By: Taylor Morriss
With two sessions of our Summer Program done, I thought it would be a good idea to cover a major and important component of training…rest.
At the Ranch, we know it’s important to put your all into your training every single time you do a drill or a corrective exercise. We have even had a few weekly newsletters go out that discuss how simply doing the motions isn’t good enough, you have to commit and you have to try to beat yourself and the previous record you had set- you saw all of our personal record breakers on social media, right?
But on top of our Ranch hands putting their sweat, blood, and probably some tears (which they will deny I’m sure) into their exercises, we stress that they need time to let their bodies recover as well. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to come back out the next day or next week and be ready to do it all over again!
One of the most important activities that take place in our bodies during sleep, and one that almost everybody is already aware of, is that your body recharges itself while you’re dreaming of making it to the big leagues. Muscle fibers that have been torn during strenuous activities (activities such as suspension training) are able to rebuild themselves and get stronger; without it, you are essentially depriving yourself of all of the benefits you just worked really hard for.
Rest also prevents injuries. You are less likely to partake in overuse of your muscles and joints when you take proper rest days. P.S. it takes up to almost 2 weeks of doing absolutely nothing before you start to notice the dwindling of muscle you’ve worked for, so don’t think that taking a day or two off is going to set you back weeks or months of training.
Your mind also has a chance to take a break and slow down instead of having to constantly be focusing on a task, thinking ahead, or just thinking in general. If you over-train, you may end up ruining your chances for a good night’s sleep because you force your body to be on high alert when it otherwise does not need to be.
Your attention also sharpens after you’ve had enough sleep and your memory even improves; which is good for when you’re trying to learn a whole new training program.
You also improve your performance, increase stamina, reduce your chance of becoming burned out on your training program, and suffer less from fatigue as well.
People’s bodies and minds are only designed to be able to handle so much before things start to go wrong or aren’t done at your usual level of effort or expertise. So when Coach Wolforth and Jill said they were taking the TBR staff on a cruise, we got a little excited. Okay a lot excited- Coach Kadey and Coach Wallace especially because they’ve never been on a cruise before. While we all LOVE our jobs and the clients that we work with, it’s nice for us to be able to have some time off and not think about how to make a training program better or more personal to each of our athletes, or fight with technology while simultaneously talking on the phone and answering questions. We are able to have some time to just lay out by the pool or beach, walk around without having to be at a specific location to run a specific drill, and just talk to one another without it being about a task that needs to be done.
I will let you guys know how it turns out, but I’m willing to bet that it will be what we have all needed after this summer of programs and boot camps. So get ready if you’re coming out these next few months because the TBR staff will be recharged, tan, and ready to get back to work to help you guys achieve your goals!
**Visit our website to see availability for our upcoming Elite Pitcher’s Boot Camps!
