What Is the “Load Recovery Trigger Principle”?
Created by Matt Vandyke and Cal Dietz
Triphasic Training Principle 38
Think of the Load Recovery Trigger as your internal “dashboard light” for recovery. It’s not an on/off switch — it’s a continuum. Depending on how much stress an athlete experiences (from training, competition, or even life), the recovery they need shifts along that spectrum.
Low stress? Minimal recovery needed.
High stress or an unfamiliar workload? You’d better plan for more recovery — and not just a nap or a cold plunge. We’re talking targeted strategies that address specific physiological demands.
The key takeaway: not every training session requires recovery, and sometimes too much recovery can actually get in the way of long-term adaptation.
Why Training Itself Can Be a Recovery Strategy
Here’s something many coaches miss — sometimes, the right kind of training is recovery. Especially in the off-season, training phases can be designed to let the body restore itself from in-season fatigue while still improving key systems. This is what we call active recovery, and it’s one of the most powerful tools in a coach’s arsenal.
Recovery should be intentional and individualized, not automatic. The best performance coaches know when to pull back and when to push forward.
How to Know When Recovery Is Needed
We can monitor stress and recovery readiness through various internal and external measures:
- Internal load: Heart rate, HRV (autonomic nervous system tracking), perceived exertion (RPE)
- External load: GPS data, movement quality, and total volume metrics
- Behavioral indicators: Changes in sleep, mood, gait, or motivation
When one of these metrics spikes or drops dramatically, your Load Recovery Trigger is going off. That means something’s not adapting the way it should — and it’s time to intervene.
The NFL Example: Two Athletes, One Camp
Let’s bring this to life. Picture two NFL defensive backs arriving at training camp.
Athlete 1 spent the off-season running long, slow miles to “stay in shape.”
Athlete 2 trained with high-intensity sprinting and change-of-direction drills — movements that actually mimic what he’ll face in camp.
Both athletes pass their conditioning test on day one. But after two days of full-speed practices, Athlete 1 starts to break down — slower reactions, tighter hamstrings, maybe even a pull. Athlete 2? Still sharp, still adapting.
Why?
Because Athlete 2’s off-season training matched the demands of his position. His stress was specific, so his body was prepared. Athlete 1’s wasn’t — and now his Load Recovery Trigger is maxed out.
The moral: You can’t out-recover poor preparation. No recovery tool — not a massage, not a supplement, not an ice bath — can fix a lack of proper training.
Avoiding the Trap of “Over-Recovery”
Here’s a paradox: recovery is good — until it’s too much of a good thing.
If you constantly make training easier with recovery tools, your athletes never truly adapt. That’s like hitting “undo” after every workout.
A good example? Antioxidants. Taken immediately after training, they can actually blunt adaptation by reducing the oxidative stress that signals the body to grow stronger. Used at the right time — say, the next morning — they can help without interfering.
Same goes for cold tubs, excessive foam rolling, or massages right before high-intensity sessions. You might make the athlete feel better short-term, but you’re stealing from tomorrow’s gains.
Recovery Is About Type, Amount, and Timing
To use recovery effectively, you have to think in three dimensions:
1. Type
What kind of recovery does this athlete need?
- Localized recovery for tissue stress (e.g., hamstrings)
- Systemic recovery for overall fatigue or chronic stress
2. Amount
How much recovery is needed?
- Minor stress → small adjustments (hydration, light movement)
- Major stress → structured recovery interventions
3. Timing
When should recovery happen?
- Parasympathetic-based recovery (like deep tissue work) shouldn’t happen right before a max-effort session.
- Recovery timing should complement — not compete with — the body’s adaptation cycles.
Recovery Isn’t the Opposite of Work — It’s Part of It
Athletes love to grind. “No days off.” “Outwork everyone.”
But the truth is, rest is a weapon — when used correctly.
Smart recovery doesn’t make you soft. It makes your training stick. The goal isn’t to do less — it’s to make sure the work you’re doing actually matters.
We don’t want athletes feeling fresh every single day. Some fatigue is necessary for growth. The art is in knowing when to allow fatigue and when to reduce it, so performance peaks exactly when it matters most.
The Coach’s Role: Stress Manager
At the end of the day, performance coaches are stress managers. Our job isn’t just to make athletes tired — it’s to make them better.
That means understanding:
- What kind of stress we’re applying
- How the athlete is responding
- When recovery will amplify — not erase — adaptation
Once coaches grasp the Load Recovery Principle, they can balance training and recovery with surgical precision. That’s how you build resilient, adaptable athletes who perform at their peak when it matters most.
Final Thoughts
The Load Recovery Principle is more than a theory — it’s a framework.
When you master type, amount, and timing of recovery, you unlock consistent, high-level performance.
Training and recovery aren’t opposites. They’re partners in the same process — and when you align them, that’s when athletes thrive.
