As a young athlete I was so intent on becoming a champion that I'd roll off my mattress every morning at 5:30 a.m., press 'Play' on my cassette recorder, and immediately begin doing push-ups while Otis Redding wailed his rendition of Chain Gang. After 500 push-ups, 500 sit-ups and 200 pull-ups, I'd run the first of the day's three 3-mile runs. In the evening after wrestling or football practice or competitions, I'd lift heavy weights for two hours. I was under the mistaken impression that if some training was good, then more training was always better. Clearly, in training there comes a point of diminishing, or even negative, returns. Strength and conditioning can only improve after sufficient rest and recuperation allows the body to adapt to your workouts.