Healing After The Battle

The mindset of a warrior!  It’s the Spartan thrusting his spear while engaged in battle, the gladiator swinging his massive trident or the warrior goddess lashing out with tainted dagger.

There is a warrior in you!

It’s the part of you that will not capitulate and doesn’t know the meaning of, walk away, quite or surrender.  The part of you that will fight to the last rep, and leave everything he’s got on the gym floor battle field.

Then get up and do it all over again the next day.

 “But all this battling is making me tired.”

The warrior is never tired… he must fight on as long as the enemy is at the gates.

“But I’m seriously exhausted!”

Are you getting enough rest?  Are you allowing yourself to recover between battles?

“You have a 60% greater chance of dying on the battle field if you’re exhausted”

Did you know that you have a 60% greater chance of dying on the battle field if you’re injured, exhausted or just not well rested? (this is not a real statistic)

Recovery may very well be the number one most important component in your quest for that warrior or goddess like body.

Think about it… in any given 48 hour period you might train between 2 and 4 hours on average. The remaining 44 hours should be devoted to recovery… minus a few hours for work and social life.

“Social life…What’s that?”

No need to concern yourself with “social life” it’s during that 44 hour period that your battle scars and wounds heal, repair and prepare for what’s coming next.

The true warrior has the self discipline to not only step on to the battle field prepared and ready but he also has the self discipline to hold back and remain still when it’s required.  It’s during this still period that recovery takes place and the will to win is replenished.

Here is my 5 point strategy for warrior level recovery.

1. Pre-battle nutrition prep.  Your body will have special requirements during your high intensity battle level workout.  Supplements like Glutamine, Creatine, branch chain amino acids, and high quality carbohydrate and protein prior to your training will have a dramatic impact on your workout and a jump start on your post workout recovery.

1. Post battle replenishing of reserves.  Devouring a 20 oz porterhouse or side of oxen following your workout would be a mistake. By the time that high protein carcass reaches your depleted muscles it will already be too late.  Instead pound a high protein, carbohydrate and creatine rich post workout recovery drink along with plenty of H2o and watch yourself quickly come back to life.

1. Reserve the right to NAP: Find a dark cave, tree hollow of quite nap room and crash or meditate for 30-40 minutes within a few hours if not immediately following your workout.   You’ll wake up pumped and ready to conquer the rest of the day.

1. Back off on the post battle partying:  Pounding back a few pints of ail with your buddies may seem like a great way to relax after a hard day on the battle field… but the truth is your contributing to an already dehydrated and depleted state and radically reducing recovery.

1. Get some sleep: You’ve heard this before but it bears repeating because YOU’RE NOT FREAKING DOING IT!   On workout days you’re body will demand between 8-10 hours of solid growth hormone producing sleep.  Deny it and pay the price. Plus you can’t afford to be lethargic when the enemy shows up.

 Now get out there and be an Iron Warrior.

For More Mindset Tools Rules and Strategies go to TomTerwilliger.com