Recovery & Adjustments

You do not get fitter during a session; you get fitter in the days after it, provided you recover. Recovery is part of the plan, not a reward for finishing it.

In short: Sleep, easy days and honest adjustments do more for progress than another hard session. Normal soreness eases; sharp, one-sided or worsening pain is a stop sign.

Recovery is part of the plan. Peaksted photo archive.

Rest days and sleep

Sleep is one of the most reliable recovery tools. Expert consensus statements for athletes suggest most adults need around seven to nine hours, and athletes in heavy training may need more. Consistent bed and wake times help. If a poor night is a one-off, you can usually train as planned with a little extra care; several poor nights in a row are a reason to ease off.

Normal soreness versus warning signs

Muscle soreness that builds one to three days after new or harder work (delayed-onset muscle soreness) is normal, and it lessens as you repeat the exercise. The following are not normal, and are reasons to reduce load, stop and get advice:

• Sharp, one-sided or joint pain, or pain that changes how you move.

• Soreness that worsens rather than eases after several days.

• Swelling, or pain at night that disturbs sleep.

• Seek medical advice promptly for chest pain, fainting or near-fainting, palpitations, or unusual breathlessness during exercise.

Training around long shifts

On demanding work weeks, keep the session but reduce its duration or intensity rather than skipping it. Some training beats none, and none beats poor-form training when exhausted.

Adjusting for poor recovery

Sleeping badly, feeling run down, or noticing your effort creeping up for the same work? Scale back intensity for a session or two rather than pushing through. Fuelling matters too: see Nutrition & Trek Fuel.

Returning after illness or a break

After a short break, most of your fitness is still there. Return at a reduced volume and intensity and rebuild over one to two weeks rather than resuming exactly where you left off. If you were unwell, rest while you have a fever, chest symptoms or body-wide aches. Some coaches allow light activity for mild, cold-type symptoms above the neck, but that rule of thumb is not strongly tested, so use your judgement and see a clinician if unsure. Returning gradually does not guarantee against setbacks; it reduces unnecessary risk.

A three-question daily check

• Sleep: did I sleep reasonably well?

• Legs: do they feel fresh enough for today’s session?

• Mind: am I motivated and coping with stress?

Three yeses: train as planned. One no: ease the session. Two or more, or any stop sign: rest and reassess. The tool above turns this into a quick check.

After a big Mountain Day

• Eat a proper meal with carbohydrate and protein, then more food later if you are hungry.

• Drink to thirst and rehydrate through the evening.

• Walk gently the next day rather than sitting still all day.

• Go to bed on time. Sleep is where much of the recovery happens.

• Check your feet and note any hotspots before they become blisters.

Coach’s tip: rate how you feel out of 10 each morning for two weeks. Patterns show up faster than any single day.

Frequently asked questions

Should I stretch?

Evidence that stretching reduces soreness or injury is limited. Do it if it feels good and helps you relax.

Are ice baths worth it?

Cold-water immersion after strength sessions may blunt some training adaptations, so it is not a daily habit for building strength. Use it sparingly.

When can I train after being unwell?

Rest while you have fever, chest symptoms or body-wide aches, then return gradually. See a clinician if unsure.

Last updated September 2026. General education, not medical advice or a personalised prescription. Stop and seek qualified advice if you have sharp, increasing or persistent pain, or a health condition that may affect exercise.

Keep exploring

• Nutrition & Trek Fuel

• Aerobic Pacing

• Training Basics

• Strength Training for Hiking

• Check your trek readiness

Research behind the advice

• Walsh and colleagues (2021), sleep and the athlete: expert consensus recommendations

• Watson (2017), sleep and athletic performance

• Cheung, Hume and Maxwell (2003), delayed-onset muscle soreness

• Mujika and Padilla (2000), detraining

About the author

Nathan Gee is Peaksted’s founder: a sport scientist (BSc Sports Science) with a strength and conditioning background and eight years of coaching experience, focused on hiking and trekking performance. Meet the Peaksted team.