   
10. Awakening week where recovery is pushed to its limit
    
    
11. Retire week where weight is held constant but reps are decreased and overall volume decreased
    
    
12. Reset week where no weight lifting is done and full rest is required
    
    

You can see in the week by week summary above that every week with exception to week 11 is designed to help you recover. Week 11 is the awakening where we are pushing your body to its limits because we will be ramping down after that and are heading to our full break. The WLC Program works so well due to the increased recovery time. Natural weight lifters must not ignore recovery to continue progression! I found that out the hard way.

You'll begin to learn your body if you pay attention to how you're feeling from day to day. Many factors influence how we feel and you must recognize what is making you feel a certain way. When you start to figure out what makes you tired and what makes you feel worse, you can start to correct those things in your life. You'll start to be an expert at recovery techniques in no time!

Sleep can make or break your progress in weight lifting. You're going to have to make sure you get the sleep you need to recover from each workout. It's hard to put a good effort forth when you're tired. I can't give you an exact number for hours of sleep because every single person in this world is different when it comes to sleep. I've known some people that can feel great with 5 hours of sleep. Others need 9 hours. I do great with around 8 hours of sleep and most experts will recommend around 8 hours of sleep. More sleep is the simplest recovery technique that will do the most for you.

You're diet is very important to your recovery. A bad diet will not help you recover from your workouts and you'll become overtrained very quickly. You need to have a diet full of nutritious foods especially if you're in a calorie deficit from day to day and trying to lose weight. Make sure you're diet is packed full of foods with high vitamin and mineral content. You must be drinking water with every meal and ensure you're getting your water intake each and every day.

If you're having trouble recovering from workouts, you first need to look at your sleep and diet. If you're having trouble sleeping or getting interrupted during your sleep, you might have to take some extra time during the days to get you a nap in. Set aside a time for the days you need some extra sleep. For example, have a nap time when you get home from work. Go to your bedroom, shut the shades, pull the curtains, and set your alarm for an hour or so. Make sure your room is really dark and that you're going to have a totally quiet room. Even a short nap will help you feel so much better.

You also need to ensure your diet is in order. Replace non-nutritious foods with more nutritious foods. If you have a granola bar for breakfast, replace it with some fruit. Make replacements throughout your diet. You'll start to feel better in no time. Make sure you're drinking around a gallon of water per day. This alone will help you feel better! Adding water is another simple recovery technique that works wonders. Plus you'll get more exercise by walking to the bathroom more!

I bought my family a hot tub a few years ago, and I absolutely love it for recovery purposes. Hot tubs are wonderful! I love to get in it when I get home from work on the days I am not working out. It calms me down from a tough day at work and allows me to relax. I make sure to massage all muscles in my body with the jets. A hot tub is an expensive recovery technique, but you'll love it!

If you don't have a hot tub, you might have a whirlpool tub. Run you a hot bath and relax. Play some soothing music and light some candles. Simply relax. This will help you more than you could imagine. Take a few minutes out of your day for these relaxing times!

Massages will also help you recover quickly from workouts. Many people don't have the time or money for massage, including me. But I knew there would be a compromise somewhere or somehow. A foam roller will help you give yourself a deep tissue massage. These will only cost you around 10 to 20 dollars, but will give you a great massage! You should give these foam rollers a try. They work wonders for your recovery!

If all else fails, you should take extra days off between your weight lifting sessions when you need them. Now don't take this as a reason to be lazy and skip workouts. Consistency is the key to building muscle and losing fat, so don't be lazy. If you truly need the extra days off, they will do more good than harm. If you're feeling unmotivated and very tired, take an extra day or two off. This will usually give you the time you need to get your motivation back.