UFC 5 minute rounds, without the 1 minute breaks in between rounds, some fight results would have changed. NHL hockey lines get switched out every few minutes to avoid fatigue. Ever watched the ‘strongest man’ on earth contest on TV? They get fatigue too after maximum exertion for a period of time.
Whether it is sport, studying, problem solving, we need productive ‘time-off’ to recover physically and mentally, thereby avoiding burn out. People have figured out that if you wait till you hit the wall, the time needed to recover takes longer and you are less likely to be able to perform at your peak level.
What makes sense doesn’t mean that everyone will do it. As an example, lots of neck, shoulder or back pain are caused by staying in a relatively static position for too long. Having perseverance and determination is good, however, being so obsessed that you have to complete it without taking a break is not smart. A whole rehab industry is built upon people’s lack of discipline or knowledge about the recovery process.
Breaks are great but think about the time when gymnasts come back after the summer holidays, the extremely painful first couple of weeks. Also think about how some kids take numerous breaks when asked to do homework – 5 minutes of work and 1 hour of ‘mental break’. So there are obviously a little science to these necessary replenishing cycles than just ‘taking breaks’.
Exercise
What do you know about productive breaks in different situations. Give me at least 2 examples that are relevant to you where you can improve.
During a fight, your pace is affected by your opponent, how do you ‘program’ time-off in the middle of it?