However you structure your training life, you need rest days. You only get stronger from recovering from training, not training itself. You want the adaptation, resting gets you that adaptation ( slowly of course, otherwise everyone would look as gorgeous as I do)

However, Just as there is no such thing as a free lunch, there is no such thing as a rest day. Sure, a rest day may mean you are not pushing the envelope on your training, but its the ideal opportunity to: look at your next training block, decide, or confirm goals, write your food menus for the next few day, plan your training and review what you have just done.

Some call this the KOLB learning cycle, others just common sense. Whilst I’ve seen this simple helpful model made into the world most complex thing Its simply an ongoing cycle of

Plan

Do

Reflect,

New plan

One of the most helpful applications is in diet and weight management. Can you write up 3 days of menus ( I have a rest day every 3 days, you may have a different pattern)?

This is where you weighing and measuring and food diary comes in handy. With any luck you know meals you like: For a morning meal I’ll either have avocado, cheese ham on a slice of toast, or 2 eggs on a slice of toast. I’ll try and get a pile of veg on the side. So I know what I need to have in stock. I also know the quantities for this, and whilst I weigh them, I could eyeball them if need be.

For an evening meal, I’ll always aim at a zone diet 4 block meal. The proportions are the same: 112 g of beef or chicken or lamb or salmon or 162g of pork, plus a serving of carb ( this is 3 blocks, but i know Ill sneak a bit of carb in, so this compensates) 150g of potato or 93g of rice or 36g of dried pasta.

Ive not looked this up. I know these figures. You need to know your figures.

I pretty much know that if I have roast chicken tomorrow, Ill have chicken curry the next day, Roast lamb today means, lamb in gravy tomorrow. I have a freezer full of veg! You should too.

I tend to guess fat: but if I disregard the extra fat used in cooking , a 4 block meal will have 4 x 3 almonds on the side

Once again, I’m led to apologise to my veggie friends, but I just cannot find anything veggie that fills the gap. Im working on it! Send in ideas

Todays Food hint is “cut the fat off your pork, and make crackling out of it.” Dry it, and cook it on a rack. Use the fat that drips off it to help the actual pork get roasted. Whilst I shouldn’t say this, I tend to have too much, so I’ll “save” and change earlier meal to create a “pork crackling budget”. The take home message, plan, and reflect and nudge what you do.

The real danger is perfectionist thinking

Todays exercise is a bit of flexibility fun. Click here to look at your bicep flexibility.

Finally, some BREATHING.

This a common breathing drill. Still, worthwhile doing.