A training recovery routine works when it’s repeatable: protect sleep first, keep meals and protein consistent, and plan hydration before training. Written in collaboration with NRLW athlete Layne Morgan, this guide explains how recovery drifts midweek and the simple habits that help you hold your standard across a busy week.
Recovery is boring
Recovery isn’t exciting. That’s the point. The stuff that actually holds up under a busy week is usually boring: sleep, food and fluids done consistently. If you’re cooked by Thursday, it’s often not the program. It’s the training recovery routine that you’re not repeating.
This article is written in collaboration with Layne Morgan, a Professional NRLW Athlete at the Parramatta Eels. Elite performance isn’t new to Layne. Now competing in the NRLW, she sits equal sixth in caps with the Australian Wallaroos and has represented both the Queensland Reds and the NSW Waratahs at the domestic level. Her move across codes reflects more than versatility. It reflects adaptability, game intelligence, and a disciplined approach to preparation. At the Parramatta Eels, she brings national experience and uncompromising standards to every performance.
How recovery drifts
Most people don’t “decide” to stop recovering. It just slips.
- Monday: you’re organised. Sleep is decent. Meals are normal. You drink enough.
- Tuesday: still holding.
- Wednesday: the routine starts to slip. Late night. Missed meal. Bottle not filled.
- Thursday: you’re training on fumes.
The mechanism is simple. Your training creates a demand.
Your recovery is how you meet that demand.
When you fall short on sleep, food, or fluids, the impact doesn’t always show up straight away; it tends to appear after a few days of small misses.
Sleep drives recovery
Sleep is where the whole system resets. When sleep slips, everything else is impacted: appetite regulation, decision-making, energy, and keeping on top of food and hydration. You can tighten up anything, but if sleep keeps slipping, the weeks will feel heavier.
If you want one priority that makes the recovery easier, it’s protecting sleep.
Food is the boring advantage
Recovery isn’t one perfect meal. It’s what you miss when the week gets busy.
This may be the usual pattern:
- You train hard, then the day keeps moving.
- Meals get pushed back.
- Protein gets patchy.
- By Thursday, you feel flat and sore because you weren't consistent on the basics.
The boring win is “basics-first” food. Enough total food. Enough protein. Every day.
Fluids are the silent limiter
Hydration doesn’t need drama. It needs planning.
A common problem statement isn’t “I never drink water.” It’s “I didn’t plan the bottle, so I got halfway through training and realised I was behind.” Electrolyte replacement products are designed to help replace fluid and key electrolytes (especially sodium and potassium) lost through sweat.
When it matters most
Midweek load
Back-to-back sessions, extra steps, work stress, and shorter nights make the system more sensitive. The same training session can feel fine on Monday and heavy on Thursday because the recovery base underneath it changed.
This is where high-performance standards matter. In elite environments, the “standard” isn’t what you do when everything’s perfect. It’s what you can repeat when the week gets tight.
Hot, sweaty sessions
When sweat loss is higher, hydration and electrolyte intake become more important. Planning your bottle before you train is the simple move that stops the slide.
When meals are rushed
When you finish training and roll straight into meetings, pickups, or the commute, protein is usually the first thing that gets missed (and total intake often follows). That’s where a repeatable “default option” matters more than the perfect plan.
- This isn’t about finding one magic recovery tool. Recovery is a stack: sleep, food, fluids, and a few supportive habits.
- You won’t feel a dramatic switch overnight. Most people notice recovery improving when the week stops feeling like a drag, not when a single session feels amazing.
- Supplements don’t replace fundamentals. They can make the fundamentals easier to repeat.
That’s the point: recovery is boring, but it holds up.
What’s the most important part of a training recovery routine?
The biggest “foundational layer” starts with sleep consistency. When sleep drifts, food and hydration usually drift right after.
What are some products you use regularly for your peak performance?
A few staple products I take consistently are Whey Protein, Creatine, and EAA’s; these help support my training week to week and provide the support I need.
When do electrolytes matter most?
Electrolytes matter most when you’re losing more fluid through sweat than usual, or when you’re drinking a lot of plain water but still feel like hydration isn’t “sticking”.
