How much recovery is enough? That’s the golden question for any coach and rider.

Judging the amount of recovery needed after each block of training is fundamental in helping any rider reach their goals. Too little recovery and an athlete will plateau and not improve. Too much recovery and an athlete won’t be reaching their potential.

So how do you judge how much recovery to include in a training plan? I believe periodisation is the key and that means building in periods of recovery at regular intervals in a training program.

I normally start with a recovery day every three or four days and will expand this to a recovery week every three of four weeks. Working with a coach is the best way to correctly judge the amount of recovery you need for the amount of training you are doing.

You know your body better than anyone but sometimes you can feel tired and unmotivated but actually be strong on the bike, while on the other hand you can sometimes feel fresh but actually not be putting out the power figures you are capable of.

Having a coach – and, crucially, communicating effectively with that coach – means that both the quantitative information from your heart rate monitor or power meter can be assessed alongside the qualitative information of how you are feeling. This should allow you to find the correct balance between training and recovery.

One rule of thumb I always use is that if you aren’t motivated for the first or second training session of a three or four-day block then chances are that you need to increase the amount of recovery.

There are also other ways you can monitor your recovery…