Stress is the enemy of relaxation. Our response to stress is a built in survival mechanism. When there is a threat to our existence and wellbeing, our digestive system shuts down, our heart speeds up, breathing deepens, and adrenaline and other hormones flood the body to prepare us for a fight or flight.

Unnecessary stress leads to wasted energy, and too much of it will stop you from achieving your best. You cannot expect to make regular gains in muscles size if you overwork, overplay, engage in frequent arguments, or burn the candle at both ends. Under that kind of stress, the body does not react to regular training as we would wish.

Chronically recurring tress drains the body of energy. The trainer loses their mental concentration and the ability to recover quickly from workouts.

One definitive requirement for full recuperation is sleep. As a hard training, aspiring athlete, you need eight hours of sleep each night.

It is possible to get by on less, but it is not ideal. Many athletes keep pretty good hours on weekdays, only to party like crazy over the weekend. Scientists have concluded that we can get too little sleep one night and make up the balance the following night, in other words, we can borrow and pay back sleep, and suffer no adverse consequences. However, such practises are not advisable. Sure you can party once is a while, but make it the exception rather than the rule.

For the most part, get those eight hours of sleep every night. If you have difficulty sleeping because you are over trained or anxious about an approaching contest, then take a mild sleeping pill, but don't get in the habit of it.

Fresh air and sunshine speed up recuperation. Sunshine in moderate doses also stimulates hormone production, a definite plus for the enthusiastic athlete. Fresh air, deeply breathed, energizes the entire physique. In fact, many consider an athletes success totally dependent pom the amount of oxygen which can be ingested. You may personally want to ignore the possibility of fresh air helping recovery, but it is a fact of life. What's certain is that stuffy, centrally heated surroundings are less than ideal for revitalizing the body.

The part nutrition can play in maximizing your chance for complete recovery is not to be overlooked. As a rock bottom minimum, you should have the recommended daily allowance of protein, vitamins and minerals. If you feel that your post workout recovery proceeds at snail's pace, then I suggest you take a multi-vitamin tablet as general insurance. In addition, you might also benefit from daily doses of high quality protein powder mix, B-Complex, vitamin C and E, and some type of chelated mineral supplement.

Bear in mind too, that if you are trying to gain muscle while losing fat, you may have cut your carbohydrate intake too low. The days of pre-contest starvation are over. At the very least, your diet should be 100 percent adequate for complete and speedy recuperation. Your recuperation from demanding workouts is of definite importance to your ultimate success. Neglect nothing that can help.