Original episode & show notes | Raw transcript
This document provides an in-depth analysis of the principles of athletic rest and recovery as discussed in a conversation between two elite cycling coaches, Kolie Moore and Adam Pulford. Moving beyond simplistic maxims, they explore the nuanced interplay between physiological stress, psychological state, and performance adaptation. The core thesis of their discussion is that rest is not the absence of training, but an active and critical component of it. For an athlete to improve, the application of rest must be as deliberate and individualized as the application of stress.
The foundation of a proper training structure is understanding the specific purpose of each session. A recovery ride is not a “junk” session but a workout with a clear physiological objective.
Physiological Goal: The primary purpose is to promote adaptation without inducing further stress. This is achieved by keeping intensity extremely low (typically below 60% of Functional Threshold Power, or FTP). This gentle effort encourages blood flow, which helps clear metabolic byproducts from tired muscles, without triggering an anaerobic stress response that would require further recovery.
The “Sprints on a Recovery Ride” Fallacy: A common mistake among athletes is adding short, hard efforts to easy days. The coaches identify several reasons why this is counterproductive:
It Contradicts the Goal: Sprints are a high-intensity, anaerobic effort designed to elicit specific neuromuscular adaptations. Performing them on a recovery day negates the purpose of recovery.
Sub-Optimal Quality: To achieve a true training effect from sprinting, the body must be fresh. Performing sprints in a fatigued state leads to subpar power output, diminishing the potential for adaptation and turning the session into “no-man’s-land” training.
Psychological Insecurity: The desire to add intensity often stems from an athlete’s fear of losing fitness or a feeling of not “doing enough.” A coach’s role is to address this insecurity and build confidence in the recovery process itself.
A significant portion of managing recovery involves understanding and guiding the athlete’s psychology. Even world-class athletes can fall into counterproductive mindsets.
The “Fatigue Security Blanket”: This term describes a state where an athlete becomes accustomed to a constant level of fatigue. They associate this feeling with productive training and feel anxious or “unfit” when they are well-rested. Letting go of this “blanket” is a crucial step toward achieving peak performance.
The “Train Harder” Response to Fatigue: When performance begins to decline due to fatigue, a common but incorrect instinct is to increase training load. This creates a downward spiral of increasing fatigue and diminishing performance. A key goal of coaching is to educate the athlete to recognize fatigue as a signal to rest, not to push harder.
Effective coaching involves a triangulation of data to determine when an athlete needs rest, often before the athlete realizes it themselves.
1. Failed Workouts: The most overt sign of excessive fatigue is the inability to complete the prescribed intensity or duration of a key workout.
2. Qualitative Feedback (The “Diary”): This is arguably the most important source of information.
Athlete Comments: Encouraging athletes to keep detailed notes on how they felt provides invaluable context. Patterns emerge that are invisible in power data alone.
Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE): A crucial metric is the relationship between objective output (power) and subjective effort (RPE). If a standard workout that should feel like a 7/10 on the RPE scale is reported as a 10/10, it is a major red flag that the athlete’s system is under significant stress.
3. Objective Data Trends: While secondary to qualitative feedback, data provides confirmation.
Power Data: Consistently falling short of power targets is an obvious indicator.
Ramp Rate (Training Load Progression): A ramp rate that is too aggressive for a sustained period will inevitably lead to the need for significant rest.
The principle underlying all training is General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS): Stress + Rest = Adaptation. Without the “rest” component of the equation, the “stress” component is non-productive and leads only to breakdown.
Microcycles (The Training Week): A typical training week is built around a limited number of high-intensity days. A common structure is 3 hard days and 4 easy days. The “easy” days consist of active recovery or low-intensity endurance rides, which do not significantly add to the fatigue load.
Mesocycles (Training Blocks): A common framework is the “three weeks on, one week off” model, where training load progressively increases for three weeks, followed by a dedicated recovery block.
Knowing when to end a rest period is as important as knowing when to start one.
Qualitative Marker - Psychological Eagerness: The single best indicator of full recovery is a mental one. The athlete feels “antsy” and expresses a genuine desire to train hard and “make some watts.” An athlete who is still feeling stressed, overwhelmed, or sluggish is not ready.
Quantitative Marker - Neuromuscular Power: The return of high-end, short-duration power (e.g., a 5-second sprint) is an excellent physiological sign of recovery. These efforts rely on the phosphocreatine system and a fresh central nervous system, both of which are heavily suppressed by endurance training fatigue. When sprint power returns to or exceeds previous bests, it indicates that the systems are rested and ready for high-quality work.
A common and confusing phenomenon for athletes is feeling sluggish or having “bad legs” immediately following a rest block.
The Disconnect: It is critical to distinguish between feeling (perception) and performance (objective output). An athlete can feel terrible while simultaneously producing their best-ever power numbers. This often occurs because a well-rested body is capable of pushing into a new, higher level of physiological stress, which is an unfamiliar and uncomfortable sensation.
Managing the “Openers”: For racing, where perception is critical for decision-making, this phenomenon must be managed. Coaches will program “opener” workouts 1-2 days before a key event to “wake up” the systems. For some athletes, this might be a few short sprints. For others, particularly highly-trained individuals, it may require a more substantial effort, like a 10-15 minute time trial, to get their body primed for peak performance. This is highly individualized.
The coaches emphasize that true recovery extends far beyond training schedules and gadgets.
The Primacy of Sleep: Sleep is described as the “fountain of youth” and the single most effective recovery tool. No supplement or technology can replace the profound restorative processes that occur during 7-9 hours of quality sleep.
Psychological Regeneration: In a hyper-connected world, athletes often neglect psychological rest. True recovery involves:
Unplugging from devices.
Reducing life stress where possible.
“Being a human”: Intentionally engaging in non-athletic activities like spending quality time with family, going for a walk, or pursuing hobbies. This psychological “unwinding” is essential for long-term motivation and preventing burnout.
The “Recovery Industry”: While tools like pneumatic compression boots can feel good and enforce a period of inactivity, their physiological benefit is secondary to the fundamentals. The greatest benefit of such devices is often that they compel the athlete to lie down and do nothing for 30 minutes.
The conversation reveals that advanced coaching treats rest with the same seriousness and analytical rigor as training. It is a dynamic process tailored to the individual’s physiology, psychology, and life circumstances. The ultimate goal is to create a sustainable rhythm of stress and adaptation, guided by listening intently to the athlete’s subjective feedback and validating it with objective data. By mastering rest, an athlete unlocks their true potential for adaptation and performance.