PurplePatch Fitness founder Matt Dixon discusses the recovery element in his Pillars of Performance training philosophy.

Following Chris Lieto's breakthrough second-place finish at last year's Ford Ironman World Championship, I received a lot of questions about what we changed in his training, or what the magic ingredient was that elevated his performance so far beyond what he had achieved previously. The long answer would take many pages, but I kept finding myself coming back to He stopped talking about recovery and started actually doing it. While every athlete pursuing optimal performance must put in very hard training, the effectiveness of that training (some would say the secret ingredient) is dependent on how well he or she recovers.

In my last article, I laid out my belief that far too many athletes and coaches rely on high volume training, with limited focus on other key factors that elevate performance. This approach tends to leave many, even most, athletes arriving at their key events very fit, but tired. I consistently observe dedicated athletes who train extremely hard but do not make noticeable gains due to accumulated fatigue. To counteract the tendency to over-train, I outlined a philosophy with added emphasis on recovery, functional strength and nutrition. These three areas, coupled with swimming, biking and running, make up your six pillars of performance. Thinking of them as pillars or columns supporting your performance should make it easier to accept that they require equal attention.

The focus of this article is on the recovery pillar. Reaping the rewards of recovery starts with understanding how it benefits you (comprehension), choosing to embrace it (commitment), and integrating it into your training (action, or in this case, inaction).

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