Recovery

One of the most overlooked aspects of training is recovery.  I believe it may be the most important aspect of all training.  Consider that chronic adaptions occur at rest.  Second, recovery is the time when your body refuels, flushes toxins and waste products as well as repairs damaged muscle.  So take it seriously.

Here are some of the ways I encourage athletes to recover from a workout. 

Warm down.  Spend some time getting your heart rate back to the heart rate you started the workout.  When I finish I walk or cycle until my HR is about 100 bpm.  The key is to keep moving as you bring down your HR.  I also begin to rehydrate at this time.  So sip some water as you bring your body to rest.

Next stretch/stick.  While your muscles are warm pratice some myofasial release using a "stick" or foam roller.  I travel with a "stick" in my bag, they are easy to transport because they take up little room in my bag.  Stretch each muscle group and spend a little more time an problem or tight areas.  Your body won't work to it potential if you are tight.  Flexibility will also help you avoid injury and be more competitive.

Eat and drink.  There are a number of studies that list the recovery window for food at 15-60 minutes after a workout.  The biggest reason for this is the muscles are full of blood and very accepting of protein and carbs.  The protein will  help repair the damaged muscle and the carbs will be stored for the next workout.  If you think it has to be an extravagant post-workout drink it doesn't, try low-fat chocolate milk, that should do the trick.  Getting water into your body is easy if you pay attention.  The simple formula for re-hydrating is 16-20 ounces of water for every pound lost during a workout.  If you don't know how much weight you have lost drink (over the next four hours) until your urine is pale yellow. 

If you have access to an ice bath take one.  Yes, and ice bath of 5-30 minutes will help reduce inflammation.  If you don't have a tub to immerse your body use ice packs on muscles and joints.  Think about a baseball pitcher after a game the first thing the trainer does is pack his arm/shoulder in ice. 


Compression tights.  These are great for increasing blood flow to the muscles.  I use "Skins" they are a little pricy but I can tell the difference.  I did find one study that showed evidence compression tights work for all athletes except that it did not have a significant effect on elite athletes.  The authors indicated that professional or elite athletes my be so well trained and cared for that the tights didn't have the same effect they did on lessor athletes.  Even so after some tough days I have slept in them and felt great in the morning.


Put your feet up.  If you can elevate your feet above your heart.  This will keep the blood from pooling in your legs and help flush waste products from your body.

Massage get regular massage from a MT.  Not only does massage increase blood flow and reduce muscle soreness a good therapist will find a trouble spot before the become an injury.  Best to get them after a tough workout (not before) because your body need some time to recover from the massage.

Get enough sleep.  Your body need seven to nine hours of sleep to recover from a hard workout.  Generally this is an area that we don't seem to complete.  Many seem to get less sleep than we need but getting enough is a key to both physical and mental health.  If you can't sleep at night try napping during the day.